adoptation of swipe-direction script by ScottPhillips https://github.com/ScottPhillips/swipe-direction/blob/master/swipe-direction.lua for Defold engine

swipe.lua

local beginX
local beginY
local endX
local endY

local startTime

local xDistance
local yDistance

go.property("minSwipeDistance", 50)
go.property("minSwipeTime", 0.4)

local bDoingTouch
local totalSwipeDistanceLeft
local totalSwipeDistanceRight
local totalSwipeDistanceUp
local totalSwipeDistanceDown

local touch

function checkSwipeDirection(self)
                if bDoingTouch == true then
                xDistance =  math.abs(endX - beginX) -- math.abs will return the absolute, or non-negative value, of a given value.
                yDistance =  math.abs(endY - beginY)
                if xDistance > yDistance then
                        if beginX > endX then
                        totalSwipeDistanceLeft = beginX - endX
                        if totalSwipeDistanceLeft > self.minSwipeDistance then
                                print("Swiped Left")
                        end
                    else
                        totalSwipeDistanceRight = endX - beginX
                        if totalSwipeDistanceRight > self.minSwipeDistance then
                                print("Swiped Right")
                        end
                    end
                else
                 if beginY > endY then
                        totalSwipeDistanceUp = beginY - endY
                        if totalSwipeDistanceUp > self.minSwipeDistance then
                                print("Swiped Down")
                        end
                     else
                        totalSwipeDistanceDown = endY - beginY
                        if totalSwipeDistanceDown > self.minSwipeDistance then
                                print("Swiped Up")
                        end
                     end
                end
        end
 end

function init(self)
    msg.post(".", "acquire_input_focus")
end

function final(self)
 	msg.post(".", "release_input_focus")
end

function on_input(self, action_id, action)
  if action_id == hash("touch") then
    touch = action.touch[1]
    if touch.pressed then
        bDoingTouch = true
        beginX = touch.x
        beginY = touch.y
        startTime = socket.gettime()
    end
    if touch.released  then
        endX = touch.x
        endY = touch.y
        if socket.gettime() - startTime < self.minSwipeTime then
        	checkSwipeDirection(self);
        end
        bDoingTouch = false
    end
  end
end