編寫模組

--- trim: a string-trimming module for Lua
-- Author, date, perhaps a nice license too
--
-- The code here is taken or adapted from  material in
-- Programming in Lua, 3rd ed., Roberto Ierusalimschy

-- trim_all(string) => return string with white space trimmed on both sides 
local trim_all = function (s)
  return (string.gsub(s, "^%s*(.-)%s*$", "%1"))
end

-- trim_left(string) => return string with white space trimmed on left side only
local trim_left = function (s)
  return (string.gsub(s, "^%s*(.*)$", "%1"))
end

-- trim_right(string) => return string with white space trimmed on right side only
local trim_right = function (s)
  return (string.gsub(s, "^(.-)%s*$", "%1"))
end

-- Return a table containing the functions created by this module
return {
  trim_all = trim_all,
  trim_left = trim_left,
  trim_right = trim_right
}

上述方法的另一種方法是建立頂級表，然後將函式直接儲存在其中。在那個成語中，我們上面的模組看起來像這樣：

-- A conventional name for the table that will hold our functions
local M = {}

-- M.trim_all(string) => return string with white space trimmed on both sides
function M.trim_all(s)
  return (string.gsub(s, "^%s*(.-)%s*$", "%1"))
end

-- M.trim_left(string) => return string with white space trimmed on left side only
function M.trim_left(s)
  return (string.gsub(s, "^%s*(.*)$", "%1"))
end

-- trim_right(string) => return string with white space trimmed on right side only
function M.trim_right(s)
  return (string.gsub(s, "^(.-)%s*$", "%1"))
end

return M

從呼叫者的角度來看，這兩種風格之間幾乎沒有區別。 （值得一提的另一個區別是第一種風格使使用者更難以對模組進行 monkeypatch。這可能是 pro 或 con，取決於你的觀點。有關這方面的更多細節，請參閱 EnriqueGarcía 的這篇部落格文章科塔）。