Define once in module, or many times in each script

[F3vo]

I’m wondering what the most optimal way to define a bunch of variables is.
(this is probably obvious, still curious though)

I currently use a bunch of module scripts, with one “main” script connecting all of them. I’m wondering if I need to define something, say the Player, each and every time. And whether that would be un-optimal.

local info = {
   Character = game.Players.LocalPlayer
   Camera = workspace.CurrentCamera
   ...
}
return info

Accessing this module above for each script.

pros/cons that I think may occur
pros - one defining
cons - accessing a huge table probably isn’t great, and likely is more laggy
OR
Just defining everything regularly, for every script.
pros - easy, no big table
cons - need to define a ton of the same thing, over and over.

Sorry if this is a basic/no sense question, just want some clarity.

[Downrest (Down)]

How would you define a ‘huge’ table?

I believe using a modulescript adds more customizability and organizes your code. In my opinion, you shouldn’t worry about using tables (it all depends on your use-case).

@roovthebee

Your problem may not be the storing of the long table, but rather how you are using it.

For example if you were constantly checking values and acting on values in your table using loops, you will most likely experience frame drops and lag.

[ThanksRoBama (Emma)]

@F3vo

cons - accessing a huge table probably isn’t great, and likely is more laggy

Nope, dictionary lookups in Lua are constant time, meaning the size of the table/dictionary has no bearing on how long it takes to look up a key. If you’re interested in the CS behind why that is, read up on hash tables specifically / associative arrays in general.

Although repeatedly looking something up in a table is still slower than looking up a local variable. For critical paths (code in tight loops that run often), declaring local variables to make lookup faster is a real optimization technique.

[F3vo]

Thank you Downrest and Emma, I’ll be marking this as a solution