Calling Lua Function from C: Minimal example results in LUA_ERRRUN

I want to call an external lua_5.2 function from C, so I made a minimal example to try it out.

The minimal testfile:

--- filename: play.lua
function hello()
	print("Hello World!\n")
end

Trying to call this function from C:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

#include "lua.h"
#include "lualib.h"
#include "lauxlib.h"


int
main(void) {
    lua_State *L;
    int status;
    int result;

    L = luaL_newstate();
    luaL_openlibs(L);

    status = luaL_loadfile(L, "play.lua");
    if (status != LUA_OK) {
        fprintf(stderr, "Could not load 'play.lua'!");
        exit(1);
    }

    lua_getglobal(L, "hello");
    if (lua_isfunction(L, -1)) {
        fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: Not a function!\n");
        exit(1);
    }

    result = lua_pcall(L, 0, 0, 0);
    if (result!= LUA_OK) {
        fprintf(sterr, "Error running lua: %i\n", result);
        exit(1);
    }
    fprintf(stdout, "lua ran fine\n");
    lua_pop(L, lua_gettop(L));

    lua_close(L);
    return 0;
}

Calling that executable results however in LUA_ERRUN (2)

Error running lua: 2

I am not quite sure what I am doing wrong here, and the documentation is a little bit opaque to me -- according to the 5.2 reference manual I am using pcall correctly (function with zero args and zero return vals), and I apparently grabbed the function from the stack correctly (otherwise they earlier error would have shown).

Any idea what I am doing wrong?

When the return value of lua_pcall is not LUA_OK, an error message will have been pushed onto the top of the stack.

This value can be manipulated with functions like lua_tostring for use in C.

result = lua_pcall(L, 0, 0, 0);

if (result != LUA_OK) {
    fprintf(stderr, "Error running lua: %s\n", lua_tostring(L, -1));
    exit(1);
}

(You can also propagate the error with lua_error(L), but that may defeat the purpose of the protected call.)

Doing this reveals the error

Error running lua: attempt to call a nil value

which means lua_getglobal(L, "hello"); pushed nil onto the stack.

(Note that we only get this far because if (lua_isfunction(L, -1)) is the inverse condition to check for.)

The value of the global variable hello is nil because the chunk containing its definition was never executed. That is, luaL_loadfile (ultimately lua_load) only loads chunks, it does not execute them.

After loading a chunk, you may execute it like any other function (lua_call, etc.).

For example:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

#include "lua.h"
#include "lualib.h"
#include "lauxlib.h"

int
main(void) {
	lua_State *L = luaL_newstate();

	luaL_openlibs(L);

	int status;
	int result;

	status = luaL_loadfile(L, "play.lua"); /* load the chunk */
	if (status != LUA_OK) {
		fprintf(stderr, "Could not load 'play.lua': %s\n", lua_tostring(L, -1));
		exit(1);
	}

	result = lua_pcall(L, 0, 0, 0); /* execute the chunk */
	if (result != LUA_OK) {
		fprintf(stderr, "Error running lua: %s\n", lua_tostring(L, -1));
		exit(1);
	}

	lua_getglobal(L, "hello");
	if (!lua_isfunction(L, -1)) {
		fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: Not a function!\n");
		exit(1);
	}

	result = lua_pcall(L, 0, 0, 0);
	if (result != LUA_OK) {
		fprintf(stderr, "Error running lua: %s\n", lua_tostring(L, -1));
		exit(1);
	}

	puts("lua ran fine");
	lua_close(L);
}

Output:

Hello World!

lua ran fine

Note that luaL_dofile is a macro defined as

(luaL_loadfile(L, filename) || lua_pcall(L, 0, LUA_MULTRET, 0))

and is a convenient way to load and execute a chunk.