enemy_list = {
  Shaun = "necromancer",
  Nick = "warrior",
  ReallyCurious = "warrior",
  Onoitsu = "warrior",
   }

enemy_list = {
  { Shaun = "necromancer" },
  { Nick = "warrior" },
  { ReallyCurious = "warrior" },
  { Onoitsu = "warrior" },
   }

enemy_init = {}
enemy_init.warrior = {"Nick","ReallyCurious","Onoitsu"}
enemy_init.necromancer = {"Shaun"}

enemy_list = {}
for k,v in pairs( enemy_init ) do
  for _,i in pairs( v ) do
    enemy_list[i] = k
  end
end

pk_list = enemy_list
EnableTriggerGroup("Pk_Test", true)
SetVariable("attack", "%1")
ColourNote("white", "black", "PK List:  Set to -- Enemy -- ATTACK: %1")

pk_check = {} -- create table or erase previous values
     for i,v in ipairs(pk_list) do
  if v == ("%<check>") then 
  EnableTriggerGroup("pk_checks", true)
EnableTriggerGroup("Pk_Test", false)

pk_check.%<check> = true
 end
end

EnableTrigger("pk_check_start1", false)  -- the names of "pk_checks" 3 triggers
EnableTrigger("pk_check_start2", false)
EnableTrigger("pk_check_stop", false)

for i,v in ipairs(pk_list) do
  if pk_check [v] then
    print("PK:  Target set on: " .. v)
   SetVariable("target", v)
  Send(GetVariable("attack").. " " .. v)
  break
 end -- if
end -- for

enemy_list = {"nick","shaun","reallycurious"}

DeleteTriggerGroup("Highlights Enemy")
require "addxml"

for i,v in ipairs(enemy_list) do

  addxml.trigger { 
      match = v, 
      regexp = true,
      ['repeat'] = true, -- repeat is lua kw
      send = "", 
      sequence = 100,
      name = v,
      enabled = true,
      custom_colour = 8,
      keep_evaluating = true,
      group = "Highlights Enemy",
      }
  end
  
ColourNote("white", "red", "Enemy highlights updated")

<triggers>
  <trigger
   custom_colour="8"
   enabled="y"
   group="Highlights Enemy"
   keep_evaluating="y"
   match="shaun"
   name="shaun"
   regexp="y"
   repeat="y"
   sequence="100"
  >
  </trigger>
  <trigger
   custom_colour="8"
   enabled="y"
   group="Highlights Enemy"
   keep_evaluating="y"
   match="reallycurious"
   name="reallycurious"
   regexp="y"
   repeat="y"
   sequence="100"
  >
  </trigger>
  <trigger
   custom_colour="8"
   enabled="y"
   group="Highlights Enemy"
   keep_evaluating="y"
   match="nick"
   name="nick"
   regexp="y"
   repeat="y"
   sequence="100"
  >
  </trigger>
</triggers>

pk_check = {} -- create table or erase previous values
     for i,v in ipairs(pk_list) do
  if v == ("%<check>") then 
  EnableTriggerGroup("pk_checks", true)
EnableTriggerGroup("Pk_Test", false)

pk_check.%<check> = true
 end
end

pk_check = {} -- create table or erase previous values

for i,v in ipairs(pk_list) do
  if v == ("%<check>") then 
    EnableTriggerGroup("pk_checks", true)
    EnableTriggerGroup("Pk_Test", false)
    pk_check.%<check> = true
  end  -- if
end  -- for

enemy_list = {
  { name = "Shaun", class = "necromancer" },
  { name = "Nick", class = "warrior" },
  { name = "ReallyCurious", class = "warrior" },
  { name = "Onoitsu", class = "warrior", },
}  -- end enemy_list

for i,v in ipairs(enemy_list) do
  if v.name == "%<check>" then 
    EnableTriggerGroup("pk_checks", true)
    EnableTriggerGroup("Pk_Test", false)
    pk_check.%<check> = true
  end  -- if
end  -- for

Thanks, and sorry for the sloppiness.  I've changed the table around and I think I've got almost everything I wanted.

enemy_list = {
  {warrior = {"Nick","Shaun"}},
  {druid = {"Tom","Steve"}},
}

For the highlights alias it's just adding a few more lines:

DeleteTriggerGroup("Enemy Highlights")

for i,v in ipairs( enemy_list ) do
  for i,v in pairs ( v ) do
    for i,v in ipairs ( v ) do
      require "addxml"
      addxml.trigger { match = v, 
                  regexp = true,
                  ['repeat'] = true, -- repeat is lua kw
                  send = "", 
                  sequence = 100,
                  name = v,
                  enabled = true,
                  custom_colour = 8,
                  keep_evaluating = true,
                  group = "Highlights Test",
                     }
    end  -- for
  end  -- for
end  -- for
ColourNote("white", "red", "enemy highlights updated")

--

This is also the same way I iterate through the table to get the names for the PKscript and it is working well as far as I can see from the testing I've done.

--

However, I'm stuck on this thing:

enemy_list = {
  {warrior = {"Nick","Shaun"}},
  {druid = {"Tom","Steve"}},
}

who_check = {}
who_check.Tom = true
who_check.Burgandy = true

for i,v in ipairs( enemy_list ) do
  for i,v in pairs ( v ) do
    for i,v in ipairs ( v ) do
      if who_check [v] then
        print ( v )
      end
    end
  end
end

This will return Tom, and I'm trying to get the class of Tom here as well so that it returns Tom(druid), for example.  Can I do this here?

*edit* also this isn't how i typed this post with everything starting at the margin.  not sure why it's like that

for _, enemy in ipairs( enemy_list ) do   -- for each class in the list
  for class, names in pairs ( enemy ) do  -- extract class and list of names
    for _, who in ipairs ( names ) do  -- for each name in the list of names
      if who_check [who] then   -- see if this one matches
        print ( who, class )   -- return name and class
      end  -- if
    end  -- for each name
  end  -- for each class
end  -- for enemy list