lualint 0.0

[Jay Carlson <nop@...>]

I got tired of typos.

http://place.org/~nop/lualint-0.0.tar.gz

Jay

---snip---

Usage: lualint [-r|-s] filename.lua [ [-r|-s] [filename.lua] ...]

lualint performs static analysis of Lua source code's usage of global
variables..  It uses luac's bytecode listing.  It reports all accesses
to undeclared global variables, which catches many typing errors in
variable names.  For example:

  local really_aborting
  local function abort() os.exit(1) end
  if not os.getenv("HOME") then
    realy_aborting = true
    abortt()
  end

reports:

  /tmp/example.lua:4: *** global SET of realy_aborting
  /tmp/example.lua:5: global get of abortt

It is primarily designed for use on LTN7-style modules, where each
source file only exports one global symbol.  (A module contained in
the file "foobar.lua" should only export the symbol "foobar".)

A "relaxed" mode is available for source not in LTN7 style.  It only
detects reads from globals that were never set.  The switch "-r" puts
lualint into relaxed mode for the following files; "-s" switches back
to strict.

Required packages are tracked, although not recursively.  If you call
"myext.process()" you should require "myext", and not depend on other
dependencies to load it.  LUA_PATH is followed as usual to find
requirements.

Some (not strictly LTN7) modules may wish to export other variables
into the global environment.  To do so, use the declare function:

  declare "xpairs"
  function xpairs(node)
    [...]

Similarly, to quiet warnings about reading global variables you are
aware may be unavailable:

  lint_ignore "lua_fltk_version"
  if lua_fltk_version then print("fltk loaded") end

One way of defining these is in a module "declare.lua":

  function declare(s)
  end
  declare "lint_ignore"
  function lint_ignore(s)
  end

(Setting declare is OK, because it's in the "declare" module.)  These
functions don't have to do anything, or in fact actually exist!  They
can be in dead code:

  if false then declare "xpairs" end

This is because lualint only performs a rather primitive and cursory
scan of the bytecode.  Perhaps declarations should only be allowed in
the main chunk.

TODO:

The errors don't come out in any particular order.

Should switch to Rici's parser, which should do a much better job of
this, and allow detection of some other common situations.

CREDITS:

Jay Carlson (nop@nop.com)

This is all Ben Jackson's (ben@ben.com) fault, who did some similar
tricks in MOO.