Lua and C# Comparison
Introduction
Highrise Studio uses Lua as its scripting language, which is different from C# used in Unity. While both languages share similarities, they have distinct features and syntax that set them apart.
Line Endings
You may have noticed that Lua uses semicolons (;) to separate statements, while C# uses semicolons at the end of each statement. In Lua, semicolons are optional, and line breaks are used to separate statements.
-- Lua
local message = "Hello, world!" --> No semicolon needed
print(message); --> Semicolon is optional
// C#
string message = "Hello, world!"; // Semicolon is required
Console.WriteLine(message); // Semicolon is required
Comments
Both Lua and C# support single-line and multi-line comments. In Lua, single-line comments start with --, while multi-line comments are enclosed in --[[ and ]]. In C#, single-line comments begin with //, and multi-line comments are enclosed in /* and */.
Comments In Lua
-- This is a single-line comment
--[[
Block comment
--]]
Comments In C#
// This is a single-line comment
/*
Block comment
*/
Reserved Keywords
The following table compares some common reserved keywords in Lua and C#:
| Lua | C# |
|---|---|
and | && |
break | break |
do | do |
else | else |
elseif | else if |
if | if |
then | |
end | } |
for | for or foreach |
function | function |
in | in |
local | var (in most cases) |
nil | null |
not | ! |
or | ` |
repeat | do while |
return | return |
until | } (end of do while loop in C#) |
while | while |
Data Types
Strings
Strings In Lua
-- Multi-line string
local message = [[
Hello, world!
]]
-- Concatenation
local name = "Alice"
local greeting = "Hello, " .. name .. "!"
local message = string.format("Hello, %s!", name)
*Strings In C#
// Multi-line string
string message = @"
Hello, world!
";
// Concatenation
string name = "Alice";
string greeting = "Hello, " + name + "!";
string message = string.Format("Hello, {0}!", name);
Tables (Arrays)
Tables In Lua
-- Creating a table
local fruits = {"apple", "banana", "orange"}
-- Accessing elements
print(fruits[1]) --> apple
-- Iterating over elements
for i, fruit in ipairs(fruits) do
print(fruit)
end
Arrays In C#
// Creating an array
string[] fruits = {"apple", "banana", "orange"};
// Accessing elements
Console.WriteLine(fruits[0]); // apple
// Iterating over elements
foreach (string fruit in fruits)
{
Console.WriteLine(fruit);
}
Operators
Conditional Operators
In this table, we compare conditional operators in Lua and C#:
| Operator | Lua | C# |
|---|---|---|
| Equal to | == | == |
| Not equal to | ~= | != |
| Less than | < | < |
| Less than or equal to | <= | <= |
| Greater than | > | > |
| Greater than or equal to | >= | >= |
| Logical AND | and | && |
| Logical OR | or | ` |
| Logical NOT | not | ! |
Arithmetic Operators
In this table, we compare arithmetic operators in Lua and C#:
| Operator | Lua | C# |
|---|---|---|
| Addition | + | + |
| Subtraction | - | - |
| Multiplication | * | * |
| Division | / | / |
| Modulus | % | % |
| Exponentiation | ^ | ** |
Variables
Variables In Lua In Lua, variables don't specify a data type and are dynamically typed. You can assign any value to a variable without declaring its type explicitly.
-- Declaring variables
local health = 100 -- Integer
local name = "Alice" -- String
-- "Public" declaration
playerName = "Bob"
-- "Private" declaration
local score = 0
Variables In C#
In C#, variables must specify a data type and are statically typed. You need to declare the type of a variable before assigning a value to it.
// Declaring variables
int health = 100; // Integer
string name = "Alice"; // String
// "Public" declaration
public string playerName = "Bob";
// "Private" declaration
private int score = 0;
Conditional Statements
Conditional Statements In Lua
-- One Condition
if health < 25 then
print("Low health! Take cover!")
end
-- Multiple Conditions
if health < 25 then
print("Low health! Take cover!")
elseif health < 50 then
print("Health is moderate. Be cautious!")
else
print("Health is good. Keep fighting!")
end
Conditional Statements In C#
// One Condition
if (health < 25)
{
Console.WriteLine("Low health! Take cover!");
}
// Multiple Conditions
if (health < 25)
{
Console.WriteLine("Low health! Take cover!");
}
else if (health < 50)
{
Console.WriteLine("Health is moderate. Be cautious!");
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine("Health is good. Keep fighting!");
}
Loops
While and Repeat Loops
While Loop In Lua
local countdown = 5
while countdown > 0 do
print(countdown)
countdown = countdown - 1
end
-- Repeat Loop
repeat
print(countdown)
countdown = countdown - 1
until countdown == 0
While Loop In C#
int countdown = 5;
while (countdown > 0)
{
Console.WriteLine(countdown);
countdown--;
}
// No direct equivalent to repeat loop in C#
do
{
Console.WriteLine(countdown);
countdown--;
} while (countdown > 0);
Functions
Generic Functions
Functions In Lua
function greetPlayer(playerName)
print("Hello, " .. playerName .. "!")
end
greetPlayer("Alice")
Functions In C#
void GreetPlayer(string playerName)
{
Console.WriteLine("Hello, " + playerName + "!");
}
GreetPlayer("Alice");
Variable Arguments Number
Variable Arguments In Lua
function addNumbers(...)
local sum = 0
for i, num in ipairs{...} do
sum = sum + num
end
return sum
end
local total = addNumbers(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
print(total) --> 15
Variable Arguments In C#
int AddNumbers(params int[] numbers)
{
int sum = 0;
foreach (int num in numbers)
{
sum += num;
}
return sum;
}
int total = AddNumbers(1, 2, 3, 4, 5);
Console.WriteLine(total); // 15
Named Arguments
Named Arguments In Lua
function greetPlayer(playerName, message)
print(message .. ", " .. playerName .. "!")
end
greetPlayer{playerName = "Alice", message = "Hello"}
Named Arguments In C#
void GreetPlayer(string playerName, string message)
{
Console.WriteLine(message + ", " + playerName + "!");
}
GreetPlayer(playerName: "Alice", message: "Hello");
Try-Catch Blocks
Try-Catch In Lua
local status, result = pcall(function()
-- Code that may throw an error
end)
if not status then
print("An error occurred: " .. result)
end
Try-Catch In C#
try
{
// Code that may throw an error
}
catch (Exception e)
{
Console.WriteLine("An error occurred: " + e.Message);
}
Conclusion
While Lua and C# share some similarities, they have distinct features and syntax that set them apart. Understanding these differences will help you transition between the two languages more effectively and write cleaner, more efficient code in Highrise Studio.
Updated 7 months ago
