Declare user input from Native text field as a variable? Please help

Hi Everyone,

Sorry If this topic has been covered before…

How do I declare a variable from a user input?

For example with the code below, if the user enters the value of 5 in the text field how do I store it as a variable to be used in a math function?

Forgive me if none of this make sense, I’m very new in this field.

[lua]local function handlerFunction( event )

if ( event.phase == “began” ) then
– user begins editing numericField
print( event.text )
end
end

local numericField = native.newTextField( 150, 150, 220, 36 )
numericField.inputType = “number”

numericField:addEventListener( “userInput”, handlerFunction )[/lua]