Wireshark-dev: Re: [Wireshark-dev] Add-on Lua code for file system operations?

From: Hadriel Kaplan <hadriel.kaplan@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2014 03:25:44 -0500
On Feb 8, 2014, at 8:36 PM, Tony Trinh <tony19@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hadrial Kaplan wrote:
>  
> The problem is if you write a plugin for others to use, requiring them to compile code is a high bar to expect.  So if it's more than just another pure lua lib which doesn't need c-code to be compiled, as a file/dir accessor would need, it's tough. :(
> 
> I agree (?)... or perhaps I'm not following. ;)

Sorry I was using a phone to email. :)

I meant that if I write a Lua plugin for wireshark and want other normal users to be able to use my plugin, then expecting those users to compile C-code is a high barrier to entry.  Since file handling functions require C-code to be compiled, and can't be done in a pure Lua-library alone, it might make sense to have wireshark offer them... not all such functions, just a few more simple ones like mkdir/remove, and probably only them.


> I *think* Guy was proposing the Wireshark Lua API included the LuaFileSystem library (or a wrapper around it) out of the box, which is something already done with Lua BitOp [1][2], so users wouldn't have to explicitly compile it themselves. Or were you referring to something else?

Yeah, that kind of idea - although I would vote for his second option: not to use/wrap LuaFileSystem, and instead just expose the existing ws_mkdir/ws_remove functions.

-hadriel

p.s. Penlight uses LuaFileSystem for file/dir operations, I believe. It has a hard dependency on it for those modules, afaik.