Serialize, Deserialize Lua objects

Serializable Lua objects

• nil
• boolean
• numbers
• string
• function
• table of serializable keys and values. Cycles and shared subtrees allowed.

API and usage

The serializer, deserializer is written purely in C. The serializer returns a string or a string buffer (list of strings); the deserializer builds objects back from a string or a string buffer.

Serializes
serobj = luatobin.serialize(obj, totable)

arguments

• obj: must be of an elligible lua object
• totable: a boolean indicating (if true) that serobj must be returned as a string buffer (table)

return

• serobj: either a buffer or a string buffer depending of the boolean value of totable. serobj strings/buffers can be concatenated together.

Deserializes
index, obj1, ..., = luatobin.deserialize(serobj, nobjs, offset)

arguments

• serobj: either a buffer or a string buffer
• nobjs: number of objects to deserialize in serobj
• offset: index of the first object to deserialize

return

• newoffset: offset of the next object to deserialize in serobj. if newoffset == #serobj+1, all objects have been deserialized.
• obj1, ...: objects deserialized

require "luatobin"
obj = {"is a test string", nil, 565482, false, function() print("dummyfunction") end}
obj = {content=obj, true}

-- ser1 is a table contening the serialized version of obj
ser1 = luatobin.serialize(obj)


-- ser2 is a string contening the serialized version of obj
ser2 = luatobin.serialize(obj, true)
print(ser1)
print(ser2)
_, deser1 = luatobin.deserialize(ser1)
_, deser2 = luatobin.deserialize(ser2)


-- deserialize multiple values
ser2 = luatobin.serialize(obj)
_, deser1, deser2 = luatobin.deserialize(ser1..ser2)
p(deser1)
p(deser2)
-- deserialize a specified number of valuesidx, deser1 = luatobin.deserialize(ser1..ser2, 1)
p(deser1)



-- reuse idx to deserialize in the middle of the serialized string
_, deser2 = luatobin.deserialize(ser1..ser2, idx)
p(deser2)

Performance comparison with older flash module

The new flash object lua API si built on this new serializer

Timing performances (in ms)