Hi all,

Has been a while since I've used Pure Data. Now I'm about to do a small project, which I should share with collaborators, which do not have Pure Data background, however, are comfortable with JavaScript. For this, I'm considering doing some patches in Purr Data.

Back in the days, I was aware of the following:

(via https://newcome.wordpress.com/2013/12/29/scripting-pure-data/ ; https://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/9650/best-way-to-write-code-in-pd):

• py/pyext ( http://puredata.info/Members/thomas/py/ ) - allows using the Python language to define/implement a Pure Data object
• pdlua - ( https://github.com/agraef/pd-lua ) allows using the Lua language to define/implement a Pure Data object
• pdj ( http://puredata.info/downloads/pdj ) - "PDJ enables you to write java code to interact with pure-data objects"

I have tried these in latest Purr Data on Windows - pdlua is still there; however, no trace of pyext/py.

Now, I was wondering - I am aware that Purr Data is partially based on JavaScript - and also, my collaborators are mostly comfortable with JavaScript too; so, I'd just like to confirm:

• is there a way to define/implement a Pure Data object using JavaScript as a scripting language (say, through something like a [pdjs myscript.js] object)? Just to specify, I do not really need to do audio-rate calculations with this, only control-rate calculations of data on inlets ...

I guess there isn't such a thing/object, as I would have probably found it by now - however, this with Purr Data being somewhat based on JavaScript just keeps staying in the back of my head, so it would be nice to get an explicit "no" if there isn't.

Thanks in advance for any answers!

Py/pyext is currently outdated, not supporting Python 3 but still available https://grrrr.org/research/software/ and still active?

pdjs lib should run in Purr Data, doesn't it?

Thanks so much for the answer, @lacuna:

pdjs lib should run in Purr Data, doesn't it?

I had no idea it existed - I just wrote pdjs in the OP as an "example pseudocode" - NICE!

Is this the link to pdjs? http://puredata.info/Members/mganss/software/pdjs/1.2.63/

Seemingly pdjs is not included with latest PurrData, but I'll try to install from the above link - hopefully it works ...

3 weeks ago https://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/13131/pdjs-javascript-for-pd

Thanks again @lacuna - great to have that thread as reference!

Just tried it for a bit: I cannot seem to find any binary releases in the github, https://github.com/mganss/pdjs (EDIT: found them https://github.com/mganss/pdjs/releases )- so I went along with this:

http://puredata.info/Members/mganss/software/pdjs/1.2.63/pdjs[v1.2.63](Darwin-amd64-32)(Linux-amd64-32)(Linux-arm64-32)(Windows-amd64-32).dek/view

I don't really understand what this .dek file is supposed to be, but the page itself says it is a zip file, so I tried this (I use MSYS2 bash shell in Windows):

$ wget http://puredata.info/Members/mganss/software/pdjs/1.2.63/pdjs%5Bv1.2.63%5D%28Darwin-amd64-32%29%28Linux-amd64-32%29%28Linux-arm64-32%29%28Windows-amd64-32%29.dek/at_download/file -O pdjs_v1.2.63.dek

$ unzip pdjs_v1.2.63.dek
Archive:  pdjs_v1.2.63.dek
  inflating: pdjs/js.dll
  inflating: pdjs/js.l_arm64
  inflating: pdjs/js.pd_darwin
  inflating: pdjs/js-help.pd
  inflating: pdjs/js.pd_linux
  inflating: pdjs/js-help.js

nice, now I have a pdjs folder; so I tried copying it to my 32-bit copy of PurrData:

$ mv pdjs /c/bin/PurrData_x86_2.15.2/extra/
$ /c/bin/PurrData_x86_2.15.2/bin/pd.exe -verbose

Here, in an empty patch, I place an object [pdjs/js test.js] (see also the note in the Github README about declare -path pdjs); and I get:

...
tried C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Common Files\\Pd-l2ork\\pdjs\\js\\pdjs\\js.pd and failed
tried C:\\bin\\PurrData_x86_2.15.2\\extra\\pdjs\\js.m_i386 and failed
tried C:\\bin\\PurrData_x86_2.15.2\\extra\\pdjs\\js.dll and succeeded
verbose( 1):C:\\bin\\PurrData_x86_2.15.2\\extra\\pdjs\\js.dll: couldn't load
tried C:\\bin\\PurrData_x86_2.15.2\\extra\\pdjs\\js.pd and failed
tried C:\\bin\\PurrData_x86_2.15.2\\extra\\pdjs\\js.pat and failed
tried C:\\bin\\PurrData_x86_2.15.2\\extra\\pdjs\\js\\pdjs\\js.pd and failed
error: couldn't create "pdjs/js test.js"
...

Hmmm... library got found, but is not loaded; then I thought, let's check:

$ file /c/bin/PurrData_x86_2.15.2/bin/pd.exe
/c/bin/PurrData_x86_2.15.2/bin/pd.exe: PE32 executable (GUI) Intel 80386 (stripped to external PDB), for MS Windows

$ file /c/bin/PurrData_x86_2.15.2/extra/pdjs/js.dll
/c/bin/PurrData_x86_2.15.2/extra/pdjs/js.dll: PE32+ executable (DLL) (GUI) x86-64, for MS Windows

Yeah - I cannot load a 64-bit .dll by a 32-bit .exe!

So, apparently, there is no 32-bit build for pdjs (see "Supported platforms" in the Github README), so I installed the 64-bit build of Purr Data ... and tried it there:

$ cp -a /c/bin/PurrData_x86_2.15.2/extra/pdjs /c/bin/PurrData_x86_64_2.15.2/extra/
$ /c/bin/PurrData_x86_64_2.15.2/bin/pd.exe -verbose

... and finally, could see it working - instantiating [pdjs/js test.js] gives messages:

...
tried C:\\bin\\PurrData_x86_64_2.15.2\\extra\\pdjs\\js.m_i386 and failed
tried C:\\bin\\PurrData_x86_64_2.15.2\\extra\\pdjs\\js.dll and succeeded
pdjs version 1.2.63 (v8 version 8.6.395.24)
tried C:\\bin\\PurrData_x86_2.15.2\\test.js and failed
tried C:\\Users\\user\\AppData\\Roaming\\Pd-l2ork\\test.js and failed
tried C:\\Program Files\\Common Files\\Pd-l2ork\\test.js and failed
tried C:\\bin\\PurrData_x86_64_2.15.2\\extra\\test.js and failed
error: Script file 'test.js' not found.
... click the link above to track it down, or click the 'Find Last Error' item in the Edit menu.
error: couldn't create "pdjs/js test.js"

One invocation that works for quick test is [pdjs/js pdjs/js-help.js], which succeeds - and then you can right-click the object and see the Help.

Finally, note this from the README:

There is no built-in editor like in Max, source files have to be created and edited outside of Pure Data.

Well, this is nice! On to see how to work with this object...

Thanks again for the help!

@sdaau_ml said:

what this .dek file is supposed to be

it's a Deken-package.
Deken is build-in PD-vanilla: search & install packages easily
https://github.com/pure-data/deken

You can also browse libs available in Deken in the webbrowser:
https://deken.puredata.info/

then you can right-click the object and see the Help

@mganss on Win Vanilla 0.50 and 0.51 the help-patch doesn't load correctly:
The patch loads but doesn't get drawn: The patch stays in background on the taskbar and appears to be blank. Might be a GUI issue!?
Could anyone post a screenshot of the helpfile, please?

EDIT:
managed to find a screenshot, but still doesn't load in Win Vanilla.

EDIT: @mganss Now I have redrawn the helpfile in Vanilla
js-help-vanilla.pd

Hi @lacuna,

it's a Deken-package.
Deken is build-in PD-vanilla: search & install packages easily

Thanks for the explanation - was not aware of that!

Could anyone post a screenshot of the helpfile, please?

I saw you found it - but still, for reference, here is how it looks for me: