A weird thing, though: the purest_json objects will not load when I open my own patch first. If I go into the externals folder and open a help file for one of the objects (rest-help.pd, for example), the objects will load perfectly. I can then close that patch and re-open mine, and the objects will work fine.

I have a [declare -lib purest_json] object in the patch already, for what it's worth.

I have to repeat this process each time I quit and relaunch PD. I don't have to do it for any other externals I have installed. Any ideas how I can avoid this?

Usual solution -> add the path of the library's folder in the startup path preferences.

Iron solide solution -> copy the external file into the patch folder. // this solution is not that good and can lead to problems, read below.

If you want to share your patch with those externals, you have to add a readme with the references of all the librarys involved.

The library was installed using the library manager...I did this with my other external libraries and they work fine, so I'm pretty certain my path preferences are ok.

That's a good idea to copy the externals into the patch folder. Seems a bit strange to have to do that for these externals only, but whatever works is ok with me.

Copying the externals into the patch might be possible but could lead to conflicts, if the externals are updated in the future and the old ones are loaded with the patch? I am not sure about the order of loading externals in such a case, but i would discourage this solution.

This should be the safest and cleanest way.

I don't know why -path works better than -lib, I wonder if it's a PD-wide issue, or just specific to this library?

Either way, it works, I won't complain

thanks a bunch. I'll be sharing this patch I'm working on really soon...

So for now, only [declare -path purest_json] works.

Plus, PD will check the folders containing your current patchs, but not what's inside the sub folders.

Maybe this could make too much ?

So you have to write the name (or path if it is necessary, because the library/external folder is inside a sub directory of one of those directory) of this particuliar folder that contained the file you want.

You also have to write a flag.

Depending on wich flag you use, it will checkt into the startup path directorys+ the patch's directory (path / lib flags) or into the PD's "extra" directory (stdpath / stdlib flags), if there is a folder of that name.

I needed to think through that.

Now in Pd 0.50.2 there is an option to add the path automatically, but it is recommended to use [declare] instead. The idea is that there is a clear reference inside the patch which externals are used. So if you download a patch from somebody else and some objects are missing, you can find out which externals are used by inspecting the patch.

Dan Wilcox (Feb 12 2020):

Deken initially did this, but there are problems with this approach as it partially negates the usage of [declare]. It is highly recommended to use [declare] moving forward.

https://lists.puredata.info/pipermail/pd-list/2020-02/126896.html

The idea with [declare] is similar to Python "import". We have moved away from Pd-extended's "just load everything into the same name space" approach towards a more explicit declaration for paths and libs. This requires an extra step but it also helps make patches more portable in that it is much clearer to see what libraries the original author specifies as opposed to "oh I guess it worked in Pd-extedend but I have no idea what externals those objects come from."

https://lists.puredata.info/pipermail/pd-list/2020-02/126906.html

Here is a proposal from 2018 to get [declare external]: https://github.com/pure-data/pure-data/pull/440

Modification: You need to unselect "use standard path" and then relauch. Then the library inside the library folder are ignored.

One thing: the "vanilla mod" button appears on the preference menu, not on the media one.

Here is what you get on mac:

Enabled Path /Applications/Pd-0.50-0.app/Contents/Resources/extra
Enabled Path /Library/Pd
Enabled Path /Users/user_name/Library/Pd

/Users/user_name/Library/Pd // Doesn't exist