Table.find for string values to instances

[INDev_Gaming (fonkeh_chonkeh)]

Hey! I stuck with a game for once! This time around, I’m implementing a highscore feature. However, I don’t know how to get a single value from a table using a name.
Here’s the snippet. The table.find part appears to be returning nil, as the print says highscore = nil.

for _,maptomoveback in pairs(workspace.Map:GetChildren()) do
			maptomoveback.Parent = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage").Maps
			local mapname = maptomoveback.Name
			print(mapname)
			local highscore = table.find(highscores, mapname)
			print(highscore)
			
			if game.Workspace.BoxesDelivered > highscore.Value then
				highscores.Value = game.Workspace.BoxesDelivered
				high = true
			else
				high = false
			end
			workspace.failGUIevent:FireAllClients(mapname, high)
		end

Is the any more optimizations I can make, and how do I search a table using a string?

[PerilousPanther]

I’m assuming you’re using a dictionary here. If so realistically you should be able to just do this:

if game.Workspace.BoxesDelivered > highscores[mapname]["Value"] then

Having said that I’m not completely sure that would work either if table.find doesn’t. table.find takes a haystack and needle parameter, and if the needle isn’t in the haystack it returns nil, suggesting it’s most likely an issue with your dictionary or the way you’re indexing.

[INDev_Gaming (fonkeh_chonkeh)]

It doesn’t appear to work this way either. The issue is that the table.find is returning nil, and so does your solution. I don’t know how to look for a value based on a name in a folder, so this was my best guestimate.

[Juicy_Fruit]

if its returning nil then something is wrong with how you are implementing the dictionary

can you show how you are setting the dictionary up?

[INDev_Gaming (fonkeh_chonkeh)]

Just a GetChildren() on a folder. The dictionary is automatically made by ROBLOX using GetChildren()

[Juicy_Fruit]

what is highscores in table.find

also a table does not exist in a local variable that is == the folder name. so u cant even table.find in the first place

also i believe ur using table.find incorrectly to begin with:

it should be table.find(table, target)

neither of the provided variables are tables. (as far as i know, idk what is highscores)

[INDev_Gaming (fonkeh_chonkeh)]

highscores is the table for GetChildren()

[Juicy_Fruit]

i dont see it declared in the code provided though

[PerilousPanther]

Could you provide the full code and hierarchy of highscores? As I mentioned if table.find is returning nil then there is an issue with the table you’re using. You could actually do something like:

for _,v in pairs(highscores) do
 print(v.Name)
 if v.Name == mapname then
  print(mapname.." found!")
 end
end

This should demonstrate my point, if not then there’s something very weird going on.

Edit:
I missed that you’re using a folder of instances. That still doesn’t explain why my original suggestion of highscores[mapname].Value doesn’t work though. On a side note, since you’re just using instances you should be able to just do:

highscores:FindFirstChild(mapname)

If not there’s still a problem with your hierarchy.

[DrWhoInTARDIS]

@INDev_Gaming

[highscores is] Just a GetChildren() on a folder.

Assuming your folder looks like this:

Your problem lies here:

@INDev_Gaming

			local mapname = maptomoveback.Name
			print(mapname)
			local highscore = table.find(highscores, mapname)

GetChildren() returns an array of instances. You are looking for a string (the name) when the list is not strings. You could fix this by just table.find(highscores, maptomoveback)

Also you might be interested in table.sort:

https://developer.roblox.com/en-us/api-reference/lua-docs/table:
void table.sort ( array t, function comp = nil )
Sorts elements of array t in a given order, from t[1] to t[#t]. If comp is given, then it must be a function that receives two elements and returns true when the first element must come before the second in the final order (so that not comp(t[i+1],t[i]) will be true after the sort). If comp is not given, then the standard Lua operator < is used instead.

If you wanted to sort your list you could do something like this:

-- sort scores from high to low
table.sort(highscores,function(score1,score2) return score1.Value > score2.Value end)
for place,score in ipairs(highscores) do print(place,score.Name,score.Value) end

-- sort scores from low to high
table.sort(highscores,function(score1,score2) return score1.Value < score2.Value end)
for place,score in ipairs(highscores) do print(place,score.Name,score.Value) end