Modding:Lua
About Lua
Lua is a powerful, fast, lightweight, embeddable scripting language used to extend the functionality of software and games.
The official website has this to say:
Lua is a powerful, fast, lightweight, embeddable scripting language.
Lua combines simple procedural syntax with powerful data description constructs based on associative arrays and extensible semantics. Lua is dynamically typed, runs by interpreting bytecode for a register-based virtual machine, and has automatic memory management with incremental garbage collection, making it ideal for configuration, scripting, and rapid prototyping.
To learn how to program Lua, the Lua-users wiki might be a good place to start, or just Google search, "Learning Lua." There are many good, free, online options.
Lua Reference
Modding:Lua/Starbound Datatypes
Tables
The Lua API consists mostly of tables that contain references to the required functions.
Hooks & Callbacks
Entities like NPCs, objects and monsters require some functions to work.
| Monster | NPC | Object | Fireable Items | Tech |
Libraries
These are libraries containing "utilitary" functions and scripts, for coding convenience.
Starbound already provides a bunch in /scripts/
- Tech Keybinds is an easy to use library that allows tech modders to bind input values to functions.
- Storm_UI is used by StormyUK for his Macrochip mod's U.I.
- PenguinToast's PenguinGUI is a pretty old library to make custom U.I.s updated for 1.3 (original version and infos can be found here.)
- StardustLib is a bunch of scripts zetaPRIME uses for his StardustSuite mod.
Additional Information
If you could not find a function documented here, chances are that you will find some documentation in the following sources:
- The official documentation, which can be found in the game folder: /Starbound/doc/lua
- Searching how a function is used in the assets, with tools such as Agent Ransack or similar on Windows, or the
grep -rcommand on Linux and Mac. - Any .lua file used by the default assets or other modders.
