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Home > Programming > Programming Language > Lua Quick Start Guide
Lua Quick Start Guide
Lua Quick Start Guide

Lua Quick Start Guide: The easiest way to learn Lua programming

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Lua Quick Start Guide

Working with Lua

In Chapter 1, Introduction to Lua, you learned how to set up Lua and Visual Studio Code. At the end of the chapter, we created a simple Hello World application. In this chapter, you will learn the basics of Lua programming. Topics such as variables, function data types, and loops are all going to be covered. By the end of this chapter, you should be familiar enough with Lua as a language to put together some simple programs.

If this is your first time programming, the syntax of Lua can get overwhelming fast. Many resources can be found on the official Lua site at https://www.lua.org/. For a quick example of Lua, check out http://tylerneylon.com/a/learn-lua/.

By the end of this chapter, you will will have a solid understanding of the following:

  • Using variables
  • Data types
  • Working with functions
  • Operators
  • Code blocks
  • Variable scope
  • Code flow
...

Technical requirements

Variables

Variables are labels that provide a descriptive name for some data that a program can read or modify. You can literally think of a variable as a label.

For example, let's assume there are a number of jars containing different colored jam. How do you know what flavor a specific jar contains? Hopefully, there is a label on the jar that is descriptive of its content.

The labels on the jar can change over time. For example, a jar might contain strawberry jam, but after that's gone it might be filled with peach jam. When the contents of the jar changes, a different label can be used to describe what's in it. Variables work in a similar fashion.

Creating variables

To create a variable, you need to do two...

Comments

In Lua, any time you see --, the rest of that line is considered a comment. Comments are there to help you read and understand code, but they are never executed. This example demonstrates how comments are used:

foo = "bar"
-- print (foo)
-- The above statement never prints
-- because it is commented out.

Basic types

In the last section, you were introduced to the concepts of a variable and a value. This section explores the concept of what a value is. Every value has a data type, which intuitively describes what kind of data the value holds. Lua supports eight basic value types:

  • nil: The absence of data. This type represents literal nothingness. If a certain piece of data is invalid or unknown, nil is usually the best way to represent that it is invalid or unknown.
  • Boolean: A value of true or false. A Boolean value is binary and can only ever be in one of two states, true or false.
  • number: A number can represent any real number: 0, -1, 5, or even decimals such as 3.14159265359.
  • string: A string is an array of characters. When declaring a string literal, it must be "enclosed within quotation marks."
  • function: A function is some code that is referred to by a name and...

String types

A string is an array of characters. Strings can represent words, sentences, or even whole books. In this section, we will cover how to perform the following string operations:

  • How to get the length of a string
  • How to concatenate two strings into a single new string
  • The coercion of other types into strings
  • String escape characters

Additionally, this section will cover how to read input from the console. You already know how to print information to the console; applications will become much more interactive once you can also read input from the console.

String literals

A string literal must be written between quotes. The following line of code demonstrates a string literal. This example does not do anything since...

Scope

Like many other programming languages, Lua implements the concept of scope for anything that can be named (like a variable). A scope defines where in the program a variable can be used. Scopes are limited to the chunks they appear in. A chunk is just a section of code. Some languages call chunks blocks because they are represented by blocks of code.

Every Lua file that is executed is a chunk. This chunk can contain other, smaller chunks. Think of it as a hierarchical relationship. Such a relationship could be visualized as follows:

You can create a local chunk in a file by using the do keyword. The chunk ends with the end keyword. The following bit of code demonstrates how to create a local chunk in a file:

-- main file chunk is anywhere in the file

do
  -- local chunk
end

do
  -- a different local chunk
end

As mentioned earlier, scope refers to visibility. A chunk can access...

Functions

A function is essentially a named chunk of code. Unlike other chunks, the contents of a function are not automatically executed when the file is loaded. When a file is first loaded, functions are simply defined. Once a function has been defined, you can execute the function by calling it. Because a function is a named chunk, you can call a function as many times as you want. The same scope rules apply to functions as to do/end blocks.

Read more about functions online at https://www.lua.org/pil/5.html.

Defining a function

A function declaration starts with the function keyword. After the function keyword, you provide the function name. The name of the function follows the same naming rules as the name of a variable...

Operators

Operators such as addition +, string concatenation .., and even the assignment operator = have been used throughout this book. Let's take some time to cover in detail what operators are and how they work. Operators fall into one of the following categories:

  • Arithmetic operators do math.
  • Relational operators always return a Boolean value: true or false. Relational operators are used to compare the relationship between two things, for example, by checking whether one number is smaller than another number.
  • Logical operators express complex relations such as and/or. For example, logical operations can be used to check whether a number is less than seven AND greater than two.
  • Misc operators: All other operators, such as assignment, fall into this category.


Operators can be unary or binary. A unary operation works on only one operand. For example, the minus sign (...

Control structures

Control structures are used to make decisions in code; they control the path of code based on a Boolean value. Lua provides the if statement for this purpose. An if statement is followed by a Boolean condition, which in turn is followed by a then/end chunk. The chunk is only executed when the Boolean condition evaluates to true.

The most basic syntax of an if statement is as follows:

if

A logical control structure always starts with an if statement. As described previously, an if statement consists of the if keyword, a Boolean expression, and a then/end chunk. The then/end chunk is only executed when the Boolean condition evaluates to true. The following code sample demonstrates the basic use of an if statement...

Loops

A chunk of code can be repeated multiple times by using a loop. Lua provides three types of loop, the while, repeat, and for loops. Each loop type will be covered in depth, but the rest of the book will mainly use the for loop.

while loops

Syntactically, a while loop starts with the while keyword, followed by a Boolean condition and a do/end chunk. The loop will keep executing the chunk of code so long as the Boolean condition evaluates to true:

x = 10 -- Initialize a "control" variable

while x > 0 do -- Boolean condition: x > 0
    print ("hello, world")

    x = x - 1 -- Decrement the "control" variable
end
...

Summary

This chapter covered a lot of topics, such as variables, data types, functions, operators, code blocks, scope, and code flow. All of these concepts are the basic building blocks of Lua. These concepts are very important to programming, so you may need to come back to this chapter.

In Chapter 3, Tables and Objects, we will cover tables and objects. An alternate syntax of the for loop will be covered that can be used to easily iterate over tables or arrays.

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Key benefits

  • The easiest way to learn Lua coding
  • Use the Lua standard libraries and debug Lua code
  • Embed Lua as a scripting language using the Lua C API

Description

Lua is a small, powerful and extendable scripting/programming language that can be used for learning to program, and writing games and applications, or as an embedded scripting language. There are many popular commercial projects that allow you to modify or extend them through Lua scripting, and this book will get you ready for that. This book is the easiest way to learn Lua. It introduces you to the basics of Lua and helps you to understand the problems it solves. You will work with the basic language features, the libraries Lua provides, and powerful topics such as object-oriented programming. Every aspect of programming in Lua, variables, data types, functions, tables, arrays and objects, is covered in sufficient detail for you to get started. You will also find out about Lua's module system and how to interface with the operating system. After reading this book, you will be ready to use Lua as a programming language to write code that can interface with the operating system, automate tasks, make playable games, and much more. This book is a solid starting point for those who want to learn Lua in order to move onto other technologies such as Love2D or Roblox. A quick start guide is a focused, shorter title that provides a faster paced introduction to a technology. It is designed for people who don't need all the details at this point in their learning curve. This presentation has been streamlined to concentrate on the things you really need to know.

Who is this book for?

This book is for developers who want to get up and running with Lua. This book is ideal for programmers who want to learn to embed Lua in their own applications, as well as for beginner programmers who have never coded before.

What you will learn

  • • Understand the basics of programming the Lua language
  • • Understand how to use tables, the data structure that makes Lua so powerful
  • • Understand object-oriented programming in Lua using metatables
  • • Understand standard LUA libraries for math, file io, and more
  • • Manipulate string data using Lua
  • • Understand how to debug Lua applications quickly and effciently
  • • Understand how to embed Lua into applications with the Lua C API
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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Jul 27, 2018
Length: 202 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781789343229
Category :
Programming
Languages :
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Concepts :
Programming Language

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Length: 202 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781789343229
Category :
Programming
Languages :
Lua
Concepts :
Programming Language

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Table of Contents

9 Chapters
Introduction to Lua Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Introduction to Lua
Technical requirements
What Lua is
Tools for Lua
Hello World!
Summary
Working with Lua Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Working with Lua
Technical requirements
Variables
Comments
Basic types
String types
Scope
Functions
Operators
Control structures
Loops
Summary
Tables and Objects Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Tables and Objects
Technical requirements
Introduction to tables
Arrays
Iterating
Meta tables
Objects
Inheritance
Summary
Lua Libraries Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Lua Libraries
Technical requirements
The global table
math
File IO
Interfacing with the operating system
More strings
Creating and loading modules
Summary
Debugging Lua Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Debugging Lua
Technical requirements
The debug library
Error-handling in Lua
Profiling
Integrated development environments
Summary
Embedding Lua Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Embedding Lua
Technical requirements
Working with the C API
The stack
Reading Lua variables from C
Creating Lua variables from C
Calling Lua functions from C
Calling C functions from Lua
Working with tables in C
User data
Lua C API reference
Summary
Lua Bridge Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Lua Bridge
Technical requirements
API conventions
Namespaces
Variables
Functions
Properties
Classes
Calling C functions from Lua
LuaRef
LuaRef and tables
Summary
Next Steps Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Next Steps
Books
Game engines
Game mods
Scriptable software
Summary
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
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Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.6
(8 Ratings)
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4 star 25%
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1 star 12.5%
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Shannon Nov 03, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
It covers the basic run through of the Lua code and that is just what I needed.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Edward Beck Dec 12, 2021
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Nice book easy to follow.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Rufinity Feb 25, 2021
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Still learning. Very informational
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Brandon Mar 04, 2024
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
Overall a good introduction to Lua and programming, however there are a few chapters that feel a little out of place and far more in depth for what I would consider a "quick start" guide.
Subscriber review Packt
William Aug 04, 2022
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
The author does a reasonable job of showcasing the language to help someone get started in LUA quickly. I am using it to help teach a beginner how to program. The languag and style is down to earth and should be accessible to most people. NOTE- This book does not teach the art of programming, it is literally just a quick-start for LUA. If you want a book that teaches the art of programming using LUA you should look elsewhere.
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About the author

Profile icon Gabor Szauer
Gabor Szauer
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Gabor Szauer has been making games since 2010. He graduated from Full Sail University in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in game development. Gabor maintains an active Twitter presence, and maintains a programming-oriented game development blog. Gabor's previously published books are Game Physics Programming Cookbook and Lua Quick Start Guide, both published by Packt.
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Cancellation Policy for Published Printed Books:

You can cancel any order within 1 hour of placing the order. Simply contact customercare@packt.com with your order details or payment transaction id. If your order has already started the shipment process, we will do our best to stop it. However, if it is already on the way to you then when you receive it, you can contact us at customercare@packt.com using the returns and refund process.

Please understand that Packt Publishing cannot provide refunds or cancel any order except for the cases described in our Return Policy (i.e. Packt Publishing agrees to replace your printed book because it arrives damaged or material defect in book), Packt Publishing will not accept returns.

What is your returns and refunds policy? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Return Policy:

We want you to be happy with your purchase from Packtpub.com. We will not hassle you with returning print books to us. If the print book you receive from us is incorrect, damaged, doesn't work or is unacceptably late, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com with the order number and issue details as explained below:

  1. If you ordered (eBook, Video or Print Book) incorrectly or accidentally, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com within one hour of placing the order and we will replace/refund you the item cost.
  2. Sadly, if your eBook or Video file is faulty or a fault occurs during the eBook or Video being made available to you, i.e. during download then you should contact Customer Relations Team within 14 days of purchase on customercare@packt.com who will be able to resolve this issue for you.
  3. You will have a choice of replacement or refund of the problem items.(damaged, defective or incorrect)
  4. Once Customer Care Team confirms that you will be refunded, you should receive the refund within 10 to 12 working days.
  5. If you are only requesting a refund of one book from a multiple order, then we will refund you the appropriate single item.
  6. Where the items were shipped under a free shipping offer, there will be no shipping costs to refund.

On the off chance your printed book arrives damaged, with book material defect, contact our Customer Relation Team on customercare@packt.com within 14 days of receipt of the book with appropriate evidence of damage and we will work with you to secure a replacement copy, if necessary. Please note that each printed book you order from us is individually made by Packt's professional book-printing partner which is on a print-on-demand basis.

What tax is charged? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Currently, no tax is charged on the purchase of any print book (subject to change based on the laws and regulations). A localized VAT fee is charged only to our European and UK customers on eBooks, Video and subscriptions that they buy. GST is charged to Indian customers for eBooks and video purchases.

What payment methods can I use? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

You can pay with the following card types:

  1. Visa Debit
  2. Visa Credit
  3. MasterCard
  4. PayPal
What is the delivery time and cost of print books? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela