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For 2023 (and 2024 ...) - we are now fully retired from IT training.
We have made many, many friends over 25 years of teaching about Python, Tcl, Perl, PHP, Lua, Java, C and C++ - and MySQL, Linux and Solaris/SunOS too. Our training notes are now very much out of date, but due to upward compatability most of our examples remain operational and even relevant ad you are welcome to make us if them "as seen" and at your own risk.

Lisa and I (Graham) now live in what was our training centre in Melksham - happy to meet with former delegates here - but do check ahead before coming round. We are far from inactive - rather, enjoying the times that we are retired but still healthy enough in mind and body to be active!

I am also active in many other area and still look after a lot of web sites - you can find an index ((here))
Using Lua tables as objects

Since tables in Lua can hold data members of different types, they can be used as the base structure for an Object Oriented design approach, where each table represents an object with numbers, strings, other tables ("objects") and callable blocks ("functions" or methods) as members. And if you take it one step further and put all the common code relating to a type of data into another table that's named after the data type, you can in effect design a class.

There's a new example of this [here] on our web site, from yesterday's Lua Course.

I created a series of "archive access objects" from our web server log file, where each object is a blog archive request to the server. The code to create each object (and add it to a table of such objects) is:
  pages[#pages+1] = archive.new(num,nam)
and I then looped through all members of the table or archive objects, printing out their details:
  for _,access in pairs(pages) do
    print (access:getnum(), access:getnam())
  end


As ever with object orientation, the clever stuff is hidden within the class - in this case the archive table which I defined to hold a piece of code called new. new sets up a new table each time it's called, into which the data, and also a reference to functions getnum and getnam, are stored.
  archive.new = function (index, title)
    local current = {}
    current.index = index
    current.title = title
    current.getnum = archive.getnum
    current.getnam = archive.getnam
    return current
  end

(the originals of getnam and getnum are stored in archive purely for convenience)

Rather than copy all the methods across into each object, Lua includes a facility called metatables that I'll be going on to look at during today's course ...
(written 2012-05-11)

 
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
U107 - Object Orientation - the Lua way
  [1692] Towards Object Oriented Programming in Lua - (2008-06-30)
  [1699] If you are learning Lua, here are some more examples - (2008-07-06)
  [1743] First class functions in Lua lead to powerful OO facilities - (2008-08-07)
  [1819] Calling base class constructors - (2008-10-03)
  [2318] For Lua Programmers AND for Town Planners - (2009-08-02)
  [2359] A fresh example - objects the Lua way - (2009-08-13)
  [2455] Lua examples - coroutines, error handling, objects, etc - (2009-10-15)
  [2701] Is Lua an Object Oriented language? - (2010-04-01)
  [2703] Lua Metatables - (2010-04-02)
  [2710] __index and __newindex in Lua - metatable methods - (2010-04-05)
  [3142] Private and Public - and things between - (2011-01-22)
  [3396] Tables as Objects in Lua - a gentle introduction to data driven programming - (2011-08-17)
  [3524] Metaclasses (Python) and Metatables (Lua) - (2011-11-17)
  [3683] Weak references in Lua - what are they, and why use them? - (2012-04-04)
  [3694] Special __ methods you can use in Lua metatables - (2012-04-12)
  [3730] What is a metatable? How do I set one up? How do I use them? Lua - (2012-05-12)
  [4117] Is Lua an Object Oriented language? - (2013-06-15)
  [4248] Metatables, Metamethods, classes and objects in Lua - (2014-03-18)
  [4273] Dot or Colon separator between table name and member in Lua - what is the difference? - (2014-05-06)
  [4572] Tables with values and code in Lua - looks like an object? - (2015-11-05)
  [4573] Classic style OO code - in Lua - (2015-11-05)
  [4753] Lua, Tcl, Python, C and C++ courses - at our Melksham HQ or on your site - forward from July 2017 - (2017-07-02)


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Using Lua tables as objects
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Lua Tables
Learning to Program in Lua - public / open training course / class
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This is a page archived from The Horse's Mouth at http://www.wellho.net/horse/ - the diary and writings of Graham Ellis. Every attempt was made to provide current information at the time the page was written, but things do move forward in our business - new software releases, price changes, new techniques. Please check back via our main site for current courses, prices, versions, etc - any mention of a price in "The Horse's Mouth" cannot be taken as an offer to supply at that price.

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