[PD] messing with help-patches

[Frank Barknecht]

Hallo,
Roman Haefeli hat gesagt: // Roman Haefeli wrote:

> On Mon, 2006-08-21 at 15:59 +0200, Frank Barknecht wrote:
> > A solution could be directory namespaces. 
> 
> this is only a solution for abs, but not for externals, yet. and the
> fact that pd-extended uses dir-namespaces doesn't make things easier,
> since it breaks 'interchangeability' of patches between pd-extended and
> pd.

Well, the interchangeability indeed is a problem, but not that much,
if one decides to actually only use dir-namespaces. Because of the
problems with finding help-files I'm a bit reluctant to use them
already, but I plan to do so in the near future.

Btw: Directory namespaces also work for externals, just like they do
for abstractions. There is no difference except when dealing with real
libraries that bundle multiple externals, like Gem.

> > This would work for exmaple if you have a collection of patches in a
> > directory "netpd" and if you will always use them with the directory
> > prefix "netpd/". 
> > So for example your "netpd" directory is in "mystuff", you have
> > "mystuff/netpd/run.pd" and "mystuff/netpd/run-help.pd" inside which
> > calls and explains [netpd/run].  Then you add this to
> > .pdrc/pdsettings: 
> > 
> >  -path mystuff -helppath mystuff
> 
> i just found out, that when the helppatches are located in the same dir
> as the abs, specifying only the -path works for helpfiles, too. this
> makes your way - putting the helpfiles together with the abs - even more
> usefull.

Yes, this is the standard way. Pd looks for help files basically in
two places: Next to the abstraction or external and then in the
directories specified in the help-path. doc/5.reference is
automatically included in the help-path. The name of the help-file
search is "help-NAME.pd", "NAME-help.pd", "NAME.pd" or whatever the
author of a binary object specified in the source code (e.g. the help
for [>] is specified as "otherbinops-help.pd")

Now if "netpd/run" from above is something with a directory, like
"netpd/run", then Pd will search for "help-netpd/run.pd",
"netpd/run-help.pd" or "netpd/run.pd". In this case, only the file
"netpd/run-help.pd" makes sense to have.

> well, since i talked only with you, frank, may i ask you, how you
> organize your stuff, just as an example? do you leave the helpfiles,
> where the install-script has put them? or do you place them altogether
> somewhere?

I leave them where "make install" puts them. If "make install" doesn't
install the help files (for example "expr-help.pd" isn't or wasn't
installed by "make install") I just put the help in doc/5.reference.

My own abstractions have their help-files right next to the original
abstraction, using the NAME-help.pd pattern. I'm still not sure how to
properly deal with directory prefixes later.

Ciao
-- 
 Frank Barknecht                 _ ______footils.org_ __goto10.org__