In The Spotlight
BIFs are not technically part of /Free. You can use them in RPG IV positional. But they are so much more necessary in /Free that it only makes sense for us to look at some of the most common ones and see how they are used.
By David Shirey
Editor's Note: This article is excerpted from article 12 of 21st Century RPG: /Free, ILE, and MVC, by David Shirey.
BIFs are very, very useful. They replace the RPG tradition of moving things from one field representation to another until you get what you want. But they are not trivial. You have to look closely at what a BIF is doing, and that is particularly true if the BIF is working on another BIF. It can get complex, and you have to be very clear what you are trying to accomplish. A good source of information on BIFs and how to use them is Rafael Victória-Pereira’s excellent RPG Academy BIF series at mcpressonline.com.