Attached item listening for itself?

This is my script or can attached items not listen to themselves?

default
{
    state_entry()
    {
        llListen(999,"","","");
    }
    collision(integer num_detected) {
        llSay(999,"off.");
        state killed;
    }
    listen(integer channel, string name, key id, string message)
    {
        if (message == "off")
        {
            state killed;
        }
    }
}

state killed
{
    state_entry()
    {
        
    }
}

No an item can not listen to itself

Nor should it need to. In the example code you posted above, replace the llSay(999,...) and all the associated listen code can be dropped. The statement "state killed;" inside the collision is enough.

If you are looking to also have manual control on the killing, you can keep the listen and talk to it by chatting "/999 off". If you wish to do this you should limit the listener like so:

default() {
    state_entry() {
        // only trigger listen event on command "off" by owner on chan 999
        llListen(999, "", llGetOwner(), "off");
    }

    collision_start(integer i) {
        state killed;
    }

    listen(integer c, string n, key k, string m) {
        // don't need to do any testing of c, k, or m here as the llListen already "checked" em
        state killed;
    }
}

state killed {
   ....
}

No there is another object involved thats why...

Everyone else pretty much already has it, but yea...objects cannot listen to themselves...and they should never have to listen to themselves. If there is another object involved...have your object listen to that one.

Anything your object does to itself should not require it to listen to itself.

Hey yal.. i remembered this post when i ran across this in the Wiki today... llMessageLinked(LINK_THIS, 0, "Touched.", NULL_KEY);//sends a linked msg to all the other scripts in the same prim.

dont know how much help this is but the full example is here::

http://secondlife.com/badgeo/wakka.php?wakka=ExampleLinkMessage


PS:

does anybody know how this would compare to using notecards to store users defined settings? you could still "hide" the main code just have the 2nd script respond to value requests from the 1st via llMessageLinked.