A pack() function?

[Majic <majic.one@...>]

Hello, I've been trying to figure out the best way, or if there's a
shorthand way, to build a table from whatever is returned by a
function.  I was thinking something along the lines of local newtable
= pack(somefunc())  I know pack() doesn't exist, but I can't seem to
get anything similar if I were to do local newtable{} = somefunc()?  I
vaguely remember someone doing something like this, I just don't know
the syntax, or I'm imagining things again... Anyway, I thought it was
very strange that a pack() doesn't exist and in another message on
here I suggested that unpack() be moved to table.unpack() anyway
(sort of wish this and that posting were together now...)  I just
thought it'd be useful...


Ideas?