Modifying Elements by Index

Part of the Fundamentals section of Coddy's Lua journey — lesson 59 of 90.

Modifying an element in a table uses the same square bracket syntax as accessing, but with an assignment operator.

Here's the basic syntax for changing a value:

local items = {"milk", "bread", "eggs"}
items[1] = "almond milk"  -- changes first item
print(items[1])  -- outputs: almond milk

The assignment works just like with regular variables - you specify which position you want to change using the index in square brackets, then use the equals sign to assign the new value.

local scores = {85, 92, 78}
scores[2] = 95  -- update the second score
print(scores[2])  -- outputs: 95

Challenge

Easy

Create a game settings management system that demonstrates table element modification. First, create a table named gameSettings containing exactly three string values: "easy", "on", and "high". After creating the table, modify the first element by changing it from "easy" to "hard". Finally, print the modified first element to confirm the change.

Cheat sheet

To modify an element in a table, use square bracket syntax with an assignment operator:

local items = {"milk", "bread", "eggs"}
items[1] = "almond milk"  -- changes first item
print(items[1])  -- outputs: almond milk

The assignment works like regular variables - specify the index in square brackets, then use equals sign to assign the new value:

local scores = {85, 92, 78}
scores[2] = 95  -- update the second score
print(scores[2])  -- outputs: 95

Try it yourself

-- TODO: Write your code here
-- Create the gameSettings table with the required values
-- Modify the first element
-- Print the modified first element