I'm new to Lua, so maybe missed something on tutorials but the problem is:
I have original table and metatable with several operators that I'm applying to it:
original = { 1, 2, 3 }
test = setmetatable(original, {
__add = function (lhs, rhs)
print('adds')
end,
__mul = function (lhs, rhs)
print('multiplies')
end
})
Unfortunately when I'm doing operations like:
test = test + 3
test = test * 3
I receive an error:
attempt to perform arithmetic on global 'test' (a table value)
Didn't find any descriptions on this problem. Also I noticed that if metatable is a separate variable and passed to setmetatable method then it works..
test = test + 3
Is loosely equivalent to:
test = getmetatable(test).__add(test, 3)
You're assigning the return value of __add to test.
_add returns nothing, so after the first line, test is nil. Then you do it again:
test = getmetatable(test).__add(test, 3)
You can't index or get the metatable of nil.
An easy what to have discovered this, probably the first thing I would have tried:
test = test + 3
print(test)
test = test * 3
The error I get is
attempt to perform arithmetic on global 'test' (a nil value)
This means that test is nil in the last line. You need to return something in __add.
Related
How do I correctly perform a for-loop that returns as a f-string (like in Python.)
For example,
for i=10, 1, -1 do
test = string.gsub('checkbox[val = "a"]','a', i)
return test
end
Returns
checkbox[v10l = "10"]
However, I was expecting:
checkbox[val = "1"]
checkbox[val = "2"]
..
..
checkbox[val = "10"]
I'm honestly not sure what are you trying to do here. Lua has no supports for f-strings and you're trying to return multiple times from function?
This is probably the closest to what you want:
for i=1, 10 do
print(string.format('checkbox[val = "%d"]', i))
end
You're doing the following:
Running for loop from 10 to 1, in opposite direction of what you want.
Replacing all occurrences of string a in checkbox[val = "a"] with loop variable, giving you resulting string and assigning that to (global, which is not good) variable test.
Returning string you just got, thus exiting loop and function that contains loop.
If you're trying to pass multiple values from loop to the outside world, you can do one of the following:
Add them into table and return it:
local tab = {}
for i=1, 10 do
tab[i] = string.format('checkbox[val = "%d"]', i)
end
return tab
Accept callback, so caller passes in a function to call on each value:
function example(cb)
for i=1, 10 do
cb(string.format('checkbox[val = "%d"]', i))
end
end
example(print) -- Here, we pass `print` as a callback, but it's usually your own function
Choose whatever better suits your particular interface.
In the below code, can anyone explain why does t1:print() works but (t1):print fails. I am attempting to make something like (t1 * 3):print() work without using an intermediate variable.
function classTestTable(members)
members = members or {}
local mt = {
__metatable = members;
__index = members;
}
function mt.print(self)
print("something")
end
return mt
end
TestTable = {}
TestTable_mt = ClassTestTable(TestTable)
function TestTable:new()
return setmetatable({targ1 = 1}, TestTable_mt )
end
TestTable t1 = TestTable:new()
t1:print() -- works fine.
(t1):print() -- fails with error "attempt to call a boolean value"
Lua expressions can extend over multiple lines.
print
(3)
Will print 3
So
t1:print()
(t1):print()
actually is equivalent to
t1:print()(t1):print()
or
local a = t1:print()
local b = a(t1)
b:print()
So you're calling the return value of t1:print()
To avoid that follow Egors advice and separate both statements with a semicolon.
t1:print();(t1):print()
I am confused about the difference between function calls via . and via :
> x = {foo = function(a,b) return a end, bar = function(a,b) return b end, }
> return x.foo(3,4)
3
> return x.bar(3,4)
4
> return x:foo(3,4)
table: 0x10a120
> return x:bar(3,4)
3
What is the : doing ?
The colon is for implementing methods that pass self as the first parameter. So x:bar(3,4)should be the same as x.bar(x,3,4).
For definition it is exactly the same as specifying self manually - it will even produce same bytecode on compilation. I.e. function object:method(arg1, arg2) is same as function object.method(self, arg1, arg2).
On use : is almost the same as . - a special kind of call will be used internally to make sure object and any possible side-effects of calculations/access are calculated only once. Calling object:method(arg1, arg2) is otherwise same as object.method(object, arg1, arg2).
To be completely precise, obj:method(1, 2, 3) is the same as
do
local _obj = obj
_obj.method(_obj, 1, 2, 3)
end
Why the local variable? Because, as many have pointed out, obj:method() only indexes _ENV once to get obj. This normally just important when considering speed, but consider this situation:
local tab do
local obj_local = { method = function(self, n) print n end }
tab = setmetatable({}, {__index = function(idx)
print "Accessing "..idx
if idx=="obj" then return obj_local end
end})
end
tab.obj.method(tab.obj, 20)
--> Accessing obj
--> Accessing obj
--> 20
tab.obj:method(10)
--> Accessing obj
--> 10
Now imagine the __index metamethod did more than just printing something. Imagine it increased a counter, logged something to a file or deleted a random user from your database. There's a big difference between doing that twice or only once. In this case, there's a clear difference between obj.method(obj, etc) and obj:method(etc).
No matter how I approach Lua, I run into this error all the time, so I must not understand something inherit to the language:
attempt to call method 'func' (a nil value)
I've seen the error here a few times as well but the problem doesn't seem clear to me.
Here's my module:
actor.lua
Actor = {
x = 0,
mt = {},
new = function()
local new_actor = {}
new_actor.x = Actor.x
new_actor.mt = Actor.mt
return new_actor
end,
test = function(self, a, b)
print(a, b)
end
}
I'm using Löve.
main.lua
require "game/actor"
local a = Actor:new() --works fine
function love.load()
a.x = 10
print(a.x) --output: 10
a:test(11, 12) --error: attempt to call method 'test' (a nil value)
end
I'm also not sure when it's appropriate to use the previous styling over this in a module.
Actor = {
x = 0
}
Actor.mt = {}
function Actor.new()
print(42)
end
I'm honestly not sure what is more correct than the other but considering I run into a simple error either way, there's probably something I'm missing entirely?
It looks like you're trying to instance a kind of class made of metatables. You basically need to assign new_actor's metatable with Actor.mt. (Resuming the problem: when you're indexing new_actor you're not indexing Actor in this case)
setmetatable(new_actor, Actor.mt);
Even if the metatable is being added, it won't work until you put the meta "__index" event to index a table containing your class methods/values, in this case:
Actor.mt = {
__index = Actor
};
I'd suggest moving your class methods/values into a new table, like Actor.prototype, Actor.fn, etc... avoiding conflicts:
Actor.fn = {
test = function(self, a, b)
print(a, b)
end
};
Actor.mt = {
__index = Actor.fn
};
More about metatables in Lua 5.3 manual.
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.
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
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