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SMAUG strlen_color 1.0 By Xerves (Released August 2, 1999)
Xerves is the admin/owner of Rafermand (mud.rafermand.net port 3002)
Website: http://www.rafermand.net
Contact: xerves@rafermand.net
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This is simply a function you can throw in handler and it will work
like strlen but it will remove all space references to color (and will
also work to fix the && and ^^ space problems you might have).  Also,
included is an example how this can be used (if you use colors with
rank, this shows you a good way to fix up the rank so when they type
rank, it will align properly if they use colors or not).

(Thanks Rusty for the orginal code and posting it)

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Files Needed:  act_wiz.c handler.c mud.h

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1.  Handler.c
    This is the strlen_color function.  You can dump it anywhere you
    want, but I thought handler was the right place for it..

/* Strlen_color by Rusty, useful for skipping over colors */
/* Fixed and edited by Xerves -- 8/29/99 */
int strlen_color (char *argument)
{
    char  *str;
    int    i, length;

    str = argument;
    if (argument == NULL)
        return 0;

    for (length=i=0; i < strlen (argument); ++i)
    {
        if ((str [i] != '&') && (str [i] != '^'))
            ++length;
        if ((str [i] == '&') || (str [i] == '^'))
          {
            if ((str[i] == '&') && (str[i+1] == '&'))
                length=2+length;
            else if ((str[i] == '^') && (str[i+1] == '^'))
                length=2+length;
            else
                --length;
          }
    }

    return length;
}


2.  Act_wiz.c
    An example is the rank command.  I will post the who function
    and put little notes to the side.  You don't have to add this to
    make strlen_color work, but just an example of why this might
    be useful...

void do_rank( CHAR_DATA *ch, char *argument )
{
  char add_len[MAX_INPUT_LENGTH]; /* Following defines are for putting spaces into the rank */
  int sp1, sx;                    /* To fix the color problem. */
  char finrank[MAX_INPUT_LENGTH];

  set_char_color( AT_IMMORT, ch );
  sp1 = strlen_color(argument);   /* Finds the strlen_color of the argument */
  sprintf( add_len, " ");         /* Init. the add_len strength */

      for (sx=14; sx > sp1; sx--) /* 15 - 1 for add_len init.*/
            strcat( add_len, " "); /* For every time it will add a blank space after the rank */
  strcpy( finrank, argument); /* Adding spaces to finish out rank --Xerves*/
  strcat( finrank, add_len);  /* Adding the length to the end of the argument -- Xerves*/

  if ( IS_NPC(ch) )
    return;
  if ( !argument || argument[0] == '\0' )
  {
    send_to_char( "Usage:  rank <string>.\n\r", ch );
    send_to_char( "   or:  rank none.\n\r", ch );
    return;
  }
  smash_tilde( argument );
  DISPOSE( ch->pcdata->rank );
  if ( !str_cmp( argument, "none" ) )
    ch->pcdata->rank = str_dup( "" );
  else
    ch->pcdata->rank = str_dup( finrank ); /* If there is a rank, it will use finrank instead of */
  send_to_char( "Ok.\n\r", ch );           /* the argument.  finrank is the argument with the spaces */
  return;
}

3.  Mud.h
    Find these lines
      /* handler.c */
    int	  get_exp		args( ( CHAR_DATA *ch ) );
    int	  get_exp_worth	  args( ( CHAR_DATA *ch ) );

    Right after the /* handler.c */ line, add this line

    int     strlen_color    args( (char *argument) );

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Well that is it.  strlen_color might come in handy for you, it might not.  If
you ever need it though, there it is.