[PD-dev] file library WAS: [folder_list]

[IOhannes m zmoelnig]

B. Bogart wrote:
> Hey all,
> 
> 
> So the question is, if we're going ahead to create this kind of standard
> libs for PD, what should they be written in?
> 
> If we want a lot of functionality fast then python seems like the best
> solution, coding the same thing in C will take longer (at least for me,
> who does not even know python).


getting pd to run basically requires downloading "just" pd.
getting pd to build requires having a C-compiler.
(the only hard dependency that comes to my mind is tcl/tk, and imho it
should be made into a soft dependency)
i do think that the same should apply to any stdlib that comes with pd.

using python/ruby/bash would make pd significantly more --useless--: the
stdlib should at least as portable as pd itself.


> 
> Any way to get the PD transparency and performance of C/Flext without
> development and debugging taking forever? I heard of something that
> takes any C library and automagically generates a python interface so
> all the functions are available in python. Would this is possible for
> PD? take an existing lib and port each function to PD objects?
> (automagically)

i don't think that this will work very well for pd, due to the limited
types/API the objects provide (as compared to BIG languages, such as
python).
most likely doing the wrapper by hand (or semi-automated, see below)
will be _way_ faster than writing such generator.

> 
> Johannes Z, how did you create the openGL wrappers? manually or some
> shortcut?

it was a bunch stupid shell-scripts and using template files.
this only worked well for simple things, and not so good for complex
structures (like passing/fetching a pointer to some data like a texture)

> 
> So many ideas, so little time.
> 

well said!



mfg.adr.
IOhannes