Embedding Lua in other languages

JCW: So far, I've implemented simple ("eval script") bindings for Tcl, Python, Perl, and Ruby.

All code has been tested on Linux, the Tcl and Python bindings also work on Win32. More languages and platforms will be added, but this N x M combinatorial problem has been postponed until I get the core functionality fully in place first.

The good news is that once more such bindings exist, all code written in Lua becomes instantly available to all of them, which is the whole purpose of this exercise.

See also:

• Embedding Lua in Tcl
• Embedding Lua in Python
• Embedding Lua in Perl
• Embedding Lua in Ruby

The main issue that needs to be solved now is how to deal with passing data around in an effective way.

When large amounts of data are concerned, it is essential to do this with a minimal amount of copying. One way in which I hope to address this, is by using memory buffers, i.e. a special userdata type which can refer to strings, allocated memory, and even raw memory if need be. See also Memory-mapped files and more.

This is only a partial solution, it does not solve the issue of easily getting at each other's variables, nor on how to deal with the different representations each one offers. See also Manipulating binary data with Lua. Also, the issues of ownership and cleanup need to be addressed.