[PD] Auto unique number tagging of gui objects

[saint]

Hi,

Is there a way to scan a patch (and then it's child subpatches and theirs etc. etc.) and assign a unique consecutive number to each graphical object?

For example say I have 4 sliders in a patch I want to number them so that the labels now read say 001, 002, 003 and 004 and they now respond to messages sent to r-001, r-002,..etc. and they are now sending information on s-001, s-002,..etc. 
And also this patch calls upon an abstraction that has 3 toggles and I want them to be labelled, sending and receiving through 005, 006 and 007 etc. etc.

I want to know if I can automate this task so that I can apply it to patches I've already made.

I know I am probably re-inventing the wheel here but I want to do this in vanilla hopefully.

My goal is for any gui parameter to be able to modulate any other parameter (as long as they are of the same type) simply by typing two numbers into number boxes that will link them. A simple modulation matrix of sorts.


Cheers as always,

John.