Ok, so I've been trying to figure out how I would call a function with parameters on a table, like this:
local Test = {1,2,3}
function Test.Find(Element)
for _,v in pairs(Test) do
if v == Element then
return v
end
end
return nil
end
print(Test:Find(2))
It kept printing nil and I eventually troubleshooted and found out that no matter what I put Element as, Element would still end up being table Test. How would I edit this so that it does what it's supposed to do?
You are using a : (method call) instead of a . (normal property)
Use the dot, and it will work as you expect!
But...
The colon would let you make a slightly better version of your function, but a slightly different one.
a:b(x) is the same as a.b(a,x).
So you are getting Test as the first parameter to your function! (Test:Find(2) is Test.Find(Test, 2))
We can change your function to look like this:
function TableFind(Table, Element)
for _,v in pairs(Table) do
if v == Element then
return v
end
end
return nil
end
Test.Find = TableFind
Now we can use the same TableFind on any table, not just Test, as long as we use : (which is why : is useful)
This discussion is preserved as it was. New answers, comments, and votes are closed.
2 comments
Thanks again! I've been having a little trouble with tables recently and I just wanted to clear things up
People usually neglect to explain methods in Lua explanations, so it tends to confuse people when they come up