Better explanation on DataStore//Persistence?
I don't really understand HOW to use DataStores as said on the wiki page: http://wiki.roblox.com/index.php?title=Data_store
Could someone explain how to use it correctly? If possible, provide some sort of brief example (please don't downvote :c)? I must use it for something but honestly just don't get it.
Nor do I understand how to use the tables/pairs with it.
3 answers
Methods
- IncrementAsync
- UpdateAsync
- GetAsync
- SetAsync
IncrementAsync increments the value by a specified amount.
SetAsyncis pretty much similar to UpdateAsync and IncrementAsync in the sense that they both change the DataStore.
However, if you're interested in getting previously saved values in your querry, you would want to useUpdateAsync because it will get the already existing value of the key, run the transformFunction (aka second argument), and then updating the key. SetAsync, is mostly used for constant values, and overrides the value of the key with the newly set value.
GetAsync just simply means fetching the value associated with the provided key
Accessing the DataStoreService
1 | local DataStoreService = game:GetService('DataStoreService') |
2 | local SavedData = DataStoreService:GetDataStore('Kills') |
3 | local Players = game:GetService('Players') |
There's an additional optional parameter, "scope", to the GetDataStore method, that simply assigns the data to the specified scope. It is set to "global" by default.
Saving to the DataStoreService
Since SavedData is the reference to the data store, it would make sense to use it when saving or getting values. You would need a unique identifier to save values specific to players. It is recommended, and much easier to use their userId property when doing so.
01 | local key = player.userId |
02 |
03 | --IncrementAsync |
04 |
05 | SavedData:IncrementAsync(key, 1) |
06 | --Adds onto already existent value |
07 |
08 | --UpdateAsync |
09 | SavedData:UpdateAsync(key, function(oldValue) |
10 | newValue = oldValue or 0 -- if no previously saved data, set new to 0 |
11 |
12 | return newValue -- associated value "newValue" to key |
13 | end) |
14 |
15 | --SetAsync |
16 | SavedData:SetAsync(key, 0) |
17 | -- overrides all previously saved values |
18 | -- doesn't check for previous values |
The second argument of the UpdateAsync method, is the "transformFunction", as defined above.
0
DataStores, It's for saving stuff, you already know. But I'll show you how to use it!
GetDataStore
This is the most important thing when using DataStores(Other than the DataStoreService)
1 | local data = game:GetService("DataStoreService"):GetDataStore("Test") --Name of the datastores is "Test". This is where you start when you're using DataStores. |
One DataStore can have multiple keys.
GetAsync
This get's the value for the key
01 | local data = game:GetService("DataStoreService"):GetDataStore("Test") |
02 | print("The Brick's color is: "..data:GetAsync("Color")) |
03 | --[[How to use it: |
04 | data is the DataStores that you got, data is the datastore "Test". |
05 |
06 | :GetAsync("Key") |
07 | Is a function. Must be used on the appropriate datastore. |
08 | The key is like a Model or a Folder. It's like doing :FindFirstChild() in the Model or Folder |
09 | It returns the value. Except there is only one value. |
10 |
11 | This is what it would look like if it was a model: |
12 |
13 | local data = workspace.Model |
14 |
15 | data:FindFirstChild("Part") |
SetAsync
It gives or changed the key's value.
1 | local data = game:GetService("DataStoreService"):GetDataStore("Test") |
2 | data:SetAsync("Color", "Red") |
3 | print("The Brick's color is: "..data:GetAsync("Color")) --Prints "The Brick's color is: Red" |
4 | data:SetAsync("Color", "Blue") |
5 | print("The Brick's color is: "..data:GetAsync("Color")) --Prints "The Brick's color is: Blue" |
UpgradeAsync
Some people say this should be used more than SetAsync. It does almost the same thing as SetAsync but it is in a form of a function.
01 | local data = game:GetService("DataStoreService"):GetDataStore("Test") |
02 |
03 | data:UpgradeAsync("Points", function(old) |
04 | local new = old or 0 --In Case "old" is nil. |
05 | new = new+10 |
06 | return new --Must have a return. |
07 | end) |
08 |
09 | --Another Example: |
10 |
11 | data:UpgradeAsync("Points", function(old) |
12 | return 50 --Immediately changes points to 50. |
13 | end) |
IncrementAsync
Increments the value for a particular key and returns the incremented value. Only works on values that are integers.
--Wiki
1 | local data = game:GetService("DataStoreService"):GetDataStore("Test") |
2 |
3 | data:IncrementAsync("Number", 1) |
I've never used IncrementAsync so ask someone like BlueTaslem, Goulstem, Redbullusa, adark, etc.
DataPersistance
Should not be used because DataStores is better. DataStores can save within universes. DataPersistance does not.
Save/Load Numbers, Strings, Booleans, Instance
Can only be saved and loaded from a player.
01 | local player = game:GetService("Players").LocalPlayer |
02 |
03 | print(player.Name.." had this many points: "..player:LoadNumber("Points")) |
04 | player:SaveNumber("Points", 50) |
05 | print("Now the player has "..player:LoadNumber("Points").." points!") --Which is 50 |
06 | --[[Save/Load works similar to SetAsync and GetAsync. |
07 | BTW: |
08 | SaveNumber ONLY saves numbers |
09 | SaveString ONLY saves strings |
10 | SaveBoolean ONLY saves Bools |
11 | SaveInstance ONLY saves RBLX objects |
12 | ]] |
Tables, Arrays, Pairs
Tables is a list of strings, numbers, bools, and objects:
1 | Table = {} --You can add stuff like this: |
2 | Table2 = {"Hai", "Hello", "Wassup", 21, true, false, 54, workspace.Part:clone(), ":3"} |
3 | --You can add using table.insert() |
4 | table.insert(Table, "Hello", 1) --The 1 is optional, it says what slot it should go in. You can look up other things you can do with tables on the wiki! |
Arrays are very similar:
1 | Array = {"Hello", 23} |
2 | Array2 = { |
3 | {thing = "Hello"} |
4 | {no = "false"} |
5 | } |
6 | Array3 = {Hi = 2, No = false, Error = "5/0"} |
Pairs works by...
1 | --returning everything in a table or array! |
2 | for i,v in pairs(table) do |
3 | end |
4 | --"i" returns what place it is in the table and "v" is the value, like "Hello" or 21 and etc. |
Hope this helps!
