Passage won't display in debug view

Nattata

Hello! I'm completely new to Twine/Harlowe and am generally an idiot, so I think I might be looking at multiple syntax errors or plain dumb mistakes that I haven't been able to discern.

Basically, there are various individual "states" a player can be at, and the story branches out depending on which is chosen. I wanted to write it that only the link corresponding to your current "state" would display, but when I open the passage up in debug view, it just gives me the "Double-click this passage to edit it" message.

Four years pass faster than you knew years could even go.

(unless: (either: $scholar is true, $artlar is true, $success is true, $artcess is true, $depressed is true, $machi is true, $athlete is true, $artlete is true))[(link: "Next")(goto: "defaultschool")]

(if: (either: $scholar is true, $artlar is true, $success is true, $artcess is true, $depressed is true, $machi is true))[(link: "Next")(goto: "special preschool")]

(if: (either: $athlete is true, $artlete is true))[(link: "Next")(goto: "toddlersports")]

My issue could be entirely predicated on clumsiness with code in general, so apologies if this is a stupid question.

EDIT: Formatting it like so seemed to solve my issue!

(if: (either: $scholar is true, $artlar is true, $success is true, $artcess is true, $depressed is true, $machi is true))[|specialpreschool>[(link: "Next")[(goto: "specialpreschool")]]]
(elseif: (either: $athlete is true, $artlete is true))[|toddlersports>[(link: "Next")[(goto: "toddlersports")]]]
(else:)[|defaultschool>[(link: "Next")[(goto: "defaultschool")]]]

greyelf

note: All the examples will use the following test data:

(set: $scholar to true)
(set: $artlar to false)
(set: $success to true)
(set: $artcess to false)
(set: $depressed to true)
(set: $machi to false)
(set: $athlete to true)
(set: $artlete to false)

1. When an expression (like $var is "value") is evaluated the result is either true or false.

ex 1. in the case of $scholar is true the result would be true.
ex 2. in the case of $artlar is true the result would be false.

2. The (either: ) macro returns a randomly selected item from a list of items.

In your example you are passing a list of expressions (eg. $scholar is true) to the (either:) macro, those expressions are first evaluated and then the results of each of them are passed to the macro.

So:
(either: $scholar is true, $artlar is true, $success is true, $artcess is true, $depressed is true, $machi is true, $athlete is true, $artlete is true)

Becomes:
(either: true, false, true, false, true, false, true, false)

... obviously the actual values being passed in your examples depend on the current values of the related variables.

The macro will then randomly return one of the true/false items passed to it.

3. To check multiple expressions in a single (if:) macro you need to separate each expression with either an and operator or an or operator.

If all of the variables contains a value of true then show the link.
(if: $scholar and $artlar and $success and $artcess and $depressed and $machi))[
	(link: "Next")[
		(goto: "special preschool")
	]
]

If any of the variables contains a value of true then show the link.
(if: $scholar or $artlar or $success or $artcess or $depressed or $machi))[
	(link: "Next")[
		(goto: "special preschool")
	]
]

Nattata

Ah, that makes a ton of sense! Thank you so much for the answer.