User:SuzannaLinn Resident/LuaHistory

Introducing Lua: The New Scripting Language for SL.

In these pages, I am compiling information about Lua and LuaSL to give you an overview of their features and functionalities.

I have opened a topic in the community forums: Expecting Lua. If you have any additional information, questions, comments, opinions or anything else related to Lua in SL that comes to mind, please share them! :)

I will begin a series of in-world classes on LuaSL as soon as it becomes available in the Beta Grid. These classes will be oriented to scripters who primarily use LSL, and they will cover not only Lua but also introduce new programming concepts that are currently absent in LSL.

Once Lua is launched on the Main Grid, I will repeat the same series of classes, allowing you to choose the moment to start your learning journey.

For advanced scripters who have a solid understanding of other programming languages and don't require detailed classes, I will host script meetings and Q&A sessions, to exchange ideas and ask questions.

If LSL is your main scripting language and you want to expand your programming skills beyond SL, learning Lua is a great next step. Lua introduces powerful features and modern programming concepts that will broaden your knowledge and make it easier to transition to modern, in-demand languages like C#, Python, and JavaScript.

Lua index

• History
  • What is Lua?
  • Why Lua?
  • Which Lua?

• The language: Lua compared to LSL
  • Types and variables
  • Operators
  • If, while, for, repeat
  • Functions, ll functions
  • Tables as lists
  • Tables as (key, value) pairs (like the linkset data)
  • Tables of functions instead of if...elseif chain
  • Events and states

• The language: Lua beyond LSL
  • Tables as lists of lists
  • Functions, parameters and returns
  • Functions, anonymous functions
  • Sorting dictionary tables
  • Closures
  • For and iterators
  • Metatables and metamethods
  • Objects
  • Objects and encapsulation
  • Objects and inheritance
  • Objects and inheritance with functions override
  • Objects and abstract classes
  • Objects and multiple inheritance
  • Error handling
  • Libraries
  • Modules and packages
  • Debugging
  • Co-routines

• Future
  • When will Lua be available?
  • Will LSL scripts benefit from being compiled to Luau?
  • Will Lua scripts have more memory?
  • Will LSL continue to exist?
  • Will LSL receive updates with new functions?
  • Will there be any way to use the functions not added in LSL?
  • Will there be a translator or transpiler to convert LSL source code into Lua source code?
  • Will we have to move to Lua?
  • Should we stop learning LSL and wait for Lua?
  • Will LuaSL be updated to the new versions of Luau?
  • Will LSL scripts compiled in Mono be automatically recompiled to Luau?
  • Will there be an option to choose between compiling to Luau or to Mono?

• Links
  • Standard Lua
  • Luau
  • Others