Lua Basics: function environments and function parameters?

[William Trenker <wtrenker@...>]

I've been experimenting with introspection in Lua (5.0.2).  If I
understand correctly, a function's parameters are not included in that
function's environment table.  For example:

------------------------ chunk -----------------------
function f(p)
    print(string.format("<%s>: p = %s", tostring(f),p))
    print(string.format("<%s>: getfenv(1).p = %s",tostring(f),
tostring(getfenv(1).p)))
end
f"I am P1"
------------------------- end chunk ---------------

prints:

<function: 0x80ebf90>: p = I am P1
<function: 0x80ebf90>: getfenv(1).p = nil

So I've followed the environment example in PIL and changed the
function to add the parameter into the function's environment:

------------------------ chunk -----------------------
function f(p)
    local env = getfenv(1)
    setmetatable(env, {__index=_G})
    env.p = p
    setfenv(1, env)
    print(string.format("<%s>: p = %s", tostring(f),p))
    print(string.format("<%s>: getfenv(1).p = %s",tostring(f),
tostring(getfenv(1).p)))
end
f"I am P1"
------------------------- end chunk ---------------

which now prints:

<function: 0x80e77c0>: p = I am P1
<function: 0x80e77c0>: getfenv(1).p = I am P1

What I find curious is what happens when I redfine the function in the
same chunk:

------------------------ chunk -----------------------
function f(p)  -- same as previous chunk
    local env = getfenv(1)
    setmetatable(env, {__index=_G})
    env.p = p
    setfenv(1, env)
    print(string.format("<%s>: p = %s", tostring(f),p))
    print(string.format("<%s>: getfenv(1).p = %s",tostring(f),
tostring(getfenv(1).p)))
end
f"I am P1"

function f(p)  -- redefine f in this chunk !!!!!
    print(string.format("<%s>: p = %s", tostring(f),p))
    print(string.format("<%s>: getfenv(1).p = %s",tostring(f),
tostring(getfenv(1).p)))
end
f"I am P2"
------------------------- end chunk ---------------

which prints:

<function: 0x80e77e0>: p = I am P1
<function: 0x80e77e0>: getfenv(1).p = I am P1
<function: 0x80ebfc8>: p = I am P2
<function: 0x80ebfc8>: getfenv(1).p = I am P1

Note that the last line prints "P1", not "P2". It appears that the
environment for the second definition of function f has the value of p
from the environment of the first definition of function f.  So, is
the function environment table for a function of a given name kept
around and reused if another function is defined with the same name?

Thanks for any insight,
Bill