Lua Programming Help Thread

[Altair]

Well i hinted at it a few times, but besides being the "really helpful guy, in the LUA Help Thread", im also working on a project of my own (a RTS).
Im pretty far at the moment. I just need to make some graphics for other units and buildings and a menu and then implement them and i will release a beta i think. But since i dont have the right stuff on my pc here ill have to wait till next weekend. If thats done i will release something soon.

[Altair]

Got a question: Does anyone know, if using "dofile()" uses more memory then if you put it in the same file?
I ask this because if you run one lua file and in it you call another one. If you quit that one, you "fall back to the old lua file. So does this mean it has that state saved in the memory? And would that be a big amount it would use or is it really really small?

Hope its clear

[Vaza]

Well i hinted at it a few times, but besides being the "really helpful guy, in the LUA Help Thread", im also working on a project of my own (a RTS).
Im pretty far at the moment. I just need to make some graphics for other units and buildings and a menu and then implement them and i will release a beta i think. But since i dont have the right stuff on my pc here ill have to wait till next weekend. If thats done i will release something soon.

Kool, I thought that to myself before, my guess would be it would take up alot, another problem with do file is, if you move to the main game, and you unload your menu images for more space, but if you break it and will mess up the menu, due to the images being nil.

[Altair]

well could ofcourse make it load the images again before i go back to the menu. So it only loads them when i need them.

[Mast3r_Shak3]

Okay. How could I have it so if I press X then 1 of 5 (or however many) sentences will pop up? would i do need to store the value from math.random() into a variable then print it onto the screen? Would this work?

while true do

screen.clear()

pad=Controls.read()

if pad:cross() then
do math.Random(5)

math.Random(5)

if math.random(5) = 1 then 
screen:print(130,200,1,white)

if math.random(5) = 2 then 
screen:print(130,200,2,white)

if math.random(5) = 3 then 
screen:print(130,200,3,white)

if math.random(5) = 4 then 
screen:print(130,200,4,white)

if math.random(5) = 5 then 
screen:print(130,200,5,white)

screen.waitVblankStart()
screen.flip()
end

[HaxxBlaster]

I really want and need a Wi-Fi turotial for lua!
I guess i am not the only one?

[Altair]

@MaSt3r_ShAk3:
You cant say "do math.random(5)". Also close ever "if then" statement with an "end" statement. Also you have to say "if ... == ... then" and not "if ... = ... then". So you have to use TWO "="'s.
So it becomes:

while true do

screen.clear()

pad=Controls.read()

if pad:cross() then
random=math.Random(5)

if random == 1 then 
screen:print(130,200,1,white)
end

if random == 2 then 
screen:print(130,200,2,white)
end

if random == 3 then 
screen:print(130,200,3,white)
end

if random == 4 then 
screen:print(130,200,4,white)
end

if random == 5 then 
screen:print(130,200,5,white)
end

screen.waitVblankStart()
screen.flip()
end

[Mast3r_Shak3]

Ok, I get an error. Unexpected symbol near '1'

[Altair]

o yeah i just noticed: "screenrint(130,200,4,white)"
should be:
"screenrint(130,200,"4",white)"

And that for all these commands. You see, if you want it to display the character 4 then you have to put it in "'s (dont know what they're called :P ). If you dont then lua treats it like a variable.

[Xodiac21]

i think i got all the errors. it actually starts now.

u gotta define the whatchacallits tho

white = Color.new(0, 0, 0)

while true do

screen:clear()

pad=Controls.read()

if pad:cross() then
do math.Random(5)
end 

math.Random(5)

if math.random(5) == 1 then 
screen:print(130,200,"1",white)
end

if math.random(5) == 2 then 
screen:print(130,200,"2",white)
end

if math.random(5) == 3 then 
screen:print(130,200,"3",white)
end

if math.random(5) == 4 then 
screen:print(130,200,"4",white)
end

if math.random(5) == 5 then 
screen:print(130,200,"5",white)
end

screen.waitVblankStart()
screen.flip()
end
end

[Mast3r_Shak3]

It IS a variable and "s are called quotations. But i will just have the random number print text. Thanks alot!

[Altair]

O yeah lol quotations that was it, thx.
Ok well if they are variables, then you have to define them first. So say like:
1="hello"
But i dont know if you can use numders as variables.

[Mast3r_Shak3]

Yeah, i was thinking that but Ill do this for now. But what does this error mean??

error:script.lua:5: Argument Error: Image:clear([color]) zero or one argument

[Altair]

well i dont know whats at line 5 so i can only guess.
Or you have the wrong name for the image, or something is wrong with your spelling probably. But i cant tell without the code you have now. Check all the names!

[Mast3r_Shak3]

Ok cool... I test on window lua player and when I press X nothing happens...

[califrag]

Hope this helps!

r = 1
white = Color.new(255, 255, 255)

quotes = {}
quotes[0] = "Hello from number 0"
quotes[1] = "Hello from number 1"
quotes[2] = "Hello from number 2"
quotes[3] = "Hello from number 3"
quotes[4] = "Hello from number 4"
quotes[5] = "Hello from number 5"

while true do
	screen:clear()
	pad = Controls.read()

	if pad:cross() and pad ~= oldpad then r = math.random(5) end 

	screen:print(130, 200, quotes[r], white)

	oldpad = pad
	screen.flip()
	screen.waitVblankStart()
end

[Glynnder]

ok i really need to know how to make like a file browser, just to load files e.g bmp's and stuff. It says stuff about tables and i dont know how to use them, please help :$

[Altair]

Sorry i cant help ya there. I dont know, and im not planning on checking how the bmplib works so i cant help you.
Also, if i were you i would learn how to use tables they'll come in handy on many occasions. Its not that difficult either. And if you learn how it works maybe you can figure out how the bmplib works yourself?

[califrag]

Here's an example that builds a table and then prints the results to your screen. I'm sure you can figure out how to load the images and display them from here...

white = Color.new(255, 255, 255)

tblImages = {}
count = 1
imageList = System.listDirectory("./images/")
for index, imageFile in imageList do
	if not imageFile.directory then
		tblImages[count] = imageFile.name
		count = count + 1
	end
end


while true do
	y = 10
	for _, v in pairs (tblImages) do
		screen:print(0, y, v, white)
		y = y + 10
	end
	screen.flip()
	screen.waitVblankStart()
end

HTH!

[code-zero]

Hi everyone, The problem I am having is after I have writen my lua script, saved it as index.lua, I open the lua player, and it will say no script found (or something similar) What's the problem here?

[Gutya]

It's a problem in your code, post it and we will try and help.

[code-zero]

I'm sorry, I forgot to add that certain other scripts I have downloaded won't work aswell, it's just the lua tutorial scripts (part 1)

[Electro]

where can i find the new features in the new lua,,

[Gutya]

I'm sorry, I forgot to add that certain other scripts I have downloaded won't work aswell, it's just the lua tutorial scripts (part 1)

It could be any number of things. Have you tried running it on windows LUA player?

[slicer4ever]

well i have a question and if any1 knows any tut's that would be helpful but heres my prob:
kinda like aotm he has multiple angry faces shooting at the same time but i'm unsure how to do this i've been trying multiple things but can't figure out how to do it i hope you understand my prob and can help me out=-)

[Grimfate126]

hi, this s my code:

b = Color.new(255, 255, 255)

System.usbDiskModeActivate()



cases = {26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 }
money_value = {100000, 750000, 500000, 400000, 300000, 200000, 100000, 50000, 25000, 10000, 50000, 1000, 750, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, 75, 50, 25, 10, 5, 1, .01 }
case_money = {}


while true do

pad = Controls.read()

if pad:start() then
     break
end
             n = 1
             a = math.random(26)
                 
                            screen:clear()
                            while n < 27 do

                            case_money[n] = money_value[a]
		n = n + 1
	              end

if n >26 then
assign = false
end

screen:print(130, 100, money_value[1], b)
screen:print(130, 150, money_value[2], b)


screen.waitVblankStart()
screen:flip()
end

it works, but i get the same two money amounts every time, 1.e+6(1000000) ,and 7.5e+5(750000) how can i make it so that each time a takes another values that what it already has? and one more thing how can i disable scientific notation??

[califrag]

right before your "while true do" put:

math.randomseed(os.time() )
math.random()
math.random()
math.random()

[Grimfate126]

right before your "while true do" put:

math.randomseed(os.time() )
math.random()
math.random()
math.random()

same thing. it still doesnt work, heres my current code:

b = Color.new(255, 255, 255)

System.usbDiskModeActivate()

cases = {26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 }
money_value = {100000, 750000, 500000, 400000, 300000, 200000, 100000, 50000, 25000, 10000, 50000, 1000, 750, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, 75, 50, 25, 10, 5, 1, .01 }
case_money = {}

math.randomseed(os.time() )
math.random()
math.random()
math.random()

while true do

pad = Controls.read()

if pad:start() then
     break
end
             n = 1
             a = math.random(26)
                 
                            screen:clear()
                            while n < 27 do

                            case_money[n] = money_value[a]
		n = n + 1
	              end


screen:print(130, 100, money_value[1], b)
screen:print(130, 150, money_value[2], b)


screen.waitVblankStart()
screen:flip()
end

thanks for all ur help!

[MrBoots]

ok i decided to try to learn LUA. I started with trying the "hello world" thing (using notepad), I typed the code and every thing and I saved it as script.lua but it saved as a text document. How can I make it save as a LUA file??? sorry for the incredibly noobish question its just i am very new to programing.

Thanks guys :icon_smil

[Grimfate126]

ok i decided to try to learn LUA. I started with trying the "hello world" thing (using notepad), I typed the code and every thing and I saved it as script.lua but it saved as a text document. How can I make it save as a LUA file??? sorry for the incredibly noobish question its just i am very new to programing.

Thanks guys :icon_smil

if the name is somethin like blah.txt

then just simply rename it to blah.lua

windows may ask you that is may not work if u chage the file extension, but ignore that.