Lil help with lua please

[voltage]

The following is unfinished due to a couple snags ive come across.
I'm trying to figure out the exact syntax for posting my variables to the text box (when i run this no text shows at all). And I also would like to know what type of value string.find returns... is it just true/false? Any help would be good... I learn from example best and not so well from the documentation ; ; Ive tried.

-- volt 12/14/05
s=true
box1=Graphics.primitive_CreateObject()
Graphics.primitive_SetColor(200,100,220,255,box1)
Graphics.primitive_SetPosition(300,400,box1)
Graphics.primitive_SetSize(200,100,box1)
Graphics.primitive_SetVisibility(1,box1)

txt=Graphics.text_CreateObject()
Graphics.text_SetColor(255,220,125,125,txt)
Graphics.text_SetPosition(300,400,txt)
Graphics.text_SetFont("Arial",10,txt)
Graphics.text_SetVisibility(1,txt)


while s==true do
newlinenum=FFXI.chat_GetNewestLineNumber()
newline=FFXI.chat_GetLine(newlinenum)
linetype=FFXI.chat_GetLineType(newlinenum)
end
if linetype==81 then-- Linetype 81 denotes a skillup line.
p1=string.find(newline,"Skill rises .1")
p2=string.find(newline,"Skill rises .2")
p3=string.find(newline,"Skill rises .3")
p4=string.find(newline,"Skill rises .4")
p5=string.find(newline,"Skill rises .5")
--
alchemy=string.find(newline,"Alchemy")
leather=string.find(newline,"Leatherworking")
gold=string.find(newline,"Goldsmithing")
cloth=string.find(newline,"Clothcraft")
smithing=string.find(newline,"Smithing")
wood=string.find(newline,"Woodworking")
bone=string.find(newline,"Boneworking")
fishing=string.find(newline,"Fishing")
cooking=string.find(newline,"Cooking")
end
--
while s==true do
Output=string.format("P1- %p1/nP2- %p2/nP3- %p3")
--set TextDisplay
Graphics.text_SetText(Output,txt)
end

[X-Drop]

Sup Voltage, lemme see if I can help.


Ok man, first thing we need to look at is your while loops. Normally if you want a loop to run indefinitely, you can just phrase the loop like this:

while true do
block
end



There really isn't a need to set the variable s to equal 0. Next we need to consider where your script is getting stuck at. If you look at your first loop, you will see that the script will only run those first 3 statements before begining the loop again.
while s==true do
newlinenum=FFXI.chat_GetNewestLineNumber()
newline=FFXI.chat_GetLine(newlinenum)
linetype=FFXI.chat_GetLineType(newlinenum)
end
Ok, so just move the end to the bottom of your script. Your also gonna want to remove that other while loop you have near the bottom. That one is redundant. You also have an end in the middle of your script for no reason. Lose that too.



Now as for your variables p1, p2, p3, etc...
p1=string.find(newline,"Skill rises .1")
p2=string.find(newline,"Skill rises .2")
p3=string.find(newline,"Skill rises .3")
p4=string.find(newline,"Skill rises .4")
p5=string.find(newline,"Skill rises .5")
I don't even know if mixing numbers and letters together to make a variable works. Hell, I just started scripting 2 weeks ago. I guess if it works, keep it. Something else to consider, make sure the phase "Skill rises .1" is the exact same wording as in the game. Now to answer your question about string.find, this argument will return two numbers. The 2 numbers are the first and last character of the string as its found in a larger string.

newline="Voltage's skill rises 0.1 points."

i,j=string.find(newline,"skill rises 0.1")

The variables will return as i=11 and j=25. Just count the characters on any given line.



So when you look at your next block,
alchemy=string.find(newline,"Alchemy")
leather=string.find(newline,"Leatherworking")
gold=string.find(newline,"Goldsmithing")
cloth=string.find(newline,"Clothcraft")
smithing=string.find(newline,"Smithing")
wood=string.find(newline,"Woodworking")
bone=string.find(newline,"Boneworking")
fishing=string.find(newline,"Fishing")
cooking=string.find(newline,"Cooking")
The only thing that these variables are gonna return is a number representing the first character in each phrase. These are good to know, but you may need to decide why you want those numbers in the first place. Also worth noting, if string.find does not find the pattern in your newline, the variables alchemy, leather, gold, ect... are all gonna return as nil. You can use that to your advantage as well.



Lastly, your string.format. The correct syntax for string.format is,

> string.format("text text %s %i %q text text",string,integer,quotes)

%s, %i, %q are all variables. After you place them in the "text", you need to call them in their order.



Alright then Voltage, I learn by example as well. I find studing other stripts to be the most rewarding time spent. However, you will need to study all the free documentation of the Lua language. I just touched up on some of the issues here, but looking closly at some of those docs can be a real eye opener.

[voltage]

Thanks very much! And I'm also in the midst of sorting through the lua.org docs as well as the Lunar docs while im at work ;D