Netlogo: Can one access a turtle variable with a concatenated word?

Question

I have edited the code to focus on the issue:

    globals [num_periods]
breed [observeds observe]

observeds-own [potential0 potential1 potential2 potential3 potential4 potential5 potential6 potential7 potential8 potential9
 ]

to setup
clear-all
reset-ticks
   ask patches [set pcolor white]

  create-observeds 1 [ setxy random-xcor random-ycor  set shape "square" set color green 
  set potential0 random 0 set potential1 random 0 set potential2 random 0 set potential3 random 0 set potential4 random 0
  set potential5 random 0 set potential6 random 0 set potential7 random 0 set potential8 random 0 set potential9 random 0
    ]
 
end

to go
  ask observeds [
    let test1 (word "potential" who)   ;; this should output potential0 a variable 
      let test2 runreport [test1] 
   print test1  ;;prints potential0
   
    ask observeds with [test2 = who][
      move ]]  ;; trying to move the turtle 

end


to move
right random 360
fd 1
end

As there is only one agent it's who = 0. I have set all of the variables potentialx, x = [0,9], to zero. I have then 'created' the word 'potential0' by concatenating the work potential + who of the agent. Then I have asked all agents with potential0 to move and nothing happens.

Thanks,

Kevin

Answer 1

You will want to use runresult for this. runresult takes whatever string it is applied to and treats it as a reporter rather than a string. If that string contains a number it returns a number. If it contains a variable name, it treats it as a variable. So the following should solve your problem

    ask observeds with [runresult test1 = who][
       move 
    ]

Answer 2

Use let test1 runresult (word ("potential" who) to form the string potential0. Subsequent commands will then recognise this as a reporter