[PD] running Pd with a timer for an installation?

[Simon Wise]

On 09/07/12 14:43, Richie Cyngler wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I'm planning on using Pd for an installation in Melbourne in a couple of
> weeks. It's running fine, Pduino working, sensors working. I'm just
> wondering is there is a object (or series) of objects I can use to "power
> down" the patch, or even kill Pd, at a designated time. The installation
> will run into the night for a week, I'll be there to start it up each night
> but not to shut it down. I'm probably running on OSX, windows may be an
> option. A sleep or shutdown timer for the OS would be very useful too,
> seems odd these are not standard.
>
> Any suggestions?

as others mentioned, system preferences let you tell the computer to shut down 
at a set time, and also to startup again when power is restored after switching 
off if you like,

a user can be set up to login automatically on startup in the accounts preferences,

what hasn't been mentioned is the easiest place to get a patch starting 
automatically on login of that user is in the dock ... put the patch in the 
dock, then check the appropriate box

if you need a set of things starting in a fixed order then you could start them 
from a little shell script and put that in the dock to be started at login

or use an applescript, or these days automator, if you prefer that to shell and 
again put it in the dock etc

most of these have been part of OSX forever, and something quite similar was 
part of OS9 before that if I remember correctly.



There are many other more arcane ways to achieve this as well, but for me this 
system, especially making sure that switching off then back on resets and 
restarts everything correctly has made life much easier with installations - 
gallery attendants are usually able to use a power switch, but often anything 
more complicated is too intimidating. Even several computers communicating over 
a LAN have worked well that way ... with a little thought and some appropriate 
delays after the [loadbang]s to make sure the network is up and running before 
pd tries to connect.

The power off - power on cycle is fine if you are not changing the files you 
start up from, and the journaling on HFS+ seems very robust and tolerant of just 
switching off.


Simon