[PD] (breaking symbols) was Re: find a list of numbers in a text file

[Jonathan Wilkes]

----- Original Message -----
> From: Frank Barknecht <fbar at footils.org>
> To: Hans-Christoph Steiner <hans at at.or.at>
> Cc: pd-list at iem.at
> Sent: Tuesday, September 6, 2011 2:12 AM
> Subject: Re: [PD] (breaking symbols) was Re: find a list of numbers in a text file
> 
> Hi,
> 
> On Mon, Sep 05, 2011 at 02:34:30PM -0400, Hans-Christoph Steiner wrote:
>> 
>>  On Sep 5, 2011, at 2:06 PM, Frank Barknecht wrote:
>>  >Here this sentence is true, but you know that not every data entity in
>>  >Pd can be used in object boxes as name or argument, while most things
>>  >that looks like a number will become one here.
>> 
>>  I agree that the implementation does not match the descriptions in
>>  the manual. 
> 
> We do not agree, because what I tried to say is that the implementation
> *does* match the description! :) In the Pd editor, i.e. in objects
> boxes, message boxes etc., certain things that look like a number will
> be converted to a number. ("+1" won't).
> 
>>  That's what is in important here.  Yes, its possible to
>>  generate any kind of symbols using certain techniques, but it is not
>>  possible to generate any kind of symbol using any kind of symbol
>>  generation. 
> 
> It is not possible to generate any kind of numercial symbol using the
> editor, and that's what the manual says. It's possible to generate
> "t_symbol"s using other techniques, if you need them, for example to 
> get
> the string ".123" without it becoming "0.123". But this is 
> nothing
> unusual, it's the same for pointers, gemlists, pdp-packets, probably GF
> grids etc.: You cannot "edit" these into a message box, but there are
> many objects that still will accept and create them.

I think my proposal of having Pd automagically make floats out of 
selectors that look like numbers solves half of the problem, as well as 
being consistent with what's written in the last paragraph of 2.3.1.  The 
other half is already solved by [makefilename %d], and could be made 
more consistent by having message boxes automagically convert $1 
in "symbol 15" to a symbol-atom.  Possibly the same for the arg 
to [symbol].

And possibly the same for [s 15] and [r 15], which makes them 
consistent with the iemgui's automagic s/r-symbol conversion in the 
properties dialog.

-Jonathan

> 
>>  Things that expect symbols would interpret the message from
>>  [makefilename %d] as a symbol, and things that expect floats would
>>  interpret the message from [makefilename %d] as a float.  So the
>>  kind of thing I'm talking about would be like this:
>> 
>>  [makefilename %d]
>>  |
>>  [float]
>> 
>>  Then having the patch rely on the "error: float: no method for
>>  'symbol'" error that is normally generated in that case. 
> 
> Well, it prints an error because there *is* an error in the patch. The
> author should never have converted a float to a symbol and expect to
> still do float calculations with it. 
> 
> Here are two similar errors: 
> 
> [symbol three(
> |
> [+ four]
> 
> Ciao
> -- 
> Frank
> 
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