The component library allows for interacting with OpenComputers components of all sorts. This shares its name with the native component library, but the version in Halyde is improved with several new features. One such feature is virtual components, which allows for virtual components to be added or for components to be virtually removed (so they won't show up in component.list()). This is useful for drivers1) and adaptation layers to create new virtual components that smoothly interface with higher-level libraries like filesystem.
component.list([filter: string]): table
Returns a table with all the components or virtual components available, or any of type filter if specified. Has a __call metatable iterator, so you can do things like…
for address, componentType in component.list() do ... end
component.invoke(address: string, method: string, [...]): ...
Invokes a function on a component.
address: Address of the component.
method: Function name to invoke.
...: Arguments to the function (or nil).
component.proxy(address: string): table
Returns the proxy to a certain component. The proxy is a table of all the component's functions and properties.
component.get(shortenedAddress: string): string or nil, string
Finds the full component address of shortenedAddress. Returns false and an error message otherwise. shortenedAddress must be at least 3 characters long.
component.virtual.add(address: string, type: string, proxy: table)
Adds a virtual component with address and type. When this component is proxied, returns proxy. When this component is invoked, the function is called from proxy.
component.virtual.remove(address: string)
Virtually removes a component. If this was a real component, it won't show up in component.list(), but it will still be able to be proxied and invoked. If this was a virtual component, it will be removed completely.
component.virtual.check(address: string): boolean, table or nil
Returns true with information of the process that created the component (in the same format as tched.getCurrentTask()) if the component with the specified address is virtual. Otherwise returns false.
component.doc(address:string, method:string): string
Returns the documentation string for the method with the specified name of the component with the specified address, if any. Note that you can also get this string by using tostring on a method in a proxy, for example.
component.methods(address:string):table
Returns a table with the names of all methods provided by the component with the specified address. The names are the keys in the table, the values indicate whether the method is called directly or not.
component.type(address:string):string
Get the component type of the component with the specified address.
component.fields(address:string):string
I'm going to be honest, I have no clue what this does. It's undocumented in the official OpenComputers wiki. Just know that it exists, I guess.
component.slot(address:string):string
Return slot number which the component with the specified address is installed into. Returns -1 if it doesn't otherwise make sense.