Lua: Executing a string and storing the output of the command in a variable

Question

I\'ve got a Lua script that receives a function call in a string. I need to execute that call and retrieve the output as a string in a variable so I can later send it somewhere.

Answer 1

I just found a way to do what I wanted, but I'd still like to know if you guys can find any flaw/better way to do it, since I'm very new to Lua:

    > s = "json.encode('{1:1, 2:3, 5:8}')"
    > s2 = "return("..s..")"
    > ret = assert(loadstring(s2))()
    > print(ret)
    "{1:1, 2:3, 5:8}"