# Overview    
The LUA programming language has a number of data types. They include the following:
* nil
* boolean 
* number
* string
* function
* table 


The purpose of knowing these data types is to learn about the `type` function that returns a value of any of these data types.

The **`type()` function** will accept a value of any type, check for what data type it is, and return its name as a string. The `type()` function returns the type of its only argument set as a string. 

## Syntax
Let's view the syntax of the function:
```
type(value)
```
## Parameter

* **`value`**: This is the only parameter of this function. It is the value whose data type is being checked.

## Return value

The `type()` function returns the data type of its only argument, set as a string. These values can be any of the following:
* `"nil"` (as a string, not the actual value)
* `number` 
* `string` 
* `boolean` 
* `table` 
* `function` 
* `thread`
* `userdata`

## Code 
In the code snippet below, we check for the data types of each variable:


--declare variables
boolVal = true;
int_value = 1024;
stringVal = "hello world";
floatVal = 12.90;

--display the data type returned for each declared value.
print(type(boolVal));
print(type(int_value));
print(type(stringVal));
print(type(floatVal));
print(type(nilVal));

lua app

## Explanation
* Line 3: We declare a boolean value.
* Line 4: We declare an integer number value.
* Line 5: We declare a string value.
* Line 6: We declare a float number variable.
* Lines 9–13: We use the `type()` built-in routine to get the type of the earlier declared variables and print the outcome to display. 

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What is the type() function in LUA?

type() returns the data type of a value as a string in LUA (e.g., "number", "string").