Re: Forward declaration of a table and (closure) function

[Steve Litt <slitt@...>]

On Wednesday, July 13, 2011 09:34:28 PM Ross Berteig wrote:
> At 06:21 PM 7/13/2011, Steve Litt wrote:
>  >Hi all,
>  >
>  >In a program I'm doing "OOP" using a table called Columns and a
>  >function called Columns.new() containing several other functions
>  >that become, for want of a better word, "methods".
>  >
>  >The purpose of this construct is as use-modifiable setup, so I'd
>  >like to have the calls to it at the very top of the program,
>  >where users expect user-modifiable stuff to be. So what I'd like
>  >at the top would be something like:
>  >
>  >columns = Columns.new({})
>  >-- THESE *MUST* BE IN SPREADSHEET COLUMN ORDER!!!
>  >-- IF THE SPREADSHEET CHANGES, CHANGE THIS LIST
>  >columns.newCol("recvdate"  , {quantfield=false, fcn=this})
>  >columns.newCol("fname"     , {quantfield=false,  fcn=this})
>  >columns.newCol("lname"     , {quantfield=false,  fcn=this})
> 
> You want something like this:
> 
> require "spreadsheet"
> local columns = spreadsheet.new{}
> -- THESE *MUST* BE IN SPREADSHEET COLUMN ORDER!!!
> -- IF THE SPREADSHEET CHANGES, CHANGE THIS LIST
> columns:newCol("recvdate"  , {quantfield=false, fcn=this})

Thanks Ross,

Unfortunately that syntax didn't work -- it bombed on the (later) 
definition of Columns.new().

I know the require syntax would definitely work just right if I made 
the definition of Columns and Columns.new() in a separate module, but I 
was trying to find a way to have them in the same file but lower down.

Thanks

STeveT

Steve Litt
Author: The Key to Everyday Excellence
http://www.troubleshooters.com/bookstore/key_excellence.htm
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stevelitt