serialize

function serialize(dat,options)
    options=options or {}
    local out=""
    local queue={{dat}}
    local cv=0
    local keydat
    local ptbl={}
    while queue[1] do
        local cu=queue[1]
        table.remove(queue,1)
        local typ=type(cu[1])
        local ot
        if typ=="string" then
            ot=string.gsub(string.format("%q",cu[1]),"\\\n","\\n")
        elseif typ=="number" or typ=="boolean" or typ=="nil" then
            ot=tostring(cu[1])
        elseif typ=="table" then
            local empty=true
            ot="{"
            local st=0
            ptbl[#ptbl+1]=cu[1]
            for k,v in pairs(cu[1]) do
                empty=false
                st=st+1
                table.insert(queue,st,{k,"key"})
                st=st+1
                local val=v
                if type(v)=="table" then
                    for n,l in pairs(ptbl) do
                        if l==v then
                            if options.nofalse then
                                val="recursive"
                            elseif options.noerror then
                                return false
                            else
                                error("Cannot handle recursive tables.",2)
                            end
                        end
                    end
                end
                table.insert(queue,st,{val,"value",nil,st/2})
            end
            if empty then
                ot=ot.."}"
                ptbl[#ptbl]=nil
                typ="emptytable"
            else
                cv=cv+1
                if cu[3] then
                    queue[st][3]=cu[3]
                    cu[3]=nil
                end
                queue[st][3]=(queue[st][3] or 0)+1
            end
        elseif typ=="function" then
            if options.nofunc then
                ot="function"
            else
                local e,r,er=pcall(string.dump,cu[1])
                if e and r then
                    ot="f(\""..r:gsub(".",function(c)
                        return "\\"..tostring(string.byte(c)) end
                    ).."\")"
                else
                    if options.nofalse then
                        ot="invalid function"
                    elseif options.noerror then
                        return false
                    else
                        error(r or er,2)
                    end
                end
            end
        end
        if cu[2]=="key" then
            if type(ot)=="string" then
                local nt=ot:sub(2,-2)
                local e,r=loadstring("return {"..nt.."=true}")
                if options.noshortkey or not e then
                    ot="["..ot.."]="
                else
                    ot=nt.."="
                end
            else
                ot=ot.."="
            end
            keydat={cu[1],ot}
            ot=""
        elseif cu[2]=="value" then
            if keydat[1]~=cu[4] then
                ot=keydat[2]..ot
            end
            if cu[3] then
                ot=ot..("}"):rep(cu[3])
                for l1=1,cu[3] do
                    ptbl[#ptbl]=nil
                end
                cv=cv-cu[3]
                if cv~=0 then
                    ot=ot..","
                end
            elseif typ~="table" then
                ot=ot..","
            end
        end
        out=out..ot
    end
    return out
end