Tables (Arrays and Maps)

Code

-- Array (1-indexed!)
local fruits = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
print(fruits[1])  -- "apple" (not fruits[0])
print(#fruits)    -- 3 (length)

-- Map / dictionary
local person = {name = "Alice", age = 30, city = "NYC"}
print(person.name)       -- "Alice"
print(person["age"])     -- 30

-- Mixed
local mixed = {10, 20, 30, name = "Bob", [100] = "indexed"}
print(mixed[1])          -- 10
print(mixed.name)        -- "Bob"
print(mixed[100])        -- "indexed"

-- Iterate array
for i, v in ipairs(fruits) do
  print(i, v)
end

-- Iterate map (no order guarantee)
for k, v in pairs(person) do
  print(k, v)
end

-- Insert / remove
table.insert(fruits, "date")
table.remove(fruits, 1)  -- removes "apple"

Explanation

Tables are Lua's universal data structure — arrays, maps, objects, and modules all use tables. Arrays are 1-indexed (a common gotcha for newcomers). # returns array length but is undefined for sparse arrays. ipairs iterates array part in order; pairs iterates all keys (unordered). Use [n] for non-identifier keys.

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