Could I use table.insert to create a dictionary?
If so, then how? I'm really stuck. :(
2 answers
Well, first you would need to create a table to collect all the words in. Next you would need a function to add words into it, you would probably create a table for two values, the word and the definition. Then create a function for finding definitions, so loop through the table checking the word and then return the definition when you find it. Something like this should suffice:
01 | local Dictionary = {} |
02 |
03 | function AddWord(NewWord, NewDefenition) |
04 | table.insert(Dictionary, {Word = NewWord, Defenition = NewDefenition}) |
05 | end |
06 |
07 | function FindDefenition(TheWord) |
08 | for i,v in next, Dictionary do |
09 | if v.Word:lower() == TheWord:lower() then |
10 | return v.Defenition |
11 | end |
12 | end |
13 | end |
14 |
15 | AddWord("ScriptingHelpers", "Organisation for helping people script") |
16 | local Defenition = FindDefenition("ScriptingHelpers") |
17 | print(Defenition) --Returns "Organisation for helping people script" |
Assuming that you mean with dictionary a table with non-numericial indices, such as:
1 | local french_english = { |
2 | pain = bread, |
3 | amour = love |
4 | } |
5 | print("Translation of pain (french) to english: "..french_english["pain"]) |
Then you cannot use table.insert. Table.insert only works with numeric keys and will thus only work if you are creating a list.
However, what you need here is just the simple set operator for a table. Which is:
1 | local tab = {} |
2 |
3 | tab.a = 3 |
4 | tab["My Home"] = "United States" |
5 |
6 | print(tab.a) --> 3 |
7 | print(tab["My Home"]) --> United States |
You can use . for every key not starting with a number and not having spaces or other special characters in it.
To be safe, just use [] and put the key between those brackets.
Beware! tab.a = 3 sets tab["a"] to 3 tab[a] = 3 sets the CONTENT of a as key to tab.
Ex:
1 | a = "my name" |
2 | tab[a] = "jobro" |
3 | tab.a = 3 |
4 | print(tab.a, tab["my name"]) --> 3 jobro |
Take a note of the fact that you can use anything as key in a table - except nil. Trying to set t[nil] will result in an error.
I hope this helped you a little bit in understanding tables with non-numerical keys (dictionaries).