st8

What is st8?

st8 is a Lua library designed to simplify the management of game states in your Lua game projects. It provides an easy-to-use interface for handling different screens or modes within your game, such as menus, gameplay, and pause screens.

When to use st8?

st8 is useful when you need to manage multiple screens or states in your game. For example, if you want to display a main menu with buttons and a separate "playing" state, st8 can help you organize and transition between these states seamlessly.

How to install st8?

To install st8, simply download the st8.lua file from the repository, place it in your project directory, and require it in your main Lua file.

_G.st8 = require("st8")

How to use st8?

st8 is straightforward to use. Here's a quick guide to get you started: Key Functions and Methods

Library Functions: st8.push(state): Adds a state to the active stack and calls its enter method if defined. st8.pop(): Removes the top state from the active stack and calls its leave method if defined. st8.update(dt): Updates all active states that are in the "PLAY" mode. st8.draw(): Draws all active states. st8.clear(): Clears all active states.

State Methods: State:enter(): Called when the state is pushed onto the stack. State:leave(): Called when the state is popped from the stack. State:update(dt): Called every frame to update the state. State:draw(): Called every frame to draw the state. State:pause(): Pauses the state, preventing it from updating. State:resume(): Resumes the state, allowing it to update again. State:switch(): Switches to this state by popping the current state and pushing this one.

Example Usage

The following example creates three states: a "Main Menu" state, a "Playing" state, and a "Paused" state.

-- Create states
local mainMenu = st8:new("MainMenu")
local playing = st8:new("Playing")
local paused = st8:new("Paused")


-- Define state methods
function mainMenu:enter()
    print("Entering Main Menu")
end

function mainMenu:update(dt)
    -- Check for input to switch to the playing state
    if love.keyboard.isDown("space") then
        playing:switch()
    end
end

function mainMenu:draw()
    love.graphics.print("Main Menu", 10, 10)
end

function playing:enter()
    print("Entering Playing State")
end

function playing:update(dt)
    -- Game logic here
    if love.keyboard.isDown("escape") then
        paused:switch()
    end
end

function playing:draw()
    love.graphics.print("Playing State", 10, 10)
end

function paused:enter()
    print("Entering Paused State")
    playing:pause()
end

function paused:leave()
    playing:resume()
end

function paused:update(dt)
    if love.keyboard.isDown("escape") then
        playing:switch()
    end
end

function paused:draw()
    love.graphics.print("Paused State", 10, 10)
end

-- Push the initial state
st8.push(mainMenu)

-- In your game's update and draw functions
function love.update(dt)
    st8.update(dt)
end

function love.draw()
    st8.draw()
end

Notes The State:pause() and State:resume() methods should not be modified. They are used to control the update logic of the state. You can define additional methods and properties on your states as needed.