Integrate Lua with C++: Seamlessly integrate Lua scripting to enhance application flexibility

Key Features

• Get hands-on experience by integrating Lua with C++
• Explore real-life project-ready advanced techniques for your future projects
• Learn Lua through practical coding examples and exercises
• Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook

Book Description

C++ is a popular choice in the developer community for building complex and large-scale performant applications and systems. Often a need arises to extend the system at runtime, without recompiling the whole C++ program. Using a scripting language like Lua can help achieve this goal efficiently.

Integrate Lua to C++ is a comprehensive guide to integrating Lua to C++ and will enable you to achieve the goal of extending C++ programs at runtime. You’ll learn, in sequence, how to get and compile the Lua library, the Lua programming language, calling Lua code from C++, and calling C++ code from Lua. In each topic, you’ll practice with code examples, and learn the in-depth mechanisms for smooth working. Throughout the book, the latter examples build on the earlier ones while also acting as a standalone. You’ll learn to implement Lua executor and Lua binding generator, which you can use in your projects directly with further customizations.

By the end of this book, you’ll have mastered integrating Lua into C++ and using Lua in your C++ project efficiently, gained the skills to extend your applications at runtime, and achieved dynamic and adaptable C++ development.

What you will learn

• Explore how to access and compile Lua source code
• Call Lua code from C++ for enhanced functionality
• Integrate C++ code into Lua for powerful interactions
• Deepen your understanding of Lua stack for advanced usage
• Implement a project-ready Lua executor and binding generator
• Extend C++ projects with customizable and extensible Lua scripting

Who this book is for

This book is for C++ developers seeking to seamlessly integrate Lua, learn the Lua programming language by examples, or enhance their understanding of Lua-C++ interaction. Basic knowledge of C++ is required to fully benefit from this book.

Table of Contents

1. Get and Build Lua with C++
2. Lua Fundamentals
3. How to Call Lua from C++
4. Map Lua Types to C++
5. Work with Lua Tables
6. How to Call C++ from Lua
7. User Defined Types in C++
8. A C++ Template Class to Export C++ to Lua
9. Some Advanced Techniques
10. Managing Resources
11. Multithreading

Wenhuan Li is a software architect and full stack developer. He started his career in the chip design industry, where he worked on embedded software and development tools. Over the past decade, Wenhuan has primarily focused on mobile applications and backend services and was associated with big tech companies such as Meta, Bloomberg, Booking, and McAfee.