metabuilder/old/LUA_INTEGRATION.md

Lua Scripting Integration

MetaBuilder now includes a real Lua interpreter powered by Fengari, allowing you to write and execute custom Lua scripts directly in the browser.

Features

✅ Real Lua Execution - Full Lua 5.3 interpreter running in the browser
✅ Context API - Access data, user info, and key-value storage from Lua
✅ Parameter System - Define typed parameters for your scripts
✅ Live Testing - Test scripts with sample data and see immediate results
✅ Workflow Integration - Use Lua scripts as nodes in visual workflows
✅ Execution Logs - Comprehensive logging with log() and print()
✅ Error Handling - Clear syntax and runtime error messages

Context API

Every Lua script has access to a context table with the following properties:

context.data

Input data passed to the script. When used in workflows, this is the output from the previous node. When testing, this contains your parameter values.

local input = context.data or {}
log("Processing: " .. input.name)

context.user

Information about the current user:

if context.user.role == "admin" then
  log("Admin access granted")
end

Properties:

• username - User's username
• role - User role (user, admin, god)
• email - User email (if available)

context.kv

Key-value storage interface (future feature):

-- Future: Access to persistent storage
-- local value = context.kv.get("my-key")
-- context.kv.set("my-key", value)

Built-in Functions

log(...)

Log messages that appear in the execution results:

log("Starting process")
log("Value:", 42)
log("Multiple", "arguments", "supported")

print(...)

Alias for log(), works the same way:

print("Hello from Lua!")

Return Values

Scripts can return any Lua value. Tables are automatically converted to JavaScript objects/arrays:

-- Return a table
return {
  success = true,
  message = "Process complete",
  count = 42
}

-- Return multiple values
return "result", 123, true

-- Return nil
return nil

Script Examples

Basic Hello World

log("Hello from Lua!")
return { message = "Success", timestamp = os.time() }

Data Validation

local data = context.data or {}

if not data.email then
  return { valid = false, error = "Email is required" }
end

if not string.match(data.email, "@") then
  return { valid = false, error = "Invalid email format" }
end

return { valid = true }

Data Transformation

local input = context.data or {}

local output = {
  fullName = (input.firstName or "") .. " " .. (input.lastName or ""),
  displayAge = tostring(input.age or 0) .. " years old",
  status = input.isActive and "Active" or "Inactive"
}

return output

Array Processing

local data = context.data or {}
local numbers = data.numbers or {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

local sum = 0
local max = numbers[1] or 0

for i, num in ipairs(numbers) do
  sum = sum + num
  if num > max then max = num end
end

return {
  sum = sum,
  average = sum / #numbers,
  max = max
}

Conditional Logic

local data = context.data or {}

if data.score and data.score >= 80 then
  return { 
    approved = true, 
    reason = "Score requirement met"
  }
end

return { 
  approved = false, 
  reason = "Requirements not satisfied"
}

Using Scripts in Workflows

1. Create a Script - Go to the Lua Scripts tab and create a new script
2. Define Parameters - Add parameters your script needs (optional)
3. Write Code - Access parameters via context.data
4. Test - Use the test panel to verify your script works
5. Use in Workflows - Add a "Lua" node to any workflow and select your script

Workflow Integration Example

-- This script filters items based on a threshold
local input = context.data or {}
local threshold = 10

local filtered = {}
if input.items then
  for i, item in ipairs(input.items) do
    if item.value > threshold then
      table.insert(filtered, item)
    end
  end
end

log("Filtered " .. #filtered .. " items")
return { items = filtered, count = #filtered }

Best Practices

✅ Do

• Use local for all variables to avoid global namespace pollution
• Check for nil values before using them
• Use log() to debug and provide execution feedback
• Return structured tables with clear property names
• Handle edge cases (empty arrays, missing properties)

❌ Don't

• Rely on global variables (use local)
• Create infinite loops (workflows have execution limits)
• Assume data structure - always validate input
• Use blocking operations (not applicable in browser Lua)

Lua Language Support

Fengari supports Lua 5.3 with the following features:

✅ Supported:

• All standard Lua syntax
• Tables (arrays and dictionaries)
• String manipulation (string.*)
• Math operations (math.*)
• Table operations (table.*)
• Control flow (if, for, while, etc.)
• Functions and closures
• Metatables and metamethods
• Coroutines

❌ Not Supported:

• File I/O operations (io.*)
• OS operations that don't make sense in browser
• Loading external Lua modules
• C extensions

Type Conversions

Lua → JavaScript

• nil → null
• boolean → boolean
• number → number
• string → string
• table (array-like) → Array
• table (object-like) → Object
• function → not converted

JavaScript → Lua

• null/undefined → nil
• boolean → boolean
• number → number
• string → string
• Array → table (1-indexed)
• Object → table
• Function → not converted

Troubleshooting

Syntax Errors

Check the error message for line numbers and details. Common issues:

• Missing end keywords
• Incorrect use of = vs ==
• Forgetting local keyword

Runtime Errors

• "attempt to index a nil value" - Trying to access property of nil/undefined
• "attempt to call a nil value" - Function doesn't exist
• "attempt to perform arithmetic on a nil value" - Math operation on nil

Type Mismatches

Remember Lua is 1-indexed for arrays while JavaScript is 0-indexed. The conversion handles this automatically.

Performance Notes

• Scripts execute in the browser's main thread
• Large loops may block the UI temporarily
• Keep workflows reasonably sized (< 1000 operations)
• Complex calculations are fine, but avoid infinite loops

Security

• Scripts run in a sandboxed Lua VM
• No access to browser APIs directly
• No file system access
• No network access
• Cannot break out of the sandbox

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For more Lua language documentation, see the official Lua manual.