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How do I get the parent of a table?

Asked by

EasyNameToMemorize 35

5 years ago

lets say we have a table

`1`	`Table` `=` `{TableInsideOfTable` `=` `{}}`

if I only had TableInsideOfTable how would I get the parent

can we have ur whole script cuz im not sure if its possible HappyTimIsHim 652 — 5y

imma try to find an alternative instead HappyTimIsHim 652 — 5y

So let’s say you have a Table called TableExample = {variable1 = 123, variable2 = “hello, variable3 = { variable1 = “hello”, variable2 = 13554}} . So how tables work is they assign an address to a certain block of memory. So like if you gave me an address to a storage unit, it’s kind of like that. So when you make a table like the one I just made, you can’t access the inside values without first g SethHeinzman 284 — 5y

3 answers

Answered by

User#23252 26

5 years ago

Edited 5 years ago

what your actually looking for is called a linked list. linked lists work by one object(or table as lua addresses it) pointing to another object (or a set of objects as an array), and that internal object points to another object, etc..

in fact, the Roblox Hierarchy system works using lists, except they are written in C++. each object has a property called Parent which points to the object that holds reference to it.

you can create lists like this:

01function create_object(value, parent)
02    local instance = {
03        Parent = parent,
04        Value = value,
05        Children = {}, --the nodes(or internal objects) it will point to.
06    }
07 
08    function instance:push(node)
09        node.Parent = self
10        self.Children[#(self.Children) + 1] = node;
11    end
12 
13    if parent then
14        parent:push(instance)
15    end
16    return instance
17end
18 
19function create_hierarchy(length)
20    local head = create_object(0);
21    local current_node = head
22 
23    for i =1, math.max(1, length), 1 do
24        local node  = create_object(i, current_node);
25        current_node = node;
26    end
27    return head;
28end
29 
30function iterate_hierarchy(hierarchy)
31    for _, node in ipairs(hierarchy.Children) do
32        print("hey i am number #",node.Value)
33        iterate_hierarchy(node)
34    end
35end
36 
37local hierarchy = create_hierarchy(100);
38iterate_hierarchy(hierarchy)
 View all 38 lines...

of course this is just an example of data an object(or node) can store.. Roblox nodes store properties and methods like IsA(), FindFirstChild(), Parent, Name IsArchivable

but these nodes only store Value, Push(), and Children[]

Love linked lists. Good point SethHeinzman 284 — 5y

Answered by

chess123mate 5873

5 years ago

You have to keep track of such information separately, such as performing TableInsideOfTable.Parent = Table, or tableParents[TableInsideOfTable] = Table (assuming TableInsideOfTable is a variable referencing the table).

Answered by

SethHeinzman 284

5 years ago

Edited 5 years ago

So let’s say you have a Table called

`1`	`TableExample` `=` `{variable1` `=` `123, variable2` `=` `“hello, variable3` `=` `{` `variable1` `=` `“hello”, variable2` `=` `13554}}`

So how tables work is they assign an address to a certain block of memory.

So like if you gave me an address to a storage unit, it’s kind of like that. So when you make a table like the one I just made, you can’t access the inside values without first going to the address in memory for where those values are stored.

So for example imagine the TableExample is the storage unit, and the boxes inside the storage unit are the variabes.

So when you say how can I find the parent of a table, there isn't a way because there can be multiple tables of the same name inside of different tables. So what I mean is this:

1Table= {variable1 = 123, variable2 = “hello, variable3 = { variable1 = “hello”, variable2 = 13554}}
2 
3Table2 = {variable1 = 123, variable2 = “hello, variable3 = { variable1 = “hello”, variable2 = 13554}}
4 
5Table3 = {variable1 = 123, variable2 = “hello, variable3 = { variable1 = “hello”, variable2 = 13554}}

Tables don't have parents, because they are not instances in a game. So what I mean is you would access something in the game by saying script.Parent or game.ServerStorage or game.Lighting.

Maybe in a module script but that's different....

However there is a way to make this easier for you. If you aren't going to have the same variables in different tables you can keep track of what variables are in what table by storing those in something seperate.

So like if I had this Table that I knew had variables named differently from other Tables like so:

1Table= {DifferentTable = {}, }
2 
3Table2 = {TableNamedSomethingBlah = {}, }

Instead of:

1Table= {DifferentTable = {}, }
2 
3Table2 = {DifferentTable= {}, }

Now to answer your question:

If you know the name DifferentTable but want to know the name Table in the example above you could create something to store that information on the side. So maybe another table like this:

`1`	`TableTracker` `=` `{` `DifferentTable` `=` `"Table", TableNamedSomethingBlah` `=` `"Table2"` `}`

Or you can create folders or something.

How do I get the parent of a table?

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