Module:LearnLua

-- see: http://tylerneylon.com/a/learn-lua/ local p = {}

function p.main(frame) return {} end

return p --[========[

-- Two dashes start a one-line comment.

--    Adding two ['s and ]'s makes it a     multi-line comment. --

-- 1. Variables and flow control.

num = 42 -- All numbers are doubles. -- Don't freak out, 64-bit doubles have 52 bits for -- storing exact int values; machine precision is -- not a problem for ints that need < 52 bits.

s = 'walternate' -- Immutable strings like Python. t = "double-quotes are also fine" u = Double brackets       start and end       multi-line strings. t = nil -- Undefines t; Lua has garbage collection.

-- Blocks are denoted with keywords like do/end: while num < 50 do num = num + 1  -- No ++ or += type operators. end

-- If clauses: if num > 40 then print('over 40') elseif s ~= 'walternate' then -- ~= is not equals. -- Equality check is == like Python; ok for strs. io.write('not over 40\n') -- Defaults to stdout. else -- Variables are global by default. thisIsGlobal = 5 -- Camel case is common.

-- How to make a variable local: local line = io.read -- Reads next stdin line.

-- String concatenation uses the .. operator: print('Winter is coming, ' .. line) end

-- Undefined variables return nil. -- This is not an error: foo = anUnknownVariable -- Now foo = nil.

aBoolValue = false

-- Only nil and false are falsy; 0 and '' are true! if not aBoolValue then print('twas false') end

-- 'or' and 'and' are short-circuited. -- This is similar to the a?b:c operator in C/js: ans = aBoolValue and 'yes' or 'no' --> 'no'

karlSum = 0 for i = 1, 100 do -- The range includes both ends. karlSum = karlSum + i end

-- Use "100, 1, -1" as the range to count down: fredSum = 0 for j = 100, 1, -1 do fredSum = fredSum + j end

-- In general, the range is begin, end[, step].

-- Another loop construct: repeat print('the way of the future') num = num - 1 until num == 0

-- 2. Functions.

function fib(n) if n < 2 then return 1 end return fib(n - 2) + fib(n - 1) end

-- Closures and anonymous functions are ok: function adder(x) -- The returned function is created when adder is -- called, and remembers the value of x:  return function (y) return x + y end end a1 = adder(9) a2 = adder(36) print(a1(16)) --> 25 print(a2(64)) --> 100

-- Returns, func calls, and assignments all work -- with lists that may be mismatched in length. -- Unmatched receivers are nil; -- unmatched senders are discarded.

x, y, z = 1, 2, 3, 4 -- Now x = 1, y = 2, z = 3, and 4 is thrown away.

function bar(a, b, c) print(a, b, c)  return 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 end

x, y = bar('zaphod') --> prints "zaphod  nil nil" -- Now x = 4, y = 8, values 15..42 are discarded.

-- Functions are first-class, may be local/global. -- These are the same: function f(x) return x * x end f = function (x) return x * x end

-- And so are these: local function g(x) return math.sin(x) end local g = function (x) return math.sin(x) end

-- Trig funcs work in radians, by the way.

-- Calls with one string param don't need parens: print 'hello' -- Works fine.

-- 3. Tables.

-- Tables = Lua's only compound data structure; --         they are associative arrays. -- Similar to php arrays or js objects, they are -- hash-lookup dicts that can also be used as lists.

-- Using tables as dictionaries / maps:

-- Dict literals have string keys by default: t = {key1 = 'value1', key2 = false}

-- String keys can use js-like dot notation: print(t.key1) -- Prints 'value1'. t.newKey = {} -- Adds a new key/value pair. t.key2 = nil  -- Removes key2 from the table.

-- Literal notation for any (non-nil) value as key: u = {['@!#'] = 'qbert', [{}] = 1729, [6.28] = 'tau'} print(u[6.28]) -- prints "tau"

-- Key matching is basically by value for numbers -- and strings, but by identity for tables. a = u['@!#'] -- Now a = 'qbert'. b = u[{}]    -- We might expect 1729, but it's nil: -- b = nil since the lookup fails. It fails -- because the key we used is not the same object -- as the one used to store the original value. So -- strings & numbers are more portable keys.

-- A one-table-param function call needs no parens: function h(x) print(x.key1) end h{key1 = 'Sonmi~451'} -- Prints 'Sonmi~451'.

for key, val in pairs(u) do -- Table iteration. print(key, val) end

-- _G is a special table of all globals. print(_G['_G'] == _G) -- Prints 'true'.

-- Using tables as lists / arrays:

-- List literals implicitly set up int keys: v = {'value1', 'value2', 1.21, 'gigawatts'} for i = 1, #v do -- #v is the size of v for lists. print(v[i]) -- Indices start at 1 !! SO CRAZY! end -- A 'list' is not a real type. v is just a table -- with consecutive integer keys, treated as a list.

-- 3.1 Metatables and metamethods.

-- A table can have a metatable that gives the table -- operator-overloadish behavior. Later we'll see -- how metatables support js-prototypey behavior.

f1 = {a = 1, b = 2} -- Represents the fraction a/b. f2 = {a = 2, b = 3}

-- This would fail: -- s = f1 + f2

metafraction = {} function metafraction.__add(f1, f2) sum = {} sum.b = f1.b * f2.b sum.a = f1.a * f2.b + f2.a * f1.b  return sum end

setmetatable(f1, metafraction) setmetatable(f2, metafraction)

s = f1 + f2 -- call __add(f1, f2) on f1's metatable

-- f1, f2 have no key for their metatable, unlike -- prototypes in js, so you must retrieve it as in -- getmetatable(f1). The metatable is a normal table -- with keys that Lua knows about, like __add.

-- But the next line fails since s has no metatable: -- t = s + s -- Class-like patterns given below would fix this.

-- An __index on a metatable overloads dot lookups: defaultFavs = {animal = 'gru', food = 'donuts'} myFavs = {food = 'pizza'} setmetatable(myFavs, {__index = defaultFavs}) eatenBy = myFavs.animal -- works! thanks, metatable

-- Direct table lookups that fail will retry using -- the metatable's __index value, and this recurses.

-- An __index value can also be a function(tbl, key) -- for more customized lookups.

-- Values of __index,add, .. are called metamethods. -- Full list. Here a is a table with the metamethod.

-- __add(a, b)                    for a + b -- __sub(a, b)                     for a - b -- __mul(a, b)                     for a * b -- __div(a, b)                     for a / b -- __mod(a, b)                     for a % b -- __pow(a, b)                     for a ^ b -- __unm(a)                        for -a -- __concat(a, b)                 for a .. b -- __len(a)                       for #a -- __eq(a, b)                     for a == b -- __lt(a, b)                      for a < b -- __le(a, b)                      for a <= b -- __index(a, b)   for a.b -- __newindex(a, b, c)             for a.b = c -- __call(a, ...)                  for a(...)

-- 3.2 Class-like tables and inheritance.

-- Classes aren't built in; there are different ways -- to make them using tables and metatables.

-- Explanation for this example is below it.

Dog = {}                                  -- 1.

function Dog:new                        -- 2. newObj = {sound = 'woof'}               -- 3. self.__index = self                     -- 4. return setmetatable(newObj, self)       -- 5. end

function Dog:makeSound                  -- 6. print('I say ' .. self.sound) end

mrDog = Dog:new                         -- 7. mrDog:makeSound -- 'I say woof'         -- 8.

-- 1. Dog acts like a class; it's really a table. -- 2. function tablename:fn(...) is the same as --   function tablename.fn(self, ...) --   The : just adds a first arg called self. --   Read 7 & 8 below for how self gets its value. -- 3. newObj will be an instance of class Dog. -- 4. self = the class being instantiated. Often --   self = Dog, but inheritance can change it. --   newObj gets self's functions when we set both --   newObj's metatable and self's __index to self. -- 5. Reminder: setmetatable returns its first arg. -- 6. The : works as in 2, but this time we expect --   self to be an instance instead of a class. -- 7. Same as Dog.new(Dog), so self = Dog in new. -- 8. Same as mrDog.makeSound(mrDog); self = mrDog.

-- Inheritance example:

LoudDog = Dog:new                          -- 1.

function LoudDog:makeSound s = self.sound .. ' '                      -- 2.  print(s .. s .. s) end

seymour = LoudDog:new                      -- 3. seymour:makeSound -- 'woof woof woof'      -- 4.

-- 1. LoudDog gets Dog's methods and variables. -- 2. self has a 'sound' key from new, see 3. -- 3. Same as LoudDog.new(LoudDog), and converted to --   Dog.new(LoudDog) as LoudDog has no 'new' key, --   but does have __index = Dog on its metatable. --   Result: seymour's metatable is LoudDog, and --   LoudDog.__index = LoudDog. So seymour.key will --   = seymour.key, LoudDog.key, Dog.key, whichever --   table is the first with the given key. -- 4. The 'makeSound' key is found in LoudDog; this --   is the same as LoudDog.makeSound(seymour).

-- If needed, a subclass's new is like the base's: function LoudDog:new newObj = {} -- set up newObj self.__index = self return setmetatable(newObj, self) end

-- 4. Modules.

--[[ I'm commenting out this section so the rest of --  this script remains runnable. -- Suppose the file mod.lua looks like this: local M = {}

local function sayMyName print('Hrunkner') end

function M.sayHello print('Why hello there') sayMyName end

return M

-- Another file can use mod.lua's functionality: local mod = require('mod') -- Run the file mod.lua.

-- require is the standard way to include modules. -- require acts like:    (if not cached; see below) local mod = (function   end) -- It's like mod.lua is a function body, so that -- locals inside mod.lua are invisible outside it.

-- This works because mod here = M in mod.lua: mod.sayHello -- Says hello to Hrunkner.

-- This is wrong; sayMyName only exists in mod.lua: mod.sayMyName -- error

-- require's return values are cached so a file is -- run at most once, even when require'd many times.

-- Suppose mod2.lua contains "print('Hi!')". local a = require('mod2') -- Prints Hi! local b = require('mod2') -- Doesn't print; a=b.

-- dofile is like require without caching: dofile('mod2') --> Hi! dofile('mod2') --> Hi! (runs again, unlike require)

-- loadfile loads a lua file but doesn't run it yet. f = loadfile('mod2') -- Calling f runs mod2.lua.

-- loadstring is loadfile for strings. g = loadstring('print(343)') -- Returns a function. g -- Prints out 343; nothing printed before now.

--]]

-- 5. References.

--[[

I was excited to learn Lua so I could make games with the LÃ¶ve 2D game engine. That's the why.

I started with BlackBulletIV's Lua for programmers. Next I read the official Programming in Lua book. That's the how.

It might be helpful to check out the Lua short reference on lua-users.org.

The main topics not covered are standard libraries: * string library * table library * math library * io library * os library

By the way, this entire file is valid Lua; save it as learn.lua and run it with "lua learn.lua" !

This was first written for tylerneylon.com, and is also available as a github gist. Have fun with Lua!

--]]

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