Make object:Foo call the function and object.Foo refer only to the variable

[StonksMcHat]

Basically I need a hacky solution so that when I do

object:Foo()

it will run the Foo function but if I do

print(object.Foo)

or

object.Foo += 1

then it understands that I’m looking for a variable and not the function Foo.

Is that possible?

[McThor2]

There is the __call metamethod that you could use to get close to what you’re asking but I don’t see how you would get all of what you’re asking with that.

It does beg the question why you want to do this in the first place as it seems a little unnecessary.

[StonksMcHat]

@McThor2

There is the __call metamethod that you could use

Call is only used when you do
object() not when you do object:Foo()

@McThor2

It does beg the question why you want to do this in the first place as it seems a little unnecessary.

Don’t question my methods.

[NyrionDev (Nyrion)]

@StonksMcHat

object() not when you do object:Foo()

Just make object.Foo a metatable and add the behavior you want, and make foo a local function to make the metatable structure less of a mess(so on __call it runs the local foo function and returns it).

[StonksMcHat]

I need the reverse. All the functions are part of the metatable and all variables part of object.

EDIT: Actually scrap that, there’s functions in object too. But no variables in metatable atleast (if that helps)

[McThor2]

To elaborate further on what I said:

local function createAttribute(func, value)
	local attributeMt = {
		__call = func
	}
	
	
	return setmetatable({
		Value=value
	}, attributeMt)
end


local testTable = {}

testTable.Foo = createAttribute(
	function()
		print("Called Foo")
	end,
	25
)

print(testTable:Foo()) -- >>> Called Foo
print(testTable.Foo.Value)-- >>> 25

I think this is the closest that you can get. The issue being that testTable.Foo will refer the the encapsulated table that enables testTable:Foo() to work.

[StonksMcHat]

Thanks for the code! But I think in this case it would just be easier to have a new table in testTable called Values.
and do

print(testTable.Values.Foo) instead.

[StonksMcHat]

It’s actually possible if the variable is a table!

BaseClass.__call = function(child, object, ...)
	local meta = getmetatable(object)
	meta[child.Name](object, ...)
end

So basically I have

• object:Open() is a function
• object.Open is a reference to a table (with metatable BaseClass and variable Name = “Open”)

If you try to do object:Open() then it will run the __call function on object.Open (the table variable), which will redirect your request to the function instead.

Doesn’t work for variables other than table, but hey atleast it’s something!