Learn Lua in 15 Minutes

-- 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; g = function (x) return math.sin(x) end
-- the 'local g' decl makes g-self-references ok.

-- 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) <fn or a table> 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 ()
<contents of mod.lua>
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.lua') --> Hi!
dofile('mod2.lua') --> Hi! (runs it again)

-- loadfile loads a lua file but doesn't run it yet.

f = loadfile('mod2.lua') -- Call f() to run it.

-- 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 Löve 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. It's

also available as a github gist. Tutorials for other
languages, in the same style as this one, are here:

http://learnxinyminutes.com/

Have fun with Lua!

--]]

Tyler Neylon
336.2013