Script

script is a console command available in all Source games since Left 4 Dead 2.

It is available in all games that have a Squirrel implementation of VScript, namely these.

Description

It executes Squirrel code from the root table. The code can contain spaces without quotation marks used. Despite this, the developer console reads the code like a typical command's value, so special console delimiters like semicolons (;) cannot be used for scripting needs, making for statements impossible.

Tip:for games on the modern (2025) SDK 2013 branch (), Backticks ` can be used in EntFire functions to create `strings` safely with this command.

Confirm:games with older VScript implementations () may be able to escape quotes instead (e.g. \"string\"), unconfirmed.

Warning:multiple script commands separated by semicolons will fail to parse correctly if there is a space between them due to squirrel attempting to use the semicolon as a separator.

Example:script printl("print1"); script printl("print2") will throw a script error, but script printl("print1");script printl("print2") will not.

Note:Since the code is not executed from an entity's script scope and not in response to I/O, the pre-defined variables for activator, caller or self.

Workaround:Either use RunScriptCode inputs to target these variables, or define the variables as needed temporarily, e.g. ent_fire player runscriptcode "printl(self)" or script ::activator <- Entities.FindByClassname(null, "player").

Syntax

script <code>

Examples

script printl( GetMapName() )

Prints the name of the current map in the console.

script player <- Entities.FindByClassname(null, "player");
script player.SetMaxHealth( 200 )

Using a variable, find the player with the lowest entity index then set their max health to 200.

script { player <- Entities.FindByClassname(null, "player") } { player.SetMaxHealth(200) }

The same code, but as a single console command, achieved by using curly braces to bypass semicolons. Note that in this example, one pair of curly braces would suffice; if there is no nesting, putting every other statement in curly braces is sufficient. Note also that the statement player <- ... despite the curly braces, creates a table slot in the root table that persists after the closing brace. If the player variable should be a local variable, its assignment statement must not stand alone inside curly braces, since its scope ends with the closing curly brace.

When executing multiple complicated commands repeatedly using the up ↑ and down ↓ arrow keys in the console it may even be useful to add a comment in the command, for example the following.

script /* SET MAX HEALTH 200 */ { player <- Entities.FindByClassname(null, "player") } { player.SetMaxHealth(200) } // SET MAX HEALTH 200

Squirrel will never see line comments starting with // because the developer console sees and removes them first. Block comments /* */ can also be used because Squirrel supports them!

See also

• Scripts
• VScript
• Squirrel