Re: Question on reading config files

[meino.cramer@...]

Paul K <paulclinger@yahoo.com> [12-07-16 18:02]:
> HI Meino,
> 
> >     for key, value in ipairs{...} do
> >     -- something meaningful here
> >     end
> 
> You should be using pairs instead of ipairs and you probably get
> exactly what you are looking for: 'key' will get values 'first' and
> 'second' (with 'value' being the corresponding table value), which you
> can then handle in your script any way you want.
> 
> Paul.
> 
> On Sun, Jul 15, 2012 at 8:40 PM,  <meino.cramer@gmx.de> wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > Currently I am programming a piece of code what will become a reader
> > and handler for config files. The starting point was an example code
> > from "Programming in Lua". The final code should read a config file
> > with different profiles to setup and handle serial ports so this  is
> > only an example.
> >
> > My config file has this layout currently:
> >
> >     profile{
> >         first={
> >             author="Donald E. Knuth",
> >             title= "Literate Programming",
> >             press= "CSLI",
> >             year=  1992
> >             },
> >         second={
> >             author=      "Jon Bentley",
> >             title=       "More Programming Pearls",
> >             press=       "Addison-Wesley",
> >             year=        1990
> >             }
> >     }
> >
> > where "first" and "second" are names of different profiles, which the
> > user is allowed to name as s/he wants.
> >
> > A sketch of a snippet of code which reads the config file looks like
> > this:
> >
> >
> >
> >     #! /usr/bin/lua
> >     local count = 0
> >     function profile (...)
> >
> >     for key, value in ipairs{...} do
> >     -- something meaningful here
> >     end
> >
> >     end
> >
> >     function main()
> >     dofile("data")
> >     end
> >
> >     main()
> >
> > My question is: Is it possible to determine the names of the profiles
> > (in my example "first" and "second") from inside the code without
> > further input from the user land?
> >
> > Thank you very much in advance for any help!
> >
> > Best regards,
> > mcc
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 

Hi,

thanks for the replies! :)

Unfortunately apparently I am still doing something wrong...

This is the contents of the config file. The file is called 'data':


    profile{
        first={
            author="Donald E. Knuth",
            title= "Literate Programming",
            press= "CSLI",
            year=  1992
            },
        second={
            author=      "Jon Bentley",
            title=       "More Programming Pearls",
            press=       "Addison-Wesley",
            year=        1990
            }
    }


This is the program, called 'reader.lua':


    #! /usr/bin/lua

    function profile (...) 
      for key, value in pairs{...} do
        print( key )
        print( value )
      end

    end

    function main()
      dofile("data")
    end

    main()


and this is the output it produces:

    1
    table: 0x23420e0


(all listings have been indented by four spaces for readablity
reasons)

What do I have to change to get the table names ('first",'second')
instead of the adress of the table 'profile" (as it seems, since it
is only one adress printed) ?

Thank you very much for your help and your patience with lua newbie ;)

Best regards,
mcc