Lua and Win32 API binding.

["Habib" <habib@...>]

Anyone can give me an idea how I can call win32 API from within LUA?

I searched the archive, wiki and sites, founding only a dead link.

I tough it's time to ask help to the community.

Plus, what might be the best method to build a Win32 GUI framework for 
busingess applications?

Some back history on how I got here:

Basically what we needed for the application framework were:
- Smaller in size, because every release of the app will be distributed to 
clients over the net. (Which is one reason why I am going for Lua.)
- Doesn't need to be very fast like games, but needs to be very flexible for 
being changed. Business logic changes rapidly. (Therefore more code should 
go into lua and less in C.)

Traditionaly it's done by XML-Java styled, untill the XMLs grow in size and 
complexity and turns out to be a mini programming language by itself. This 
is where probably Lua with it's flixible table data comes handy.

Thefore first I tried: wxWidgets. Dropped it when I couldn't find any easy 
way to display a JPEG on the screen. Hacking it will be more troublesome 
than it's worth. Add with it the requirement that we need to capture webcam 
image and shoot pictures, and things get out of hand fast.

Next tried: Lua Visual Controls: looked very promissing, untill figured out 
it was written in pascal, therefore I can't extend it.

There are other programs like AfxLua, "Win32 API wrappers" etc. None of 
those are much useful because those are very limited, doesn't cover the GUI, 
specially none of the GDI.

Later tried to write a C-bound-Lua styled GUI application framework myself, 
but found binding the API calls with Lua too time consuming, and very 
redundent.

Lastly tried to use CInvoke to connect with kernal32.dll user32.dll 
dynamically. But as soon as I started parsing those windows header  files 
(*.h) to create the declarations; I figured out that some Lua-C binding 
tools actually do it that way and probably I was re-inventing the wheel. 
Anyway I am able to create a full blown window with controls using Cinvoke 
only. Starting from CreateWindow, through call back handling with WinProc, 
upto the message loop all written in Lua. Might not be a good idea, but it's 
proven that it can be done.

I guess now I can ask for some direction.

My task would have been very easy, if I could find a Lua-Win32 API binding 
package already done by someone. But I am not finding that very basic task 
done, anywhere.

Any help will be welcome.

With thanks.

-habib.