[PD] function-to-block dictionary in pd-extended [was: Re: PD i education]

[Anders Friberg]

Sounds great!
I started to think about how it could be done. One simple start would be 
to include the list of objects according to function that is found in 
core-pd.  However, I think it would be better to put in in the help menu 
rather than then right-clicking on the canvas. This would encourage 
newbies to use the standard pd blocks to start with.

A general function-to-block dictionary is more complicated since there 
seems to be something like 1000 help files in the doc section...
One possibility could be to put a text label in each help file, for example:
;;;pd-extended classification;;;category: audio;function: filter, 
subfunction: bandpass;;;
This is just an example. It could be done in a number of ways e.g. just 
give keywords. The audio/control classification is of course already 
evident from the tilde sign.This could be complemented with a short 
"one-liner":
;;;description: A 2-pole bandpass filter;;;

Then this would be divided in thee tasks:
1. agree on the list of categories and functions
2. label the help files ( I guess that it would be easy for everyone to 
do in the CVS?)
3. Implement sorting according to function in the browser. (If the 
browser search the doc section a new lib would be included automatically.)

The first step can be done on this list or in the pd doc group.
The second step can easily be distributed. I could spend some time with 
it and I think I could mobilize more people at the department as well.
The last step depends mostly on hans so it would be great to hear your 
opinion about it.
/Anders

marius schebella wrote:
> Three, I would like to help build such a database.
> marius.
>
> Hans-Christoph Steiner wrote:
>>
>> I sometimes forget even the names of the objects that I have written, 
>> so I would use the dictionary for sure.  So you are not alone in the 
>> desire for a dictionary, there is at least two of us ;)
>>
>> .hc
>>
>> On May 30, 2007, at 7:51 AM, Anders Friberg wrote:
>>
>>> This is a quite extreme viewpoint. Translate that to language 
>>> learning, for example a German learning English. It implies that 
>>> using a dictionary from German to English is forbidden and the only 
>>> available dictionary is from English to German. Then assume that the 
>>> German guy have some basic understanding of the English language but 
>>> forgot one word... This is exactly my own case. Maybe I am away from 
>>> pd for a year (God forbid!). Then most of my fluency will fade away 
>>> and a dictionary would be extremely helpful. I tend to remember 
>>> functionality but not the exact block name. Am I alone?
>>> We also try to avoid any fancy stuff in the basic tutorials but we 
>>> use pd-extended ourselfs and we provide ready-made patches using 
>>> pd-extended that the students can interface to.
>>> /Anders

-- 
---------------------
Anders Friberg
Associate Professor
Speech, Music and Hearing, KTH
Lindstedtsvägen 24
S-100 44 Stockholm
http://www.speech.kth.se/~andersfr/
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