Zinnia Homepage

Zinnia is a Javascript program that lets you create maps of interactive fiction games. The input to the program is some Zinnia code that describes the map. The output is a block of Javascript that you can cut-and-paste into your webpage; this code (usually with the help of some version of the zinnia.js file) draws your map using either HTML5's canvas or svg element. The author of Zinnia is David Welbourn.

There have been several iterations or versions of Zinnia. Unfortunately, I have not been very diligent in documenting, organizing, or maintaining them. Hopefully, what work I have done is of some help to somebody.

• Zinnia 1. This was originally called Map Creator version 2, then renamed to Compass Zinnia, and now known as Zinnia 1. I was taking a WYSIWYG approach and not doing a good job of it. I find this version confusing, unintuitive, and essentially unusable.

• Zinnia 2. Circa 2013, this was originally called Compass Zinnia 2. This is the first usable version of Zinnia. I think this is the first version to support room shapes, room shadows, and auras.

  I am very belatedly renaming zinnia.js to zinnia2.js for this version.

• Zinnia 3. This version showed up circa 2014. This version, in Javascript, is supposed to support simple gradients, but it seems that I didn't fully code that part up.

  I am very belatedly renaming zinnia.js to zinnia3.js for this version.

• Zinnia 4. This is the current version I use for my walkthroughs. Unfortunately, Zinnia 4 only exists as part of a larger walkthrough-generator program written in Perl. There is no public version or Javascript version of Zinnia 4. Sorry!

• Zinnia 5. This is a new version whose syntax I'm still working out and attempting to finalize in 2025. Only when the specification is fully written, and I'm satisfied with it, will I be writing its code.

  This version will hopefully support new patterns, new shapes, new doors, better path control, and better text control.