<cat>Dev.GettingStarted</cat> <title>Coding - Getting Started</title> # Introduction A lua file is called a script, it's plain text. To create and edit these scripts you need a plain text editor such as notepad. You can use any text editor, but to make your life easier, we recommend that you use Notepad++. A plugin you may want to use with Notepad++ would definitely be the Gmod Lua highlighter: https://github.com/kylefleming/npp-gmod-lua For the sake of simplicity we'll refer to both as "notepad". A Lua file is called a script. Lua scripts are plain text files. To create and edit Lua scripts, you need a plain text editor such as notepad. You can use any plain text editor, but to make your life easier, we recommend that you use Notepad++. A plugin you may want to use with Notepad++ would definitely be the Gmod Lua highlighter: https://github.com/kylefleming/npp-gmod-lua For the sake of simplicity we'll refer to both notepad and Notepad++ as "notepad". <warning> **Do not use Wordpad.** It is a formatted text editor, not a plain text editor. It will put useless tags in around your code that will cause it to fail when loading. As a rule of thumb, if you can have text that uses two different fonts in one file, then it is not a plain text editor. </warning> # Creating the script For our first script, we're not going to do anything too complex. We'll learn how to send a message to the console. ⤶ Type the following code into your chosen editor : For our first script, we're not going to do anything too complex. We'll learn how to print a message into the console. ⤶ The <page>Global.print</page> function does exactly that. Type the following code into your chosen editor : ``` print( "Hello world" ) ``` You're done! Wasn't that easy? It should have been. ## Explanation `print` is a function. A function is a command that does something when you call it. Many functions can take arguments, which is data you give the function to change exactly what it does. In this case, `print()` takes only one argument, which is a string (a series of letters, numbers, spaces, and so on), and when `print()` is called, it puts that string into the console in Garry's Mod. # Saving the script You're now ready to create the actual Lua script file. To find your lua folder follow the following path - this may be slightly different on your computer, but will look something like this: You're now ready to save the actual Lua file. To find your Lua folder, follow the following path - depending on where you have installed Garry's Mod on your computer, this path may be different, but will look something like this: ``` C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\garrysmod\garrysmod\lua\⤶ C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\lua\⤶ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^⤶ This may be different!⤶ ``` In the filename box, type `helloworld.lua` (Note that you must specify `.lua`), and in the Save As type box, select All Files. Now, just press enter (or press the save button) to save your script. ⤶ <warning>⤶ **Check the "File name extensions" box in File Explorer**⤶ ⤶ Make sure you have the "File name extensions" checkbox checked in File Explorer. Unless this is checked, your text editor might accidentally save your `.lua` file as a `.lua.txt`. To make sure this box is checked, open a File Explorer window, click the `View` tab at the top, and check the box (it's inside the "Show/hide" category at the top).⤶ </warning>⤶ # Running the script To run any of your scripts you need to be playing a map. Now, open the console and type the following :⤶ To run any of your scripts, you need to be playing a map. Once in game, open the developer console and type the following:⤶ ``` lua_openscript helloworld.lua ``` Press enter. If you did everything correctly up to this point you should see a message in the console :⤶ Press enter. If you did everything correctly up to this point, you should see a message in the console:⤶ ``` Hello World! ``` Congratulations, you have written and run your first Lua script.⤶ ⤶ ⤶ # Auto running the script To make the script run automatically when the server starts, you simply put it into one of those folders:⤶ * For shared scripts ( Loaded on both client and server ) To make your script run automatically when the server starts, you simply put it into one of these folders. Again, if you have Garry's Mod installed somewhere else, navigate there instead.⤶ * For shared scripts ( Loaded on either client or server ) ``` C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\garrysmod\garrysmod\lua\autorun⤶ C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\lua\autorun⤶ ``` * For client-only scripts ( Loaded only on client ) ``` C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\garrysmod\garrysmod\lua\autorun\client⤶ C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\lua\autorun\client⤶ ``` * For server-only scripts ( Loaded only on server ) ``` C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\garrysmod\garrysmod\lua\autorun\server⤶ C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\lua\autorun\server⤶ ``` For this specific tutorial any of those paths will work just fine. For this specific tutorial, any of those paths will work just fine. <note>All client and shared files must be put for download using <page>Global.AddCSLuaFile</page> for them to work in multiplayer.</note> # Loading portions of a script on the client or server If you want to use a single file for clientside and serverside code then do the following as specified⤶ * To load on the client If you want to use a single file for clientside and serverside code, but want separate parts of the code between client and server, we can do something like this:⤶ * To run code only on the client ```lua if CLIENT then --Your clientside script here --Your clientside code here end ``` * To load on the server * To run code only on the server ```lua if SERVER then --Your serverside script here --Your serverside code here end⤶ ```⤶ ⤶ * To load onto shared (either Client **or** Server), don't specifically check for `CLIENT` or `SERVER`, just put your code down without the `if` block.⤶ ⤶ Example:⤶ ⤶ ```lua⤶ print( "Hello Shared!" )⤶ ⤶ if SERVER then⤶ print( "Hello Server!" )⤶ end⤶ ⤶ if CLIENT then⤶ print( "Hello Client!" )⤶ end ``` ⤶ * To load onto shared do neither⤶ The `CLIENT` and `SERVER` variables you see up there are explained on the <page>States</page> page.⤶ # What's next? Next we will learn about <page text="variables">Beginner_Tutorial_Variables</page>. Clientside and Serverside Explained Here: <page>States</page> Clientside, Serverside, and Shared are explained here: <page>States</page>