I am developing a C++ application that needs to be multiple platform compatible (Windows/Linux) and want to grant users the ability to extend the software to fit their needs exactly without allowing them to change critical parts of the application (so I do not want them in the C++ code).
What I am looking for is to embed a scripting language (I would prefer Python because I am familiar with it already, but it’s not mandatory), so scripts put in some plugin folder can manipulate objects of the application if I want these objects to be modifyable.
The most simple example: if someone wants to build their own UI for my application, they should be able to do so with such a script.
The problem however is, that I’ve never put C++ and any kind of external scripts together, so I really do not know how to start. After looking for material to get started, I found that Lua claims to be a good language to do that, but I could not find good beginner tutorials.
I would really appreciate if someone knew a good place to start, be it online resources, or a good book. I wouldn’t mind spending a few bucks on a good book.
As a learner, I tend to learn best from a mix of example code and a few lines explaining those.
I would suggest you to read Programming in Lua, this book has an entire section on how to embed Lua in C (and C++).
It is very highly rated by Amazon users.
The language has also pretty good online documentation and a active mailing list.