I have a patch that receives an ID number when an object is added on a physcial table, and receives the ID number of an object when it is removed (from the table).

All add IDs come through the same outlet, and all the remove IDs come out another outlet.

Is there a way I can sort or list out what IDs are currently active or save the numbers received through the add or remove outlets? Since the ID numbers aren't received in a single list or message (but one after the other) how can I keep track of them when they come out the same outlet?

For example, the add outlet may receive a 1, then a 2, then a 3, then a 4 and then the remove outlet may receive a 3. This means only 1, 2, and 4 are still active.

One thought I had was creating a

all add objects, but is there a way to remove things from a list if they match what is inside? For example, if a 1 is in the add list, and the remove ID outlet receives a 1, it'll remove the number "1" from the add list.

you might be looking for the [bag] object. set up something like this

[inlet] [inlet]
| |
[$1 1( [$1 0(
\ /
\ /
[bag]

stick a [flush( in there, and maybe a feedback loop so you can read the contents and write them back in, or some such.

I'm not sure I understand the logic of [bag]. I don't know how to use it for my needs.

I don't understand when the right time to send flush would be. Once flush is it hit, it sends the current bag, but then the bag is empty when you hit flush again.

I would need the flush to be hit on every number update, so I don't think this way will work. Or, I could just be using it completely wrong. :-\

I don't know of a special object but you could probably set it up a sloppy way with the pack object.

The patch I attached would work as long as the object you are sending the list to can ignore the extra zeros that show up.
You could set the rate that it outputs its list using a metro attached to the bang.

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

Thanks, Piygnari but I don't think that will work either. The numbers being recieved aren't static so I can't use "select." Numbers are added in sequence and in numerical order.

So the first number added will be a 1, then 2, then 3.....1000....n. Remove numbers can be in any order, but are numbers that were previously added. Select I don't think will work especially if I had to count to 10,000 or so.

I can get all the numbers in a list by using

and can even unpack them if I want to route them somewhere, but I don't know if there's a way to remove numbers from a list. I know you can remove numbers if you know their placement (position) in the list, but there's no way to know the position in the list I think.

To summarize, it's like having two number boxes. One number box counts up, and another one has random numbers in any order. I would need the number box that counts up to become a list, and the other number box to remove numbers from the list of the numbers that match.

Thanks for all the thoughts.

>there's no way to know the position in the list I think.<

maybe try it with an array? make your array pretty big, or use [resize n( to grow as you need. number 5 comes in, then send [5 1( to the array. number 5 goes out, then send [5 0( to the array. this way you will always know the position of the numbers.

@hardoff said:

>there's no way to know the position in the list I think.<

maybe try it with an array? make your array pretty big, or use [resize n( to grow as you need. number 5 comes in, then send [5 1( to the array. number 5 goes out, then send [5 0( to the array. this way you will always know the position of the numbers.[/quote]
Hmmm...ok thanks. I'll try that. Sounds CPU intensive using a big array.

Thank you though.

yeah. arrays use lots of cpu if you store them graphically and update all the time.

because you don't have to visualise the contents, just make

really, try it. as long as you use