[PD-dev] Should message objects be able to pre-parse $0 into valid dollarzero?

[Ivica Ico Bukvic]

Miller et al,

The current code suggests that this should happen (binbuf_eval calls the 
appropriate function), but since canvas_setcurrent is never called, it 
fails and returns 0.

Yet, I wonder why message shouldn't be able to pre-parse $0 into a valid 
dollarzero (canvas instance), when there will never be a message one 
could send into it that could trump this argument (how would one specify 
an argument $0 anyhow)? I do understand that message is not meant to 
pre-parse values, but shouldn't this be an exception? That way one 
creating a message with an instance included does not have to go through 
the trouble of creating an [$0] object that needs to be packed with the 
rest of the list and then forwarded onward to a message object.

Thoughts?

If others are in favor of this idea, should this take place for all 
types of messages passed into message object (bang, list, anything, 
blob, etc.)?

-- 
Ivica Ico Bukvic, D.M.A.
Associate Professor
Computer Music
ICAT Senior Fellow
DISIS, L2Ork
Virginia Tech
School of Performing Arts - 0141
Blacksburg, VA 24061
(540) 231-6139
ico at vt.edu
www.performingarts.vt.edu
disis.music.vt.edu
l2ork.music.vt.edu