I understand why this mwe doesn't work but I don't know how make it works.
I'd like to use the variable content as reference name (not the variable name).
salade = {}
name = "tomato"
salade.name = "red"
print (salade.tomato) -- nil, should be red
print (salade.name) -- red, should be nil
Just use the normal table indexing syntax, rather than the tbl.key syntactic sugar:
salade = {}
name = "tomato"
salade[name] = "red"
print (salade.tomato) -- red
print (salade.name) -- nil
Related
I want string to use variable.
variable1 = "Hello"
a = "variable" .. 1
print(a)
but it printed variable1 (of cource),
Can I print "Hello"(variable1) using variable a?
Yes, this is exactly what tables are for - you can just rewrite your code as
local variables = {}
variables.variable1 = "Hello"
local a = "variable" .. 1
print(variables[a]) -- prints Hello
In fact, global variables (as in your example you seem to be using) are already stored in a table called _G (the global table), so in your example this would work:
variable1 = "Hello"
a = "variable" .. 1
print(_G[a])
Hello I am trying to get some data from a text file and put it into a table.
Im not sure how to add more then one pattern while also doing what I want, I know this pattern by its self %a+ finds letters and %b{} finds brackets, but I am not sure how to combine them together so that I find the letters as a key and the brackets as a value and have them be put into a table that I could use.
text file :
left = {{0,63},{16,63},{32,63},{48,63}}
right = {{0,21},{16,21},{32,21},{48,21}}
up = {{0,42},{16,42},{32,42},{48,42}}
down = {{0,0},{16,0},{32,0},{48,0}}
code:
local function get_animations(file_path)
local animation_table = {}
local file = io.open(file_path,"r")
local contents = file:read("*a")
for k, v in string.gmatch(contents, ("(%a+)=(%b{})")) do -- A gets words and %b{} finds brackets
animation_table[k] = v
print("key : " .. k.. " Value : ".. v)
end
file:close()
end
get_animations("Sprites/Player/MainPlayer.txt")
This is valid Lua code, why not simply execute it?
left = {{0,63},{16,63},{32,63},{48,63}}
right = {{0,21},{16,21},{32,21},{48,21}}
up = {{0,42},{16,42},{32,42},{48,42}}
down = {{0,0},{16,0},{32,0},{48,0}}
If you don't want the data in globals, use the string library to turn it into
return {
left = {{0,63},{16,63},{32,63},{48,63}},
right = {{0,21},{16,21},{32,21},{48,21}},
up = {{0,42},{16,42},{32,42},{48,42}},
down = {{0,0},{16,0},{32,0},{48,0}},
}
befor you execute it.
If you insist on parsing that file you can use a something like this for each line:
local line = "left = {{0,63},{16,63},{32,63},{48,63}}"
print(line:match("^%w+"))
for num1, num2 in a:gmatch("(%d+),(%d+)") do
print(num1, num2)
end
This should be enough to get you started. Of course you wouldn't print those values but put them into a table.
background:
I am trying to teach myself Lua and I am having difficulty understanding why a table is being considered nil when it has data inside it. Can anyone break it down for me why I am getting this error message from the code snippet below? It is one of my first programs and i really need to get these few concepts down before moving on to my real project. Thanks!
error message:
C:\Users\<user>\Desktop>lua luaCrap.lua
lua: luaCrap.lua:7: attempt to call global 'entry' (a nil value)
stack traceback:
luaCrap.lua:7: in main chunk
[C]: ?
code:
--this creates the function to print
function fwrite (fmt, ...)
return io.write(string.format(fmt, unpack(arg)))
end
--this is my table of strings to print
entry{
title = "test",
org = "org",
url = "http://www.google.com/",
contact = "someone",
description = [[
test1
test2
test3]]
}
--this is to print the tables first value
fwrite(entry[1])
--failed loop attempt to print table
-- for i = 1, #entry, 1 do
-- local entryPrint = entry[i] or 'Fail'
-- fwrite(entryPrint)
-- end
you are missing the assignment to entry.
you need to change the entry code to this:
entry =
{
title = "test",
org = "org",
url = "http://www.google.com/",
contact = "someone",
description = [[
test1
test2
test3]]
}
to clarify the error message, parens are assumed in certain contexts, like when you have a table directly following a label. the interpreter thinks you're trying to pass a table to a function called entry, which it can't find. it assumes you really meant this:
entry({title = "test", ...})
What I'm currently trying to do is make a table of email addresses (as keys) that hold person_records (as values). Where the person_record holds 6 or so things in it. The problem I'm getting is that when I try to assign the email address as a key to a table it complains and says table index is nil... This is what I have so far:
random_record = split(line, ",")
person_record = {first_name = random_record[1], last_name = random_record[2], email_address = random_record[3], street_address = random_record[4], city = random_record[5], state = random_record[6]}
email_table[person_record.email_address] = person_record
I wrote my own split function that basically takes a line of input and pulls out the 6 comma seperated values and stores them in a table (random_record)
I get an error when I try to say email_table[person_record.email_address] = person_record.
But when I print out person_record.email_address it's NOT nil, it prints out the string I stored in it.. I'm so confused.
function split(str, pat)
local t = {} -- NOTE: use {n = 0} in Lua-5.0
local fpat = "(.-)" .. pat
local last_end = 1
local s, e, cap = str:find(fpat, 1)
while s do
if s ~= 1 or cap ~= "" then
table.insert(t,cap)
end
last_end = e+1
s, e, cap = str:find(fpat, last_end)
end
if last_end <= #str then
cap = str:sub(last_end)
table.insert(t, cap)
end
return t
end
The following code is copy and pasted from your example and runs just fine:
email_table = {}
random_record = {"first", "second", "third"}
person_record = {first_name = random_record[1], last_name = random_record[1], email_address = random_record[1]}
email_table[person_record.email_address] = person_record
So your problem is in your split function.
BTW, Lua doesn't have "hashtables". It simply has "tables" which store key/value pairs. Whether these happen to use hashes or not is an implementation detail.
It looks like you iterating over some lines that have comma-separated data.
Looking at your split function, it stops as soon as there's no more separator (,) symbols in particular line to find. So feeding it anything with less than 3 ,-separated fields (for very common example: an empty line at end of file) will produce a table that doesn't go up to [3]. Addressing any empty table value will return you a nil, so person_record.email_address will be set to nil as well on the 2nd line of your code. Then, when you attempt to use this nil stored in person_record.email_address as an index to email_table in 3rd line, you will get the exact error you've mentioned.
I am starting to learn Lua from Programming in Lua (2nd edition)
I didn't understand the following in the book. Its very vaguely explained.
a.) w={x=0,y=0,label="console"}
b.) x={math.sin(0),math.sin(1),math.sin(2)}
c.) w[1]="another field"
d.) x.f=w
e.) print (w["x"])
f.) print (w[1])
g.) print x.f[1]
When I do print(w[1]) after a.), why doesn't it print x=0
What does c.) do?
What is the difference between e.) and print (w.x)?
What is the role of b.) and g.)?
You have to realize that this:
t = {3, 4, "eggplant"}
is the same as this:
t = {}
t[1] = 3
t[2] = 4
t[3] = "eggplant"
And that this:
t = {x = 0, y = 2}
is the same as this:
t = {}
t["x"] = 0
t["y"] = 2
Or this:
t = {}
t.x = 0
t.y = 2
In Lua, tables are not just lists, they are associative arrays.
When you print w[1], then what really matters is line c.) In fact, w[1] is not defined at all until line c.).
There is no difference between e.) and print (w.x).
b.) creates a new table named x which is separate from w.
d.) places a reference to w inside of x. (NOTE: It does not actually make a copy of w, just a reference. If you've ever worked with pointers, it's similar.)
g.) Can be broken up in two parts. First we get x.f which is just another way to refer to w because of line d.). Then we look up the first element of that table, which is "another field" because of line c.)
There's another way of creating keys in in-line table declarations.
x = {["1st key has spaces!"] = 1}
The advantage here is that you can have keys with spaces and any extended ASCII character.
In fact, a key can be literally anything, even an instanced object.
function Example()
--example function
end
x = {[Example] = "A function."}
Any variable or value or data can go into the square brackets to work as a key. The same goes with the value.
Practically, this can replace features like the in keyword in python, as you can index the table by values to check if they are there.
Getting a value at an undefined part of the table will not cause an error. It will just give you nil. The same goes for using undefined variables.
local w = {
--[1] = "another field"; -- will be set this value
--["1"] = nil; -- not save to this place, different with some other language
x = 0;
y = 0;
label = "console";
}
local x = {
math.sin(0);
math.sin(1);
math.sin(2);
}
w[1] = "another field" --
x.f = w
print (w["x"])
-- because x.f = w
-- x.f and w point one talbe address
-- so value of (x.f)[1] and w[1] and x.f[1] is equal
print (w[1])
print ((x.f)[1])
print (x.f[1])
-- print (x.f)[1] this not follows lua syntax
-- only a function's has one param and type of is a string
-- you can use print "xxxx"
-- so you print x.f[1] will occuur error
-- in table you can use any lua internal type 's value to be a key
-- just like
local t_key = {v=123}
local f_key = function () print("f123") end
local t = {}
t[t_key] = 1
t[f_key] = 2
-- then t' key actualy like use t_key/f_key 's handle
-- when you user t[{}] = 123,
-- value 123 related to this no name table {} 's handle