The status line is the reverse-coloured bar along the top of the window during play, which conventionally, but not necessarily, shows the current location, the score (or sometimes the time of day) and the number of turns so far. It has been highly traditional since the early 1980s (Infocom's customer newsletter was for many years called "The Status Line"): it has become the visual identifier of IF. It plays the same role for IF that a header with chapter name and page number plays in a printed book.
The status line is ordinarily printed from two named pieces of text, the "left hand status line" and the "right hand status line". These can be changed during play, so for instance,
When play begins, change the right hand status line to "Time: [time of day]".
The examples below offer miscellaneous alternatives, and are fairly self-descriptive.
See Viewpoint for a way to make the status line list the player's current identity
| Example Capital City To arrange that the location information normally given on the left-hand side of the status line appears in block capitals. | |
| Example Ways Out A status line that lists the available exits from the current location. | |
|  Example Guided Tour A status line that lists the available exits from the current location, changing the names of these exits depending on whether the room has been visited or not. | |