How to get variables that not declared yet but will declared soon? - lua

Question

How can I get variables that not declared yet?
Here are simple example:
a = b
b = 123
What I want from these 2 lines is a << 123. But obv it doesn't work.
I know the easy way to get the answer a = 123 is cut 1st line and paste it to lower than 2nd line.
But I'm in some problem. I need some function like 'WillDeclaredVar()' that I can use in like this:
a = WillDeclaredVar(b)
sheepCount = 123
b = sheepCount
print(a)
so I can get the answer '123'.
Or there are any built-in functions that will allows me to do similar thing?
===
I think the link given by timrau is not telling my case. the key point is how to get Variables 'that not declared yet'.
===
Adding actual Code:
triggerCount = 0 -- Counting number of 'Trigger' function
local Trigger = function (t)
triggerCount = triggerCount + 1
return Trigger (t)
end
-- following Triggers are same as while statement.
-- following Triggers doing: Add 1 MarineCount until get 64000 MarineCount
Trigger { -- Here the Trigger function. Now triggerCount = 1.
players = {P1}
actions = {
SetDeaths(P1, Add, 1, "Terran Marine")
},
flag = {preserved},
}
Portal(LoopStart);
-- function Portal(VariableName) returns VariableName = triggerCount. So LoopStart = 1.
Trigger { -- Now triggerCount = 2.
players = {P1}
actions = {
LinkList(LoopEnd, LoopStart);
-- function LinkList(From, To) changes 'From' Trigger's next pointer to the 'To' Trigger.
-- But now the problem happens. Because 'LoopEnd' is not declared yet.
},
flag = {preserved},
}
Trigger { -- Now triggerCount = 3.
players = {P1}
conditions = {
Deaths(P1, Exactly, 64000, "Terran Marine");
}
actions = {
_LinkList(LoopEnd);
-- Reset LoopEnd's next pointer(= LoopEscape) if MarineCount hits 64000
},
flag = {preserved},
}
Portal(LoopEnd); -- LoopEnd = 3.
Changing Order of Triggers will break the Trigger logic(while statement).
All i want is get easy to coding. To put in bluntly, I don't need to solve this problem(get undeclared var). I can imagine a few ways to avoid it. But if i using these ways then the coding work will be very complicated and the difficulty of coding will increases greatly. The difficulty made me stop coding in recent months.

Answer 1

How can I get variables that not declared yet?
Short of time travel, you can't.
Your example code doesn't explain the motivation for the question, because this:
a = WillDeclaredVar(b)
sheepCount = 123
b = sheepCount
print(a)
Can trivially be rearranged into this:
sheepCount = 123
b = sheepCount
a = WillDeclaredVar(b)
print(a)
It would be easier to answer your question if you showed the actual problem you're trying to solve (to avoid an XY problem).
However, as stated there are few things we can note.
First, you need to distinguish between declaring a variable and giving it a value. In Lua you can say:
local b
To declare b as a local variable, which presumably will make a slot for it in the stack frame and let you bind closures to it, before you give it a value. However, the line:
a = WillDeclaredVar(b)
Will pass WillDeclaredVar the value that b currently has, and there's no way for a to change retroactively as a result of b being assigned a new value. That's simply not going to happen, ever. Neither a nor WillDeclaredVar are even aware that b exists, they are receive the value it contains at the point of call.
You could however bind the variable b to a closure which will fetch b's current value when needed.
-- declare b before giving it a value, aka "forward reference"
local b
a = function() return b end
sheepCount = 123
b = sheepCount
print(a()) -- call a to get b's current value
Another way to do that would be to make b a global variable, which is really just a key into your environment table, so you could say:
a = WillDeclaredVar('b')
And have a be some object that can fetch the current value of __ENV['b'] when required.
However, neither of these will support this syntax:
print(a)
a needs to be a function, something that looks up the value of b when needed rather than simply holding a previously computed value. You could do it in this particular instance (i.e. a needs to be convertable to a string), by creating a proxy object that implements __tostring.
function WillDeclaredVar(variableName)
local proxy = { environment = _ENV or _G, variableName = variableName }
return setmetatable(proxy, {
__tostring = function(proxy)
return proxy.environment[proxy.variableName]
end
})
end
-- a will compute a value based on the current value of b when needed
a = WillDeclaredVar('b')
sheepCount = 123
b = sheepCount
print(a)
Output:
123

Answer 2

To make var1 be a reference for var2 write var1 = ReferenceF or var2 (please note a space inside "ReferenceFor"!)
do
local values, references, reference_flag = {}, {}
setmetatable(_G, {
__index = function (_, name)
if name == 'ReferenceF' then
reference_flag = true
elseif reference_flag then
reference_flag = false
return {[references] = name}
elseif references[name] then
return _G[references[name]]
else
return values[name]
end
end,
__newindex = function (_, name, val)
if type(val) == 'table' and val[references] then
references[name] = val[references]
else
values[name] = val
end
end
})
end
a = ReferenceF or b -- a is Reference For b
b = ReferenceF or c -- b is Reference For c
sheepCount = 123
c = sheepCount
print(a, b, c) --> 123 123 123