c++ - Lua C API: Retrieve values from Lua function returning a table in C code -

despite searching hard, couldn't find valid lua c api example calling lua function returning table. i'm new lua , lua c api, don't assume much. can read , have understood principle of loading lua module c , passing values via stack , calling lua code c. did not find example of how handle table return value.

what want call lua function sets values in table (strings, ints, ) , want these values in c code called function.

so lua function like:

function f()   t = {}   t["foo"] = "hello"   t["bar"] = 123   return t end 

(i hope valid lua code)

could please provide example c code of how call , retrieve table contents in c.

lua keeps stack separate c stack.

when call lua function, returns results value on lua stack.

in case of function, returns 1 value, calling function return table t on top of lua stack.

you can call function with

lua_getglobal(l, "f"); lua_call(l, 0, 1);     // no arguments, 1 result 

use lua_gettable read values table. example

lua_pushstring(l, "bar");  // top of lua stack string "bar"                            // 1 below top of stack table t lua_gettable(l, -2);       // second element top of stack table;                            // top of stack replaced t["bar"] x = lua_tointeger(l,-1);   // convert value on top of stack c integer                            // x should 123 per function lua_pop(l, 1);             // remove value stack 

at point table t still on lua stack, can continue read more values table.