How to insert a Dictionary into a table?

This won't work:

table1 = {}
table.insert(table1, ["TEST"] = "TEST1")
print(table1["TEST"])

I'm trying to insert a Dictionary into a table, I need this for my script. I also need like a lot of dictionaries, because every game it saves 1 dictionary into the table through datastores.

Thanks for helping!

You cannot use the insert function for this purpose mainly because it works like the following example.

local list = {}
table.insert(list, "One")

list[#list + 1] = "One"

The function is only meant to be used when indexing a table with numerical indices. In order to accomplish what you wish to do, you would have to use a format similar to the following.

local list = {}
list["Key"] = "value"

Alternatively, you can actually create a table with numerical indices, and setting said indices to a table containing both a key and a value.

local list = {}
local dictionary = {["TEST"] = "TEST1"}

for key, value in pairs(dictionary) do
  list[#list+ 1] = {key = key, value = value}
  -- or
  -- table.insert(list, {key = key, value = value})
end

#Numerical Indexing

What is important to realize: When you are dealing with a normal array, the elements will normally be ordered numerically. Regular arrays and tables only deal with values. Dictionaries deal with keys and values.

Let's take a look at an example of a regular array and its indices for each value:

local ar = {"I", "Am", "Steve", "@seraplz", 1,4, true}

for index,value in pairs(ar) do
print("Index Number " .. index .. " in array contains value of \"" .. tostring(value) .. "\"")
end

Your output would look like the following:

Index Number 1 in array contains value of "I"

Index Number 2 in array contains value of "Am"

Index Number 3 in array contains value of "Steve"

Index Number 4 in array contains value of "@seraplz"

Index Number 5 in array contains value of "1"

Index Number 6 in array contains value of "4"

Index Number 7 in array contains value of "true"

#FOO=BAR

A common programming paradigm is the concept of FOO=BAR, which states that a key [FOO] must equal a value [BAR].

Now, when you are making an array/table out of non-numerical indices such as lettering and words, you can only naturally expect to get some different type of output. This is because you are basing your index off of keys and not automatic numerical indexing.

For example, let's take a look at a standard dictionary:

local dic = {
	["Name"] = "Digital",
	["ScriptingSkill"] = "Intense",
	["beautiful"] = true,
	["accountId"] = 3508838	
}

for key,value in pairs(dic) do
	print("Key : " .. key .. " = Value: " .. tostring(value))
end

Now, take a look at something very interesting in my output:

Key : ScriptingSkill = Value: Intense

Key : beautiful = Value: true

Key : Name = Value: Digital

Key : accountId = Value: 3508838

Although Name is the first thing I put in the dictionary, it still got printed third. This is because these indices aren't ordered numerically. Thus the compiler may end up printing out the values and keys in an order that you may not expect

#To Answer Your Question

Now if you are familiar with arrays, you know that writing:

array[4] = "someValue";

will compile just properly.

We can do the same thing with dictionaries!

So to put test in its own key/value pair inside a dictionary, you can do:

local dic = {}
dic["TEST"] = "TEST1";
print(dic.TEST)
print(dic["TEST"])