101 school boy error with a function (I think) [solved]

–Not sure why this is throwing an error:

local Pcable= "back"
local cable = "white"
local ColourCable = ("colors.",cable)


function cableCombine()
redstone.setBundledOutput(Pcable,colors.combine(redstone.getBundledOutput(Pcable),ColourCable))
end

function cableSubtract()
redstone.setBundledOutput(Pcable,colors.subtract(redstone.getBundledOutput(Pcable),ColourCable))
end

so thats the functions then I try to call it using

cable= "blue"
cableCombine()

What error is it throwing? Wild guess:
colors.<color> is not a string. It's an integer actually.

So I'm not entirely sure what you are trying to accomplish, but I will fix what I see.

What are you trying to do with this variable: ColourCable = ("colors.",cable) ?
Whatever it is, the way you are trying to currently do it is incorrect. Are you trying to have ColourCable = the function colors.<cable>() ?

Whitecatblack

Change, local ColourCable = ("colors.",cable)
To, local ColourCable = colors[cable]

Anavrins, on 02 June 2014 - 12:52 AM said:

Change, local ColourCable = ("colors.",cable)
To, local ColourCable = colors[cable]

So the colors in CC are stored in tables? That would save me like a line or 16 in my program… lol.

Every API is a collection of functions and/or other types of variables stored in a table.

GamerNebulae, on 02 June 2014 - 03:08 PM said:

Anavrins, on 02 June 2014 - 12:52 AM said:

Change, local ColourCable = ("colors.",cable)
To, local ColourCable = colors[cable]

So the colors in CC are stored in tables? That would save me like a line or 16 in my program… lol.

Yea, there's a defauld color API:

term.setBackgroundColor(colors.blue)

The API contains all 16 minecraft wool/dye colors.

I'm not sure, but you should try changing this part

local cable = "white"
local ColourCable = ("colors.",cable) -- I'm not sure what you were trying todo here .-.

into this

local cable = "white"
local ColourCable = colors[cable] -- get the index 'white' in the colors table

You can actually use something like this to get any color in the api, without having to use tons of different functions/tables:

local function returnCol(key)
if key > 1 then return 2^(key - 2) else return 1 end
end

Just give it a number 1-15 and it will return the proper color.

Cranium said:

-snip-

This seems overly complex, but maybe I am missing the purpose of what you are trying to accomplish with your code. If needed, colors.key or colors[key] can be called very easily for almost any purpose.

Whitecatblack

Cranium, on 02 June 2014 - 06:37 PM said:

You can actually use something like this to get any color in the api, without having to use tons of different functions/tables:

local function returnCol(key)
if key > 1 then return 2^(key - 2) else return 1 end
end

Just give it a number 1-15 and it will return the proper color.

It seems like you messed up a little with that code :P/>

Just give it a number 1-15

if key > 1 then ... end

With that piece of code it would have to be between 2-15

2 - 17, oddly enough.

Probably easier to just:

function selectColor(num)
  return 2 ^ (num - 1)
end

The above would expect values 1-16, whole numbers only.

The functions were a way of myself shortening down a rather long way of turning cables on and off. I just want a way of making bundled cables being turned on and off easily.
making it as simple as.

cable = "orange"
CableCombine()

open to suggestions for other ways.

lebalusch said:

open to suggestions for other ways.

Well, if I try to keep it relatively close to the original code you posted, here is how I would do it:

local Pcable = "back"
local cableColor = nil

function cableCombine(cableColor)
  redstone.setBundledOutput(Pcable,colors.combine(redstone.getBundledOutput(Pcable),colors[cableColor]))
end

function cableSubtract(cableColor)
  redstone.setBundledOutput(Pcable,colors.subtract(redstone.getBundledOutput(Pcable),colors[cableColor]))
end

Then all you would need to enter would be something like:

cableCombine("orange")

or

cableSubtract("orange")

Whitecatblack

Well, I derped then. I'll admit it. My maths aren't that great. Thanks for correcting me.