Re: __index returns truncated to one, why?

[duz <duz@...>]

On 11.04.2014 00:23, Andrew Starks wrote:
> On Thursday, April 10, 2014, duz <duz@sol-3.de> wrote:
>
> >   local a, b, c = t[1]...
>
> > No, it's meant to turn "return (h(table,index))" into "return
> > h(table,index)"
>
>  I'm sorry, but I still don't see why it is so important to
>  throw away any values here. Why is __index it in 2.4 defined to
>
>     return (h(table,index))
>
>  instead of just
>
>     return h(table,index)
>
>  which I'd find good uses for.
>
> Because a function has multiple return values and a single index of a
> table only has one value and that is a defined specification of the
> language. 
>
> -Andrew 

Searching the reference manual I find it defined in
that one place

  Section 2.4, function gettable_event (table, key)

I suggest to remove the parens around the return (h(...))
in the reference manual and stop dropping values returned
from the handler.

For symmetry, one could think of __newindex getting passed
in any excess values from an assignment, such that

  t[1] = 7, 8, 9

calls the __newindex metamethod of t with three values.
This would be a much greater change and I don't suggest
it here as I don't oversee the consequences this would have.