[HELP] Lua scripting help (variable value get's updated every time variable is called)

szimre · 2018-07-23T14:58:53.925Z

Hello!
I’m fairly new to Lua scripting (I work with other languages). When the following script runs, the second time I print the value of new_instance_data it is updated with the actual value of SRP_instance.instances[instance], even though I have not defined it again. I remember this kind of memory magic with Java when I was in school, but as I work with other languages I don’t know how to stop this behavior, and I would need to use the original value of new_instance_data after adding a source to it. How can I define new_instance_data in a way that it keeps it’s value? I would like to copy a variable instead of making an alias for it.

        new_instance_data = SRP_instance.instances[instance]
        print('New instance data 1: '..tostring(json.encode(new_instance_data)))
        SRP_instance.join_instance(source, new_instance) --adds source to SRP_instance.instances[new_instance]
        print('New instance data 2: '..tostring(json.encode(new_instance_data)))

szimre · 2018-07-23T15:19:34.720Z

Answer:

The big thing at hand here is that Lua the variables “containing” a table in fact only contain a reference to a table. Copying variables containing tables does only copy the reference to that table, and thus represent the same table […]
by jpjacobs on StackOverflow

Apparently standard lua does not contain solutions to copy a table, I shall work around the issue with other checks. Read more: lua-users wiki: Copy Table
(If FiveM containts a solution please reply for future reference)