Receiving "Attempt to index global 'sprite' (a nil value)" in Lua - lua

Question

Im attempting to make a simple game app and keep running into this problem. I stopped programming in Lua for a few years so I don't exactly remember how to fix this. Anyway, my code is as follows:
EDIT: Here is the entire file. Still trying to figure out the formatting of Stack Overflow. Error occurs at line 76.
module(..., package.seeall)
-- Main function - MUST return a display.newGroup()
function new()
local localGroup = display.newGroup()
---------
local Rad = math.rad
local Sin = math.sin
local Cos = math.cos
local Pi = math.pi
local Atan2 = math.atan2
local radD = 180 / Pi
local DegR = Pi / 180
local touchPoint = display.newCircle(localGroup, -50, -50, 20)
touchPoint.isFocus = false
touchPoint.alpha = 0
function GetDistanceFromObjects(obj1, obj2)
local xDist = obj1.x - obj2.x
local yDist = obj1.y - obj2.y
local dist = Sqrt((xDist * xDist) + (yDist * yDist))
return dist
end
function getAngleDeg(inX1, inY1, inX2, inY2)
local xDist = inX2 - inX1
local yDist = inY2 - inY1
local angRad = Atan2(yDist, xDist)
return angRad * radD + 90
end
require "sprite"
function VectorFromAngle(inAngle, inVelocity)
local vx = Cos(Rad(inAngle-90))
local vy = Sin(Rad(inAngle-90))
if(inVelocity ~= nil)then
vx = vx * inVelocity
vy = vy * inVelocity
end
return vx,vy
end
require ( "physics" )
physics.start()
physics.setGravity( 1, 1 )
--( x, y )
--physics.setDrawMode ( "hybrid" )
math.randomseed(os.time())
local background = display.newImage("yazd.jpeg")
localGroup:insert(background)
--width of image divided by # of pics lined up from left to right (in the sprite) = the first #
--height of image divided by # of pics lined up from top to bottom (in the sprite) = the second #
local birdSheet = sprite.newSpriteSheet( "enemy.jpg", 59, 50 )
local birdSet = sprite.newSpriteSet(birdSheet, 1, 1)
-- images 1-14
sprite.add( birdSet, "bird", 1, 1, 200, 0 )
-- play 1-14, each image every 200 ms, 0 = loop count, which is infinite
local bird1 = sprite.newSprite( birdSet )
bird1.x = 40 -- starting point
bird1.y = 40 -- starting point
bird1.xScale = 0.5 --scale down x
bird1.yScale = 0.5 --scale down y
bird1:prepare("bird") --prepare sprite sequence
bird1:play() --play sprite
localGroup:insert(bird1)
--only local to this group
local killSheet = sprite.newSpriteSheet("explosion.png", 100, 100)
local killSet = sprite.newSpriteSet(killSheet, 1, 9)
sprite.add(killSet, "kill", 1, 9, 200, 1)
local birdCount = 1
local transDirection12
local function transDirection1()
bird1.xScale = 0.5
transition.to(bird1, {time=math.random(200,500), x = math.random(200,490), y = math.random(10,310), alpha = (math.random(9,100))/100, onComplete = transDirection12})
end
transDirection12 = function()
bird1.xScale = 0.5
transition.to(bird1, {time= math.random(200,500), x = math.random(200,490), y = math.random(10,310), alpha = (math.random(9,100))/100, onComplete = transDirection1})
end
transDirection1()
-- local transDirection1 declares what will be used (local function)
-- transDirection1 = function
-- following it are the function qualities
-- declares it will use object/image called bird1 and scales it to .5
-- time = ____ means it will take a certain time, between ____ and ____ to complete the transition
-- x=____ means that is where it will move to on the x axis
-- y=____ means that is where it will move to on the y axis
-- alpha = ___ means the is how transparent it will be
-- onComplete = ________ means that when the action is complete, it will call another function
-- The next function has the same qualities as transDirection1, but the onComplete part calls transDirection1 and they continue to loop
-- transDirection1() declares transDirection1 so the app knows about it and can use it
-- the other trans do not need to be declared because they are part of transDirection1, which is already declared
--(x, y, size.x, size.y)
local player = display.newImage( "mk11.png" )
player.x = 240
player.y = 260
player.xScale = .5
player.yScale = .5
localGroup:insert( player )
-- add physics to all the objects wanted: (object wanted, "static" or "dynamic")
physics.addBody(player, "static", {radius=30, isSensor = true})
physics.addBody(bird1, "static", {radius=23})
local function shoot(inPointX, inPointY)
-- (start at the x of the player + 10, also start at the y of the player, the radius of the circle is 5)
local bullet = display.newImage( "bullet2.png" )
bullet.x = player.x
bullet.y = player.y
-- add physics to the object, which is the bullet.
-- Make the bullet "dynamic" or moving
physics.addBody(bullet, "dynamic")
bullet.isFixedRotation = true
localGroup:insert( bullet )
local velocity = 300
local vx, vy = VectorFromAngle(player.rotation, velocity)
bullet.rotation = player.rotation
bullet:setLinearVelocity(vx, vy)
end
function RotateToTouchPoint(inPointX, inPointY)
local ang = getAngleDeg(player.x, player.y, inPointX, inPointY)
player.rotation = ang
end
local function ScreenTouchListener(event)
local phase = event.phase
if(phase == "began")then
if(touchPoint.isFocus == false)then
touchPoint.alpha = 1
touchPoint.x = event.x
touchPoint.y = event.y
display.getCurrentStage():setFocus(touchPoint, event.id)
touchPoint.isFocus = true
RotateToTouchPoint(event.x, event.y)
shoot(event.x, event.y)
end
elseif(touchPoint.isFocus)then
if(phase == "moved")then
touchPoint.x = event.x
touchPoint.y = event.y
RotateToTouchPoint(event.x, event.y)
elseif(phase == "ended" or phase == "cancelled")then
display.getCurrentStage():setFocus(touchPoint, nil)
touchPoint.isFocus = false
touchPoint.alpha = 0
end
end
return true
end
local function gotShot (event)
event.target:removeSelf()
event.other:removeSelf()
local explosion = sprite.newSprite(killSet)
explosion.x, explosion.y = event.target.x, event.target.y
explosion:prepare("kill")
explosion:play()
localGroup:insert( explosion )
birdCount = birdCount - 1
-- when there are no more birds, remove the runtime event listener and perform the
-- function with a delay of 500 m.s. The function changes the scene to test.lua
if "ended" then
if birdCount == 0 then
Runtime:removeEventListener("touch", ScreenTouchListener)
timer.performWithDelay(500, function()
director:changeScene("mainPage") end, 1)
end
end
end
bird1:addEventListener("collision", gotShot)
Runtime:addEventListener("touch", ScreenTouchListener)
---------
-- MUST return a display.newGroup()
return localGroup
end
Any help is appreciated!

Answer 1

The error message is perfectly clear -- the variable sprite used at this line:
local bird1 = sprite.birdSheet( birdSet )
has a nil value, meaning it has not been initialized or was set to nil. You need to show the earlier code where you should have set it up.
(After OP updates)
I think this line
require "sprite"
should actually be
sprite = require "sprite"
You can read more in modules tutorial here:
http://lua-users.org/wiki/ModulesTutorial