Lua is a lightweight scripting language that is embedded in C/C++ applications to provide configuration and scripting capabilities. It has a small core size and simple C API. The Lua Development Tools (LDT) project aims to provide IDE support for Lua in Eclipse, addressing challenges of debugging and working with dynamically embedded code. Future work includes improving content assist, supporting object-oriented features and Lua documentation.

1. Lua
Steroids
on
Sierra Wireless Proprietary and Confidential January 21, 2010 1

2. Gaetan Morice
Embedded Tools Manager at Sierra Wireless
Koneki project co-lead at Eclipse

3. ???
What is
Lua
all about

4. http://www.lua.org/about.html
“Lua is a powerful, fast, lightweight,
embeddable scripting language.”

5. Rationale
Extending C/C++ applications with a
configuration / scripting engine.

6. Rationale
Extending C/C++ applications with a
configuration / scripting engine.
• Based on a virtual machine
• Can load source code / read char streams
• And compile it to portable bytecode

7. Rationale
Extending C/C++ applications with a
configuration / scripting engine.
• Tiny core (150kB)
• Pure ANSI C
• Simple C API

8. Rationale
Extending C/C++ applications with a
configuration / scripting engine.
• DSL building kit
• Provides only basic features
• And a powerful runtime

9. Gaining momentum
16th on Tiobe language index
http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/content/paperinfo/tpci/index.html
19th on GitHub
http://github.com/languages/Lua

10. ???
What
is
Missing

11. IDE
Support

12. LDT
http://www.eclipse.org/koneki/ldt/

13. Rationale
A tool that follows Lua’s philosophy
Providing lot’s of modern features while
remaining easily embeddable in larger systems.

14. However
Lua strengths
Dynamic
Embeddable
are double-edged swords
that make tooling support tedious.

15. Editor
VS
Dynamic
Code

16. Debugger
VS
Embedded
Application

17. LDT
Typical Use Case

18. Sierra Developer Studio
Sierra’s IDE for ALEOS Embedded Application Framework

19. ???
What’s
Next

20. LDT Roadmap
Working with local interpreters
Add launch configuration
Supporting OOP
Management of require
Improvement of content-assist and scoping
LuaDoc support contribution

21. Big thanks to
Eclipse
• RSE http://www.eclipse.org/tm/
• DLTK http://www.eclipse.org/dltk/
Lua
• JNLua http://code.google.com/p/jnlua/
• MetaLua http://metalua.luaforge.net/
• Ldoc http://github.com/stevedonovan/LDoc

22. Useful links
Lua
• Main site http://lua.org
• Kepler project http://www.keplerproject.org/
LDT
• At Koneki http://www.eclipse.org/koneki/
• Update site http://download.eclipse.org/koneki/updates/
• Wiki http://wiki.eclipse.org/Koneki
• Mailing List https://dev.eclipse.org/mailman/listinfo/koneki-dev

23. ???
Any
Questions