If I put the code

into a widget, it creates a text file, thing.txt in the root spring directory with the text "some text"

If I put the same code into a gadget, I get this in the infolog:



Help?

Only widgets have access to io.

If you want to save gadget data, you'll have to pass it from synced to unsynced and have the widget do the io.

-fixt' we can read in files

why no output?

I meant 'only widgets have access to the io table/library.' if we want to be facetious.

ah, I was thinking you mean io as in the topic.. I was like wtf.

gadgets are synced, but file io is not.
eg on one computer writing to thing.txt might fail due to no disk space or whatever but maybe for another player it works -> desync.
I half expected it to work in unsynced gadget but does not work either.

read in as with VFS.Include?
I think that is something else.

Same, I figured I should be able to do it in gadget unsynced...

Oh, yeah, that actually makes sense. Now I just have to figure out how to write/read the data using VFS. It's questionable whether it's worth it--the data is a matrix calculated from a map (based on height & type), which takes only a few seconds to calculate on a single core 1.7ghz processor. It just seems silly to calculate it every time the map loads, because it's going to be the same every time.

Lua VFS is only for reading from archives.
http://springrts.com/wiki/Lua_VFS
You can not use it to write a bla.txt and later read it.

If it is for viewtopic.php?f=13&t=27550 you could just calculate the matrix once on your computer and then include the result in the map.sdz?
Also saves you from having to make some anti-cheat system.

Oops, yeah that's what I meant by "write/read the data using VFS"--just the reading part. But I need to somehow format the data in a way that's readable using VFS (I get the impression text file with numbers in it won't work).

The good news is it works--AIs play on the map without cheating (i.e. building on the sand).

Basically you just do
gadget:
stuff= VFS.Include("file_to_read.lua")
Spring.Echo (stuff)

file_to_read.lua:
return 100

ofc you can also return multiple things or tables instead of just a number.

example:
http://code.google.com/p/conflictterra/source/browse/games/CT/mapconfigs/TitanDuel_res.lua
& the gadget that reads it:
http://code.google.com/p/conflictterra/source/browse/games/CT/LuaRules/Gadgets/tp_resourcespawner.lua

Ah, thanks much.

(PS the lolfactor of having a variable named lolfactor is pretty high)