How to add collision event listener to a text table (values)

[patriciaflink]

Hello everyone,

is there any way to add an event listener (collision) to a table?

Here my code so far: 

--table 2 local wordTable2 = {"Air","Breath" } local word = {} for i,v in ipairs (wordTable2) do word[i] = display.newText (wordGroup, v, 250, 200, robotoFont, 25) word[i]:setFillColor( 1, 0, 0 ) physics.addBody(word[i], "dynamic",{density=1, friction =.3}) physics.setGravity( 1, 10 ) wordTable2.name = "word2" word[i].isVisible = false print( k,v) end word[currentWord].isVisible = true local function wordCollision ( self,event) if event.phase == "began" then for i,v in ipairs (#wordTable2) do             if (self == wordTable2[i] and other == player) then                 display.remove (wordTable2[i]) wordTable2[i] = nil score = score +1 updateText()             end end end end wordTable2.collision = wordCollision wordTable2:addEventListener("collision", wordTable2)

the attempt to call event listener is a nil value

any help is appreciated,

tks in advanced

Patricia

[XeduR]

It’s not possible. A table is just an array of data. You can only add collision listeners to physics objects.

What is it that you are trying to accomplish?

[patriciaflink]

tks for the quick answer!

well, the values in that array are physical (even if just text). I managed collision with text outside an array. I just can’t manage collision within the value of an array. 

If “text” with physical attributes drops down the screen the player can catch it (collision). but if it is table {text, text, text} with each value having the same physical attributes, it gives me an error.

So, where do I add the listener to?

[XeduR]

Ah, I see!

You are going about this a bit more difficult than it needs to be.
 

local wordCollision -- adding a forward declaration for the function here local wordTable2 = {"Air","Breath" } local word = {} -- no need to use ipairs for i = 1, #wordTable2 do word[i] = display.newText (wordGroup, wordTable2[i], 250, 200, robotoFont, 25) word[i]:setFillColor( 1, 0, 0 ) physics.addBody(word[i], "dynamic",{density=1, friction =.3}) physics.setGravity( 1, 10 ) wordTable2.name = "word2" -- what's the purpose of this line? It doesn't really do anything word[i].isVisible = false -- add the collision listeners to each individual word word[i].collision = wordCollision word[i]:addEventListener("collision", word[i]) end

Now, since you will be creating the objects before the functions, you need to forward declare the function. This means that when you later write the contents of the function, you need to skip the local part in front of it.

Still, the fact is that you cannot add a collision listener to a text table. Only physical objects can collide. In other words, you can use the contents of a table in creating words and give the text objects bodies which will collide, but you cannot make an array collide. These text objects can, of course, be in a table, but then you have a table of display objects, not a table of strings.

[yvandotet]

local function wordCollision ( self,event) if event.phase == “began” then for i,v in ipairs (wordTable2) do <–not with #             if (self == wordTable2[i] and event.other == player) then <–don’t forgot event.other ; player = ?                 display.remove (wordTable2[i]) wordTable2[i] = nil score = score +1 updateText()             end end end end wordTable2.collision = wordCollision wordTable2:addEventListener(“collision”, wordTable2)

little correction in the ipairs fonction argument & event.other.

[patriciaflink]

thank you both for your replies!

sadly, it is still not working…

this is the code now:

local wordCollision local wordTable2 = {"Air","Breath" } local word = {} for i = 1, #wordTable2 do word[i] = display.newText (wordGroup, wordTable2[i], 250, 200, robotoFont, 25) word[i]:setFillColor( 1, 0, 0 ) physics.addBody(word[i], "dynamic",{density=1, friction =.3}) physics.setGravity( 1, 10 ) word[i].isVisible = false -- add the collision listeners to each individual word word[i].collision = wordCollision word[i]:addEventListener("collision", word[i]) end word[currentWord].isVisible = true local function wordCollision ( self, event) if event.phase == "began" then             for i = 1, #wordTable2 do                  display.remove (word[i])                 word[i] = nil                 score = score +1                 updateText()             end end      end

@ivandotet: I tried that before, but it wouldn’t add the event listener

[XeduR]

I told you to skip the local from in front of the function when you later define it.

Just write:
 

function wordCollision ( self, event)

The forward declaration is like you tell your code that “this thing will mean something later on, trust me” and so your game won’t crash when you add the listeners that refer to it. This means that when you later define the “function wordCollision”, then the code understands that “Alright, this is what she meant!”, but if you instead write “local function wordCollision”, then you rewrite wordCollision instead of defining it and so the collision listener won’t have anything to do.

Also, if you have a “for i = 1, #wordTable2 do” loop inside your collision function, then any collision will wipe out all of the entries in table word.

[davebollinger]

as per Xedur@Spyric, you just have a scope issue.  either follow his directions to “forward declare / backward define”, OR simply move the entire declare/define of the wordCollision() function as currently written to BEFORE the loop where it is referenced and assigned to your text objects.

[patriciaflink]

knowing how to read is an advantage - which I obviously lack of :(  sorry about that one.

thank you so much again for your help and patience, I will keep on trying.

[patriciaflink]

@Davebollinger thank you for your answer.

I am new to lua/ corona sdk or programming perse, so I am still learning and trying to get through a logic which is by naturestrange to me.

I can imagine that for you guys answering silly newbie questions again and again is boring and nerve racking. Hence why I only post questions, if I can’t find anything about on the forums or the net. 

I also appreciate any answer  given (and the time implied) tremendously and am very sorry if at times it takes more than one answer from you guys for me to grasp the issue at hand.

cheers

Patricia

[XeduR]

It’s not possible. A table is just an array of data. You can only add collision listeners to physics objects.

What is it that you are trying to accomplish?

[patriciaflink]

tks for the quick answer!

well, the values in that array are physical (even if just text). I managed collision with text outside an array. I just can’t manage collision within the value of an array. 

If “text” with physical attributes drops down the screen the player can catch it (collision). but if it is table {text, text, text} with each value having the same physical attributes, it gives me an error.

So, where do I add the listener to?

[XeduR]

Ah, I see!

You are going about this a bit more difficult than it needs to be.
 

local wordCollision -- adding a forward declaration for the function here local wordTable2 = {"Air","Breath" } local word = {} -- no need to use ipairs for i = 1, #wordTable2 do word[i] = display.newText (wordGroup, wordTable2[i], 250, 200, robotoFont, 25) word[i]:setFillColor( 1, 0, 0 ) physics.addBody(word[i], "dynamic",{density=1, friction =.3}) physics.setGravity( 1, 10 ) wordTable2.name = "word2" -- what's the purpose of this line? It doesn't really do anything word[i].isVisible = false -- add the collision listeners to each individual word word[i].collision = wordCollision word[i]:addEventListener("collision", word[i]) end

Now, since you will be creating the objects before the functions, you need to forward declare the function. This means that when you later write the contents of the function, you need to skip the local part in front of it.

Still, the fact is that you cannot add a collision listener to a text table. Only physical objects can collide. In other words, you can use the contents of a table in creating words and give the text objects bodies which will collide, but you cannot make an array collide. These text objects can, of course, be in a table, but then you have a table of display objects, not a table of strings.

[yvandotet]

local function wordCollision ( self,event) if event.phase == “began” then for i,v in ipairs (wordTable2) do <–not with #             if (self == wordTable2[i] and event.other == player) then <–don’t forgot event.other ; player = ?                 display.remove (wordTable2[i]) wordTable2[i] = nil score = score +1 updateText()             end end end end wordTable2.collision = wordCollision wordTable2:addEventListener(“collision”, wordTable2)

little correction in the ipairs fonction argument & event.other.

[patriciaflink]

thank you both for your replies!

sadly, it is still not working…

this is the code now:

local wordCollision local wordTable2 = {"Air","Breath" } local word = {} for i = 1, #wordTable2 do word[i] = display.newText (wordGroup, wordTable2[i], 250, 200, robotoFont, 25) word[i]:setFillColor( 1, 0, 0 ) physics.addBody(word[i], "dynamic",{density=1, friction =.3}) physics.setGravity( 1, 10 ) word[i].isVisible = false -- add the collision listeners to each individual word word[i].collision = wordCollision word[i]:addEventListener("collision", word[i]) end word[currentWord].isVisible = true local function wordCollision ( self, event) if event.phase == "began" then             for i = 1, #wordTable2 do                  display.remove (word[i])                 word[i] = nil                 score = score +1                 updateText()             end end      end

@ivandotet: I tried that before, but it wouldn’t add the event listener

[XeduR]

I told you to skip the local from in front of the function when you later define it.

Just write:
 

function wordCollision ( self, event)

The forward declaration is like you tell your code that “this thing will mean something later on, trust me” and so your game won’t crash when you add the listeners that refer to it. This means that when you later define the “function wordCollision”, then the code understands that “Alright, this is what she meant!”, but if you instead write “local function wordCollision”, then you rewrite wordCollision instead of defining it and so the collision listener won’t have anything to do.

Also, if you have a “for i = 1, #wordTable2 do” loop inside your collision function, then any collision will wipe out all of the entries in table word.

[davebollinger]

as per Xedur@Spyric, you just have a scope issue.  either follow his directions to “forward declare / backward define”, OR simply move the entire declare/define of the wordCollision() function as currently written to BEFORE the loop where it is referenced and assigned to your text objects.

[patriciaflink]

knowing how to read is an advantage - which I obviously lack of :(  sorry about that one.

thank you so much again for your help and patience, I will keep on trying.

[patriciaflink]

@Davebollinger thank you for your answer.

I am new to lua/ corona sdk or programming perse, so I am still learning and trying to get through a logic which is by naturestrange to me.

I can imagine that for you guys answering silly newbie questions again and again is boring and nerve racking. Hence why I only post questions, if I can’t find anything about on the forums or the net. 

I also appreciate any answer  given (and the time implied) tremendously and am very sorry if at times it takes more than one answer from you guys for me to grasp the issue at hand.

cheers

Patricia