[PD] Help Docs: element vs. item

[Mathieu Bouchard]

On Wed, 12 Aug 2009, Jonathan Wilkes wrote:
> --- On Wed, 8/12/09, Mathieu Bouchard <matju at artengine.ca> wrote:
>> Actually, "selector" would be the most sensible column name
>> for the column that lists "the accepted messages"...
> It would, but there currently aren't column names in the pddp template.
> Are you looking at a different template than the one for [float] in
> pd-ext?

I'm not looking at a template, why?

> Hmm...I don't think these more general terms require definitions, 
> because they are superficially describing what one types to produce the 
> desired behavior.

I don't think that it's a good idea to directly connect "what you type" 
with "what you get", except in examples. The theory should connect "what 
you type" with an internal representation, and connect the internal 
representation with "what you get", or any other number of intermediate 
steps, whatever is needed to make people distinguish between "a symbol" 
and "the spelling out of a symbol by a user" and "the printing out of the 
symbol by pd" and other things.

It's more obvious (and more critical) if you think of the float situation.

>  There's an implicit step when the term "message" is used (i.e., typing 
> something in a message box and sending it to the object).  But if you 
> look at the Max docs where they say, "the word 'set' followed by a 
> number", there's not even that.

And so... how are the Max docs related to how Pd should be documented?...

  _ _ __ ___ _____ ________ _____________ _____________________ ...
| Mathieu Bouchard - tél:+1.514.383.3801, Montréal, Québec