Public variables with composer vs. storyboard - question

Getting Started Newbie Questions
#1

Hello,

When using storyboard I could define a public variable at the beginning of the app like storyboard.variable1 = ‘abc’. Now I read I can pass a table with custom variables in it. Is there still any way to do it like storyboard? I only need to have 3 or 4 variables but I hate to pass a table each time.

Thanks,

Warren

#2

Hi Warren,

Do you mean, what is the equal method in Composer? If so, that would be the “setVariable()” function (and the corresponding “getVariable()” function):

http://docs.coronalabs.com/daily/api/library/composer/setVariable.html

http://docs.coronalabs.com/daily/api/library/composer/getVariable.html

Hope this helps,

Brent

#3

The problem with doing:  storyboard.myVariable = 10 is that it’s not safe.  We could come along and decide we want to have a member named .myVariable and then your app would break.  You have to protect your member’s by name spacing the variable names.   We at one point suggested using a table named “state” (storyboard.state.myVariable) with the assumption we would never use state.  But again, this isn’t a best practice because we could again start using it.  Composer adds a setVariable and getVariable method to provide you a safe way of doing this.

Regardless, it’s probably not as clean to do this when we gave  you a data module method in the Goodbye Globals tutorial that does the same thing in a more semantic way.

Now Storyboard provided the ability to pass parameters in a table between scenes and Composer carries that concept on as well.

storyboard.gotoScene( “mygame”,  { effect = “crossFade”, time = 250, params = { someVar = “SomeData”, someOtherVar = “someOtherData” } } )

Rob

#4

Thanks for the answers. I did not know about the get and setVariable functions and that will work just fine. The table as a parameter is good also but I like the functions best.

I am switching from the storyboard to the composer and like it better. For some reason it took me a while to understand what happens in each event in these but your tutorials on here helped.

Thanks!

Warren

#5

Hi Warren,

Do you mean, what is the equal method in Composer? If so, that would be the “setVariable()” function (and the corresponding “getVariable()” function):

http://docs.coronalabs.com/daily/api/library/composer/setVariable.html

http://docs.coronalabs.com/daily/api/library/composer/getVariable.html

Hope this helps,

Brent

#6

The problem with doing:  storyboard.myVariable = 10 is that it’s not safe.  We could come along and decide we want to have a member named .myVariable and then your app would break.  You have to protect your member’s by name spacing the variable names.   We at one point suggested using a table named “state” (storyboard.state.myVariable) with the assumption we would never use state.  But again, this isn’t a best practice because we could again start using it.  Composer adds a setVariable and getVariable method to provide you a safe way of doing this.

Regardless, it’s probably not as clean to do this when we gave  you a data module method in the Goodbye Globals tutorial that does the same thing in a more semantic way.

Now Storyboard provided the ability to pass parameters in a table between scenes and Composer carries that concept on as well.

storyboard.gotoScene( “mygame”,  { effect = “crossFade”, time = 250, params = { someVar = “SomeData”, someOtherVar = “someOtherData” } } )

Rob

#7

Thanks for the answers. I did not know about the get and setVariable functions and that will work just fine. The table as a parameter is good also but I like the functions best.

I am switching from the storyboard to the composer and like it better. For some reason it took me a while to understand what happens in each event in these but your tutorials on here helped.

Thanks!

Warren