Converting from a string

Enumerations

local Season = {Summer = 1, Fall = 2,
                Winter = 3, Spring = 4}

-- The name is the key: no search loop needed
local str_value = "Summer"
local summer = Season[str_value]
-- summer = 1

-- A typo or another case gives nil, not an error
local lower = Season["summer"]
-- lower = nil

print("summer = " .. summer)
print("lower = " .. tostring(lower))