Lua PrettyPrint

Converts a table to a string with human-readable Lua syntax.

Usage

PrettyPrint = require 'PrettyPrint'
prettyOutput = PrettyPrint( someTable )

Sorting

Entries in a table are sorted before printing. They are first compared by their values' types, then by their keys. Value type precedence is as follows:

1 boolean
2 number
3 string
4 function
5 thread
6 table
7 userdata
8 nil

If the keys are numbers, they are compared as numbers. Otherwise, they are compared as strings.

Sequences

Entries whose keys are sequential do not have their key portion printed.

{
	[1] = "a";
	[2] = true;
	[3] = 4;
}

becomes:

{
	"a";
	true;
	4;
}

Entries whose value is an array that contains only primitive values are collapsed onto one line.

{"a", true, 4};

Variable Keys

Entries whose keys are strings that can be a variable name are printed as variables.

["EntryKey"] = "EntryValue";

becomes:

EntryKey = "EntryValue";

Limitations

• Values that are not booleans, numbers, strings, or tables are ignored.
• Keys that are not booleans, numbers, or strings are ignored.
• If a looped reference is found, it is ignored, and not printed.