Lua Scripting course?

[KrisMessyhair]

Hi all,

I am digging more into programming and I am very interested in doing some scripting for APS/Moho. I have seen a lot of the great resources that already exist for it, but I wonder if there is a more structured course on Lua scripting, ideally specifically to moho, that I can take? I've struggled with programming for years, and while I have improved the last few months, it was in other languages and my biggest knowledge gain was from taking classes with Udemy. Does anyone know of a focused Lua scripting class that I can sign up for to better my chances of making what I am thinking about? There are a lot of talented scriptors in this forum, would love to build up my understanding so I can start to contribute my ideas back to the community. Thanks for looking!


Kris

[SimplSam]

Moho is its own beast and you only need the fundamentals of LUA to get going. You will need to understand the Moho scripting eco-system more than you need to understand Lua. Lua will come naturally.

Definitely start here: https://mohoscripting.com for a great overview and reference
Then look here: https://mohoscripts.com for some great examples

Beyond that ... challenge yourself. Find something you want to create in Moho/Lua (even if it has been done already) and then work at it - ask questions - get answers - and become a Genius !!

[synthsin75]

If you have any programming knowledge, Lua is dead simple. The biggest hurdle is the Moho API. Existing scripts are the best lesson on that. Trying to teach the whole API would be a daunting task.
Feel free to ask questions, and we can point you to the relevant Moho functions, etc..

[KrisMessyhair]

Thanks guys, I definitely will be looking into other scripts. I've tried for years to understand and successfully code, but it wasn't until I actually took a class that it really made any sense to me. I can change values and variables just fine, but the class broke down what the calls did, and had small assignments to help it stick. I've looked for years for something like that for Moho scripting to truly understand how it works over poking around and unstructured experimenting. I get it though, the program is pretty niche and folks who are good at it are busy making their own tools and animating so there isn't much drive to create such a course. I would love if Lost Marble would take up the call and create a series that broke things down more, since the community creating their own tools is such a benefit to the software anyways.

I am almost finished with my other class, and I can spend a little more time focused purely on figuring it out. If you can think of any other options that go into the API deeper and really explains it please let me know! Thanks again!

Kris

[KrisMessyhair]

And Synthsin75, I will definitely ask when I have a better grasp on what I am trying to do rather than the seed of an idea. I try not to ask too many simple open ended questions in forums because it seems to anger the experts. I will put in some more time and when I think I know what I am talking about I will reach out again. Thanks


Kris

[hayasidist]

click here for a good start to the structure of a script.

There are three basic script types:

- a tool which allows a user to interact with it via a UI - e.g. mouse movements / data entry fields (this is the most common one) -- and those are what you find in the tools panel
- a button (or menu script) which does something that doesn't need mouse inputs -- and those are the ones you find in the menus
- a layerscript which is embedded in a layer via the layer properties window -- these are less commonly used but are very powerful and can be used to create procedural animations etc by working on the items in that layer (and other layers!)


try this to take a walk through the basics of LUA: https://www.lua.org/pil/contents.html (note Moho uses LUA 5.2 - not the latest version which is 5.4).

and have a quick look here: http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtop ... 46#p192929

A good starting point is with a Tool. If you want an idea for a simple challenge, just ask - if not just plough on with your own and ask when you get stuck.

Good luck!