Variables
Variables
> Tutorial
Variables are a fundamental point in all programming languages. They are locations for storing values in memory in order to reuse them.
Variables can contain several types of values:
- Number:
12,5.59 - Character string:
"hello" - Boolean (true or false):
true,false - List, Table (we will come back to this a little later)
null: the absence of a value
Declare a variable
To use a variable, it must be declared beforehand. This declaration is made using the var keyword as follows:
It is also possible to assign a value to your variable in the following way:
Use a variable
To use the value stored in a variable, we simply write its name:
In this first AI, we declare on line 5 the variable enemy, which we initialize with the value getNearestEnemy(), which corresponds to the nearest enemy.
We then use this enemy variable on lines 8* and *11 by supplying its value to the moveToward and useWeapon functions.
Global Variables
The variables declared with the var keyword have a lifespan of the turn of your leek, there is a second type of variable which retains their value during the entire duration of the fight: global variables. To declare a global variable, just use the global keyword instead of var:
Variables and global variables can be used in the same way in the code, in the rest of the tutorial we will mainly use normal variables (sometimes called local).
❓ Quiz
What is a variable?
A value that changes often A place to store a value
What code is used to declare a foo variable?
var foo = 12 var foo foo variable foo