Lua Quick Reference

Lua Quick Reference
Second Edition

Download the e-book for free.

Published: May 2020
ISBN: 978-0-9912379-5-1
Pages: 169

Download the source code examples.

Lua is a small, fast, powerful, and embeddable scripting language. It is well-suited for use in video games, application scripting, embedded devices, and nearly anywhere else a scripting language is needed. This quick reference contains a wealth of knowledge on how to program in and embed Lua, whether it is Lua 5.4, 5.3, 5.2, or 5.1. This book can even be used with LuaJIT, a Just-In-Time compiler for Lua based on Lua 5.1. Lua Quick Reference groups the language’s features and C API in a convenient and easy-to-use manner, while clearly marking the differences between Lua versions.

This book covers:

• Lua syntax, expressions, and statements
• Metatables and metamethods
• Object-oriented programming with Lua
• Creating and working with Lua and C Modules
• Lua’s standard library and its C API
• Collaborative multi-threading in Lua and C
• How to embed and use Lua within a host
• And much more

Mitchell commands over 15 years of experience programming in and embedding Lua in both the corporate and open-source realms.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • Download
  • Code Editors
  • Conventions
  • Terminology
  • Environment Variables

• Command Line Options

• Part I: The Lua Language
  • Fundamentals
  • Comments
  • Identifiers and Reserved Words
  • Variables and Scopes
  • Types
    • Nil
    • Booleans
    • Numbers
    • Strings
    • Functions
    • Tables
    • Threads
    • Userdata
    • Perform Basic Value Operations
  • Expressions and Operators
    • Arithmetic Operators
    • Relational Operators
    • Logical Operators
    • Bitwise Operators
    • Other Operators
  • Statements
    • Variable Assignment
    • Control Structures
    • Labels and Goto
  • Functions
    • Functions with Variable Arguments
  • Metatables and Metamethods
    • Assign and Retrieve Metatables
    • Arithmetic Metamethods
    • Relational Metamethods
    • Bitwise Metamethods
    • Closing Metamethod
    • Other Operator and Statement Metamethods
    • Function Metamethods
    • Bypass Metamethods
  • Object-Oriented Programming
    • Define a Class
    • Utilize a Class
  • Modules
    • Create a Lua Module
  • Environments
  • Error Handling and Warnings
  • Load and Run Dynamic Code
  • Numeric Facilities
    • Trigonometric Functions
    • Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
    • Generate Random Numbers
    • Work with Integers
  • String Facilities
    • Create a Compound String
    • Query and Transform Strings
    • Search and Replace Within a String
    • Work with UTF-8 Strings
  • Table and List Facilities
    • Iterate Over a Table
    • Manipulate Lists
    • Unpack Lists
    • Create Strings from Lists
  • Thread Facilities
    • Create a Thread
    • Start, Resume, and Yield a Thread
    • Query Thread Status
  • Input and Output Facilities
    • Simple Input and Output
    • Object-Oriented Input and Output
    • Manage Files
    • Start and Interact with a Process
  • Operating System Facilities
    • Dates and Times
    • Locale Settings
  • Memory Management
  • Miscellaneous
• Part II: The Lua C API
  • C API Introduction
    • Compiling Lua Programs
  • The Stack
    • Increase Stack Size
    • Work with Stack Indices
    • Push Values
    • Pop Values
    • Query Values
    • Retrieve Values
  • Basic Stack Operations
    • Element Operations
    • Global Variable Operations
    • Arithmetic Operations
    • Relational Operations
    • Bitwise Operations
    • String Operations
    • Table Operations
    • Length Operations
    • Reference Operations
  • C Functions
    • Define a C Function
    • Register a C Function
    • Call a C Function
  • Metatables
    • Create or Fetch a Metatable
    • Assign a Metatable
    • Retrieve a Metatable
    • Metamethods and Metafields
  • C Modules
  • Error and Warning Handling
    • Retrieve Error Information
  • Load and Run Dynamic Code
  • Threading in C
    • Create a Thread
    • Start or Resume a Thread
    • Yield a Thread
    • Transfer Values Between Threads
    • Query a Thread’s Status
    • Call a Function that Yields
  • Memory Management
  • Miscellaneous
• Lua API Index
• Concept Index

Errata

None reported.

© 2007-2020 Mitchell