Get Started with GLua

Five minutes, six things: what completion looks like when it knows the type of a value, how realms catch cross-realm calls before you run the game, how net messages are checked end to end, and how to silence a false positive inline.

1) Completion follows the value

Assign something the extension recognises and completion offers the methods that thing actually has. A player, a panel, a loop variable — the list changes with the type, not the name.

local ply = player.GetByID(1)
ply: -- suggests :GetName, :Alive, :Kick, etc.

local frame = vgui.Create("DFrame")
frame: -- suggests :SetTitle, :SetSize, :MakePopup, etc.

for _, ent in ipairs(ents.GetAll()) do
    ent: -- suggests :GetPos, :GetClass, :Remove, etc.
end

2) Your own functions

Annotate them if you want, or don’t and let the extension read the type from how the parameters are used.

---@param target Player
---@param damage number
---@return boolean
function HurtPlayer(target, damage)
    if not IsValid(target) then return false end
    target:TakeDamage(damage)
    return true
end

function HurtPlayer(target, damage)
    if not IsValid(target) then return false end
    target:TakeDamage(damage)
    return true
end

With annotations, callers get completion and diagnostics on every parameter. Without them, inference reads the type from the methods called on each parameter — enough for most helpers.

3) Realms are not a suggestion

GLua code runs on the server, the client, or both. The file’s path decides which, and a call to an API that does not exist in that realm is reported where you write it:

-- File: lua/autorun/client/my_addon.lua (clientside file)

local ply = LocalPlayer()
ply:Kick("Reason") -- realm error: Kick is server-only

Move the code to a server file, or send a net message from here — the diagnostic tells you which realm the API belongs to.

4) Net messages checked end to end

net.Start on one side and net.Receive on the other are paired across files and their write/read sequences compared. Mismatch the payload and it is flagged before the message runs.

-- Server: lua/autorun/server/net.lua
util.AddNetworkString("MyMessage")
net.Start("MyMessage")
net.WriteString("Hello")
net.WriteEntity(someEntity)
net.Send(ply)

-- Client: lua/autorun/client/net.lua
net.Receive("MyMessage", function()
    local msg = net.ReadString()
    local id = net.ReadUInt(8) -- payload mismatch: server sent WriteEntity, client reads ReadUInt
end)

5) Silencing a finding

When a diagnostic is wrong for a specific line, suppress that line rather than turning the rule off:

-- glua-ignore
local x = SomeAmbiguousCall()

The comment goes on the line above the statement it covers. Every other diagnostic on that line still fires.

6) Commands worth knowing

Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P) and type GLua: to find these:

Command	What it does
`GLua: Show Net Message Graph`	Visualise net message senders and receivers across your workspace
`GLua: Create Linter Config File`	Generate a `.glua.json` file in the current workspace root
`GLua: Create Formatter Config File`	Generate a `.gluafmtrc.json` file in the current workspace root
`GLua: Re-index Workspace`	Force a full re-index after large changes or dataset updates
`GLua: Open Settings`	Jump to the GLua settings panel

Run GLua: Show Net Message Graph on your project to see every sender and receiver, and how their payloads line up, in one view.

Get Started

Features

Formatting

Configuration

Changelog

1) Completion follows the value

2) Your own functions

3) Realms are not a suggestion

4) Net messages checked end to end

5) Silencing a finding

6) Commands worth knowing

​1) Completion follows the value

​2) Your own functions

​3) Realms are not a suggestion

​4) Net messages checked end to end

​5) Silencing a finding

​6) Commands worth knowing

1) Completion follows the value

2) Your own functions

3) Realms are not a suggestion

4) Net messages checked end to end

5) Silencing a finding

6) Commands worth knowing