Splitting a message

Jwif

Hi,

Im trying to input a file with spaces in its name and separate the filename words into message boxes. but not having much luck.

Ive managed to separate the filename from the directory by using [splitfilename] and output it into a message box. E.g. [test file one.wav<

I've found if I add list to the start of the message it works:

[list test file one.wav<
| \ \
[set $1< [set $2< [set $3<
| | |
[test< [file< [one.wav<

My only question now is how do I add 'list' to the start of the message (or make the message a list) I receive from [splitfilename]. I tried [add2 list $1< but it only outputs the first word in the name.

It would be great if someone could explain how to deal with lists and create them etc.. I am not finding the help files too helpful.

Thanks in advance
J

Maelstorm

Why not just use [unpack] instead?

Anyway, if you want to go the list route, I think just sending it through a

object will tack the list selector to the front of it.

Jwif

Hi Maelstorm,

Thanks for the reply.

Unfortunately using [unpack s s s] doesn't work properly for me I'm afraid. I did try that method at first.

I've attached the abstraction I'm working on to clarify things a bit more. (The messages with the red background are the ones I've been trying.)

With regards to adding list to the messages, its not that I wish to go that route but rather it is the only way where I've achieved results.

In the attached patch it seems that if a message is written out by hand it is treated differently to a message it gets from [splitfilename /]. Almost as if the spaces in the name are not there.

I hope I'm just missing something vitally important as then there is still a solution to this.

Thanks for your time,
J

http://www.pdpatchrepo.info/hurleur/testfileinput.pd

kyro

Unpack works fine, you just have to use only [set $1( after it . The outlets of unpack are atoms (float or symbol), not lists, so [set $2( does'nt receive any second item.

To insert "list" at the beginning of a list you can use [prepend list]. See "all about list vs anything" in the 5.reference part of the help browser.

Jwif

Hey Kyro,

Ok I realise my error with [unpack s s s] it does work if all the outlets go to [set $1(
However this only works if i type in the filename myself. Not if I receive it from a user defined file. This was my original problem sorry if I didn't make it clear.

I don't know if you looked at the patch but it goes like this:

Would you say this is correct? It works for me until it gets to the unpack. After that the whole filename goes into the far left outlet of unpack. Almost like it sees the name without spaces.

Thanks,
J

kyro

Strange... I'd say it's correct but obviously it does'nt work. It seems that the output of [splitfilename] is a single symbol, even if the name contains spaces. If it was a list, you would'nt be able to handle it with a simple [set $1(. Sorry.

Jwif

Ok thanks Kyro.
I don't understand your last sentence though. If it were a list you could do:

[list test file one.wav(
| \ \
[set $1( [set $2( [set $3(
| | |
[test( [file( [one.wav(

kyro

Of course. I meant that this:

[splitfilename /]
|
[set $1(
|
would not set the whole name with spaces if the output of splitfilename was a list.

Jwif

But this would work wouldn't it?

[splitfilename]
|
[add2 list $1(
|
[ (

Do you know how to get splitfilename to output a list by any chance?

Jwif

Thanks for your help guys I finally figured out the solution.

In case someone else comes across this problem I've attached the patch.

I didn't realise the argument in [splitfilename] was a selector to cut the name at the point of the last argument.

In the case of 'test file one.wav' there needs to be 3 [splitfilename] s. The first takes away the directory with an argument of '/' (or default). The right outlet of that (test file one.wav) goes to a [splitfilename space] which cuts name at the last space. Leaving a 'one.wav' in the right outlet and 'test file' in the left. That goes to another [splitfilename space] which splits 'test file' into two.

Relief!

Thanks,
J

http://www.pdpatchrepo.info/hurleur/splitfilenametest.pd

Maelstorm

Ah. I've never used [splitfilename] before and didn't realize that. You might have an easier time then with [symbol2list /]. It will cut the path up where all of the /'s are and make a list out of it. And you'll only need one of them.

Jwif

Cool Maelstorm, thanks for the advice. Wish I knew that a few days ago

Do the arguments for [symbol2list] work like [splitfilename]? So would
[symbol2list space] cut at every space in the file?

Maelstorm

Yes and no. Yes, the arguments for [symbol2list] are what get cut out and are used to separate the list, so:

[symbol hello-world(
|
[symbol2list -]
|

|
|
[hello world(

(You could replace ->with just [prepend set] from cyclone, but it's worth knowing the vanilla way of doing things . Based on your previous post, I had a feeling you'd be interested in knowing how to add an item to the front of a list.)

However, [symbol2list space] will just look for the word "space" and cut it out. To divide it up at the spaces, use no arguments. Check out it's help file. It's pretty...um...helpful.

Jwif

Thanks for the advice,

I tried using the example in the helpfile for [symbol2list] but it didn't work as I thought it might. Ive achieved what I needed to do with [splitfilename /] so I guess Ill stick with that.

Yeah I do need to add 'symbol' to the start of a message so that [sel] can validate it.
I don't know if there is a better way but this works:

|
[symbol prepend symbol]
|
[set symbol $1(
|
[ (

The help files are very helpful to certain extent. They've made my life a lot easier when it comes to figuring out pd. But some are a bit inconsistent, sometimes confusing matters. Like in the list helpfile it states that using list in a message is good, set - bad, and nothing - ugly.

keygap

I haven't red what you were discussing in the middle of topic, but after unpack I tried to use only
[set $1( for all it's outlets and the result the same as on that side you wrote "the only one that works correctly" in an example patch testfileinput.pd

Jwif

Thanks keygap, I realised that mistake in an earlier post. The main issue was that the output of [splitfilename /] for some reason ignores the spaces. Therefore using either unpack or list would not work. I got it to work by using multiple [splitfilename space]s.

The solution is in splitfilenametest.pd a few posts above.

Cheers,
J