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Lua is memory efficient for huge but sparse multi-dimensional arrays, since nil values aren't stored in the tables.

However, reading and writing to such sparse multi-dimensional arrays can be quite a hassle.  If I want to access the value of t[a][b][c][d][e], I first have to check whether t[a] is a table, t[a][b] is a table, t[a][b][c] is a table etc, otherwise Lua throws an error "Attempt to index a nil value".


For example, to read the value at t[a][b][c][d][e], I cannot simply use:
v = t[a][b][c][d][e]
Instead, the code must look something like:
v = t and t[a] and t[a][b] and t[a][b][c] and t[a][b][c][d] and t[a][b][c][d][e]


Or, to write a value to t[a][b][c][d][e], I cannot simply use:
t[a][b][c][d][e] = v

Instead, the code must look something like:

if not t then t = {[a] = {[b] = {[c] = {[d] = {[e] = v}}}}}
elseif not t[a] then t[a] = {[b] = {[c] = {[d] = {[e] = v}}}}
elseif not t[a][b] then t[a][b] = {[c] = {[d] = {[e] = v}}}
elseif not t[a][b][c] then t[a][b][c] = {[d] = {[e] = v}}
elseif not t[a][b][c][d] then t[a][b][c][d] = {[e] = v}
else t[a][b][c][d][e] = v
end

I suggest that it would be more useful -- and more consistent -- if the "Attempt to index a nil value" error is deprecated and, instead, the indexing of undefined variables does the following:

When reading: simply return nil.  Given that undefined variables and non-existent table entries both return nil, I think it would be more consistent if an attempt to index an undefined variable also simply returns nil.  (The Lua FAQ states that: "In many languages, trying to access a non-existent key in a list or dictionary causes an exception; in Lua the result is simply nil. This is unambiguous because nil cannot be usefully put into tables.")  If t is nil, then t[a] should also simply be nil, as should t[a][b][c][d][e].

When writing: automatically assign a single-entry table to each undefined variable, with the given index the sole entry.  For example, if t is an undefined variable, then t[a] = v would be syntactic sugar for t = {[a] = v}.  Similarly, if t[a][b] is already declared as a table but t[a][b][c] is nil, then t[a][b][c][d][e] = v would mean t[a][b][c] = {[d] = {[e] = v}}.


-- Anton