Hello,

Not sure if this is possible but I'd like to use a bang object to select a folder and then once a folder is set, I'd like to use another bang to pick a random file from the folder to send to readsf~. I'm using PD vanilla on MacOSX. I'm sure I'll need an external, but not sure which. [shell] and [folder_list] do not seem to work. Can I do this?

@endy If your tracks are numbered...... 1.wav, 2.wav etc. then it is easy without externals.
I built this years ago...... random_shuffle_cart.zip and it used externals to solve the problem of accessing and playing by filename for any filename in any folder.
Numbers needed to be assigned to the tracks so it required a little dynamic patching...... although [text] could be used instead..... but it is nice to see the list of files and which one is playing.
The external libraries required..... tof... and ext13.
cart5.pd is the main patch.

You can use [openpanel] instead of [tof/folderpanel]

There are new tools though in Pd Vanilla...... have a look at the [file] object.
It will be possible to use that to replace those externals and make the patch Vanilla.

[folder_list] can be replaced by [file glob]
And then [ext13/strippath] is unnecessary.

Anyway....... I started so I will finish.
Here is the Vanilla version......... cart5-vanilla.zip

David.

Vanilla random-sound-file-from-dir.pd
https://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/14417/installation-patch-and-help-with-pathnames/3

Thanks guys. @lacuna I'm attempting to integrate your randomizer with a fileplayer I am working on where two random samples are played at once and there is an option to loop one or both samples. However I am fairly new to PD and not sure I have a good understanding of the looping mechanism. This attempt below in plugdata leads to a weird behavior where sometimes the loop works and sometimes it doesn't. And sometimes it works for both samples, sometimes it works for only one. Any insight into what I might be doing wrong here? Much, much appreciated if you (or anyone else) replies:

Now I don't have Pd, so can not try.
But I fairly remember a bug (in Windows?) where .aiff files won't output a bang on the right outlet of [readsf~] when done, while .wav files do? Not sure.

I think the patch should loop, I can not see anything wrong.

Try to debug with [print pleaseplaythatfile] attached to [open $1, start(
and [print done] to the right outlet of [readsf~].

If this is the case, you could start a timer to restart the sample when done.

or even more elegant:

If the soundfiles are not very long, you could load them into arrays with [soundfiler] (i.e. loading from HD to RAM)
and loop the array with [tabread~] or [tabread4~] or [tabosc~] or [tabplay~]

Each time you [open( a file with [readsf~] it loads from harddrive.

... Pd is fairly low-level and has some quirks.

(For beginners I recommend sticking to Vanilla:
learn all its' objects little by little, read the helpfiles
and dive a bit into the first few doc patches of Vanilla installation, but don't get confused by their names.)

Others prefer to start right away with libraries. I am sure there are looping samplers somewhere.
PlugData comes with Cyclone, doesn't it? I think Cyclone probably has something easy?

A cleanup (only visually and not related to the issue):
Delete the cable from
[text get $0-dirfiles] to [open $1, start(
because on hot inlet [symbol] saves and outputs immediately.