DataStore Isn't Saving A Player's Items

[Play_MazeOfHeck]

I made a DataStore script that saves a players tools. This for loop isn’t working. I don’t know if seeing the whole script would help.

for _, name in ipairs(inventory or { }) do
		local tool = tools[name]
		print("tools")   
		tool:Clone().Parent = client.Backpack 
		tool:Clone().Parent = inventory_folder -- For saving and loading
		
	end

Whole Script

   local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local DataStoreService = game:GetService("DataStoreService")
local ServerStorage = game:GetService("ServerStorage")

local player_data = DataStoreService:GetDataStore("player_data")

local tools = ServerStorage.ShopItems
local inventories = ServerStorage.Inventories

Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(function(client)
	local key = "client_"..client.UserId
	local inventory = player_data:GetAsync(key)
	
	local inventory_folder = Instance.new("Folder")
	inventory_folder.Name = client.Name
	inventory_folder.Parent = inventories
	print("folder created")
	print(tools)
	for _, name in pairs(inventory or { }) do ---PART THAT ISN'T WORKING
		local tool = tools[name]
		print("tools")
		tool:Clone().Parent = client.Backpack 
		tool:Clone().Parent = inventory_folder -- For saving and loading
		print("tools")
	end
end)

Players.PlayerRemoving:Connect(function(client)
	print("PlayerLeft")
	local key = "client_".. client.UserId
	local tools = {}
	local inventory_folder = inventories[client.Name]
	
	for _, item in ipairs(inventory_folder:GetChildren()) do
		table.insert(tools, item.Name)
	end
	
	player_data:UpdateAsync(key, function(prev)
		return tools
		end)
		
		inventory_folder:Destroy()
	end)

Setup

[Map1eMoose (MapleMoose)]

Mind showing how you defined inventory? and everything else

[Play_MazeOfHeck]

Yeah I just added the whole script.

[kingerman88]

Try using pairs rather than ipairs, I’ve had problems with ipairs before in random situations

[Play_MazeOfHeck]

Under the folder shop items I put another folder for each tool. Could that be the problem?

[un1ND3X (ice)]

You must’ve had problems while iterating over dictionaries then, ipairs can’t be used for that due to how it works, errors aren’t thrown when something is used appropriately.

@Play_MazeOfHeck

@Play_MazeOfHeck

for _, name in ipairs(inventory or { }) do

this part won’t work because if inventory is not-non nil (false or nil), an empty table will be constructed and right after that you check for a value under tools; if nothing exists in a table then tools[v] will be nil, where v is what is returned as a value through the ipairs iterator.

[Play_MazeOfHeck]

I was following this tutorial

How to save your players' inventory items

In this tutorial, I will show you how to save player’s inventory items. Setup The way I do it with storing tools, is having a folder in ServerStorage named Tools, and all my tools would go there. [image] A second folder would be a folder containing sub-folders, which would contain each players’ inventory. Example of hierarchy: [image] The Inventories folder would start out empty, but a folder with the name of the player who joins will be created, and the tools they have will be put in the…

Why does ipairs work in this system?

Thanks

[BasedKnowledge]

it works bro, the problem is you used robloxstudio to test, robloxstudio doesnt consistently save/load your data
so try it in real game
also if that’s not the case, and if u have errors, you should’ve shown ur errors
how do u know the problem is in loop :thonk:

[Play_MazeOfHeck]

I did try it in the actual game. I put a print function in the loop and it doesn’t print. Also there are no errors being shown in the output.

EDIT: one thing I did differently from the tutorial was that I inside the tools folder I didn’t put the tools directly I put another folder for each tool

[BasedKnowledge]

have u tried using pairs instead of thinking the logic of the other guys thing that u copied?

[Play_MazeOfHeck]

Yeah, I tried that, do I have to change anything else besides changing ipairs to pairs?

[BasedKnowledge]

i dont think so, but because there is already print debugs, can you tell us which one prints

[Play_MazeOfHeck]

print(“folder created”) works, its the print right above the for loop

Both of the prints inside the for loop do not print

I also added a print for when the player leaves and that works

[Map1eMoose (MapleMoose)]

I made a print test script: can you show the output?

local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local DataStoreService = game:GetService("DataStoreService")
local ServerStorage = game:GetService("ServerStorage")

print("Variables")

local player_data = DataStoreService:GetDataStore("player_data")

local tools = ServerStorage.ShopItems
local inventories = ServerStorage.Inventories

Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(function(client)
print("playerjoined")
	local key = "client_"..client.UserId
	local inventory = player_data:GetAsync(key)

for i,v in pairs(inventory) do
print(i,v)
end
	
local inventory_folder = Instance.new("Folder")
	inventory_folder.Name = client.Name
	inventory_folder.Parent = inventories
	print("folder created")
	print(tools)
	for _, name in pairs(inventory or { }) do ---PART THAT ISN'T WORKING
		local tool = tools[name]
		print("tools")
		tool:Clone().Parent = client.Backpack 
		tool:Clone().Parent = inventory_folder -- For saving and loading
		print("tools")
	end
end)

Players.PlayerRemoving:Connect(function(client)
	print("PlayerLeft")
	local key = "client_".. client.UserId
	local tools = {}
	local inventory_folder = inventories[client.Name]
	
	for _, item in pairs(inventory_folder:GetChildren()) do
		table.insert(tools, item.Name)
	end
	
	player_data:UpdateAsync(key, function(prev)
		return tools
		end)
		
		inventory_folder:Destroy()
	end)
print("done")

[Play_MazeOfHeck]

Variables

done

playerjoined

folder created

ShopItems

PlayerLeft

[Map1eMoose (MapleMoose)]

print("playerjoined")
	local key = "client_"..client.UserId
	local inventory = player_data:GetAsync(key)

for i,v in pairs(inventory) do
print(i,v)--Nothing Was Printed
end
	
local inventory_folder = Instance.new("Folder")
	inventory_folder.Name = client.Name
	inventory_folder.Parent = inventories
	print("folder created")

The issue isn’t your for loop, Nothing is printed from inventory meaning its empty or defining that variable is the issue.

[un1ND3X (ice)]

it’s generally better to follow a tutorial exactly, or certain elements might not work.

---

@Wizard101fire90

The issue isn’t your for loop

this part

@Wizard101fire90

for i,v in pairs(inventory) do
print(i,v)
end

is probably the issue, if you use GetAsync() and data doesn’t exist, then nil is returned, so in the code where @Wizard101fire90 loops through inventory, it could potentially error because you just can’t iterate through nil.

Consider altering this part from your original code:

@Play_MazeOfHeck

	for _, name in pairs(inventory or { }) do ---PART THAT ISN'T WORKING
		local tool = tools[name]

to this

   if inventory then
	     for _, name in ipairs(inventory) do ---PART THAT IS WORKING
		 local tool = tools[name]
         -- etc
   end

you could add an invert statement, (if not inventory then end) to create a default or starting inventory too.

[Play_MazeOfHeck]

@XxELECTROFUSIONxX

it’s generally better to follow a tutorial exactly , or certain elements might not work.

I didn’t follow it exactly because I had already made the buying process and how I set it up was different than in the tutorial.
Mine

Tutorial

[Play_MazeOfHeck]

@Wizard101fire90

defining that variable is the issue.

So this is the issue?

@Wizard101fire90

local key = "client_"..client.UserId
	local inventory = player_data:GetAsync(key)

If that is the issue then doesn’t that mean there’s is problem with saving the players data when the player leaves?

[Map1eMoose (MapleMoose)]

Possible Points of Failure Include:

Not Saving Correctly
or
Getting the data
or
DataStores in Studio(Dont work the best, try in game)