Chapter 15: Tables
15.4. Changing entries

Here is another rather definitive, immutable-looking table:

Table 4 - Recent Monarchs
Name   Accession   Family   
"Anne"   1702   Stuart   
"George I"   1714   Hanover   
"George II"   1720   Hanover   
"George III"   1760   Hanover   
"George IV"   1820   Hanover   
"William IV"   1830   Hanover   
"Victoria"   1837   Hanover   
"Edward VII"   1901   Saxe-Coburg-Gotha   
"George V"   1910   Windsor   
"Edward VIII"   1936   Windsor   
"George VI"   1936   Windsor   
"Elizabeth II"   1952   Windsor   

But table entries can be changed as freely as variables: that is, any value can be entered so long as it has the right kind. We cannot put a dynasty into the "Name" column, or text in the "Accession" column. The phrase needed is "now ... is ...", just as it is for properties or variables:

Dynasty is a kind of value. The dynasties are Stuart, Hanover, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Windsor.

The Table Office is a room. The Succession is in the Table Office. "The Succession, a ponderous list of English monarchs, takes pride of place."

Instead of examining the Succession:
    say "The Succession List runs as follows...";
    repeat with N running from 1 to the number of rows in the Table of Recent Monarchs:
        say "[accession in row N of Table 4]: [name in row N of Table 4] ([family in row N of Table 4])."

Instead of attacking the Succession:
    now the family corresponding to an accession of 1720 in the Table of Recent Monarchs is Stuart;
    now the name in row 4 of the Table of Recent Monarchs is "Graham I";
    now the name in row 5 of the Table of Recent Monarchs is "Trixibelle IV";
    say "You deface the English succession, making suitable amendments with a quill pen. Considering it is supposed to be mightier than the sword the effect is a little disappointing."

Test me with "examine succession / attack it / examine it".


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