Minecraft Java Edition – How to Find the Absolute Value of a Score

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So I want to find the absolute value of two coordinates in Minecraft 1.16.3 to see how far apart they are. So I make the cords into scoreboard values so I could use operations. Could I use the pipes or '|' like in math. How would I do it without a bunch of other commands to test if the values are below 0 or something. If any data packs are needed that's fine. I just wanted to know if I could do it like in normal math e.g. |1-10| that equals 9. Thanks for helping!

Best Answer

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I found what I think is a very simple way. The only math operations available with the scoreboard are +=, -=, *=, /=, and %= (modulo, like in coding).
The setup is complex, but the math used is simple and elegant. Bear with me.

Here are the scoreboard objectives I'll be using:

const: A constant values scoreboard.
vals: A scoreboard objective where you input all the values. With the press of a button, all the values in this scoreboard are replaced with their respective absolute values.
Important notice: If there are other scoreboard machines in your world, you can't use fake players for this. You'll need to use armour stands to store your scoreboard values.
Sorry, that's what makes this setup complex. If I find a better way, it'll be up here before you can say Jack Robinson.

First, run this command:

/scoreboard players set -1 const -1

The command in the command block is:

/execute as @e[scores={vals=..2147483647}] if score @s vals matches ..-1 run scoreboard players operation @s vals *= -1 const

If any of the scores on vals is −1 or below, multiply them by −1.

Related Solutions

Minecraft – Saving and restoring of many flags(variables)

Store the values in armor stands and switch the armor stands' name when saving and loading a state.

The armor stands' name will be n, where N equals the id of the set. When using the data pull it from set 0 and when saving/loading switch the names of the desired set with set 0.

Switch sets:

/entitydata @e[type=ArmorStand,name=0] {CustomName:9999}
/entitydata @e[type=ArmorStand,name=<id of desired set>] {CustomName:0}
/entitydata @e[type=ArmorStand,name=9999] {CustomName:<id of desired set>}

Minecraft – Implementing Minecraft Banner Text Parsing

You can use the /stats or check the CommandStats datatag of the ArmorStand. I highly recommend use of the /stats command.

Extract the result:

Run these commands once
Note: Anything suffixed with a "_v" can be whatever you want, as long as they're consistent.

/scoreboard objectives add SuccessCount_v dummy
/stats entity @e[type=ArmorStand,name=Lexer] set SuccessCount @e[type=ArmorStand,name=Lexer] SuccessCount_v

This will store the SuccessCount (in case of this command, 0 or 1) in the scoreboard as @e[type=ArmorStand,name=Lexer] SuccessCount_v, which you can then test and use as you would any other scoreboard value.

Add results together:

I'm not going to go into detail here, since I am unsure exactly you want to add together. I will, however link you to a wiki page where you can find the format of /scoreboard players operation <selector> <objective> <operator> <selector2> <objective2>, the only method for doing math in command blocks. (Yes, there is a command dedicated to it. It is not impossible.)

Hope this helps and wish you luck!