Using a single return value of a fucntion

[akopyl]

How do I get the n-th return value of a function with multiple return values?

Here's something that doesn't work:

Code: Select all

function foo()
	return 1, 2, 3
end

two = {foo()}[2]

[grump]

Code: Select all

local two = select(2, foo())

[pgimeno]

Note that select() returns all values starting on the specified one, so in this case it would return 2, 3. If you don't want that, you can isolate the parameter by wrapping the select in parentheses:

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local function foo()
  return "a", "b", "c"
end

local table1 = { select(2, foo()) }
local table2 = { (select(2, foo())) }

print(#table1, #table2) -- prints 2, 1

[ivan]

You cannot access the table on the same line as its definition:

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function foo()
	return 1, 2, 3
end

res = {foo()}
two = res[2]
print (two)

[pgimeno]

Oh you can, with parentheses:

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two = ({foo()})[2]

But using that method implies creation and destruction of an object unnecessarily.

[akopyl]

Thanks everyone! Very useful!

[monolifed]

Code: Select all

_, two = foo()