Tables — boxes that hold many things

So far every box holds one thing. But a game is full of lists: the players in the server, the items in a shop, the enemies on a wave. Luau's answer is the table — one box that holds many things.

#Making a table

Curly braces make an empty table, or one with values already inside:

local empty = {}
local powerups = { "double", "shield", "speed" }

Each value sits in a numbered slot, starting at 1. To read one, use square brackets:

print(powerups[1])  --> double
print(powerups[2])  --> shield
print(powerups[3])  --> speed

#Adding and counting

A table can grow after you make it:

local powerups = { "double" }

table.insert(powerups, "shield")
table.insert(powerups, "speed")

print(#powerups)  --> 3  (# is "how many slots")

table.insert appends a new value to the end. The # operator answers "how many things are in this table?" — you'll use it constantly.

-- build your inventory

#Walking through a table: ipairs

When you need to look at every slot, loop with ipairs:

for index, value in ipairs(powerups) do
    print(index .. ": " .. value)
end

Each trip through the loop gives you the slot number and its value. This is how you give every player a reward, check every enemy, or count every item.

local coins = { 5, 10, 15 }

local total = 0
for _, amount in ipairs(coins) do
    total = total + amount
end
print(total)  --> 30

The underscore _ just means "I don't need the index." This pattern — start a total, add every value, print the total — is the sum pattern you'll reuse forever.

local words = { "one", "two" }
for i, w in ipairs(words) do
    print(i .. ": " .. w)
end

#Common mistakes

• Starting at 0. Luau tables start at 1. fruits[0] is nothing.
• Forgetting ipairs needs a table. for i, v in ipairs(singleValue) errors — ipairs walks a table.
• Trying to read a slot that isn't there. powerups[99] gives nil, not an error. Check with # first.

Next: pausing and scheduling with task.