WISH: User defined Integer input for Path Mapper

Hi David,

Another wish for your consideration.

Can the Path Mapper Component have an input manager which allows the user to add a plug-in for an integer to be used in the mapper sequence which could be derived from a component elsewhere.

e.g. If I have a long list and want to compile every 7 items into a branch

{A}(i) --> {i\7} could this be changed to {A}(i) --> {i\N} where N is the user defined integer

If this was to vary depending on a factor of a Curve's length then N would change with out the need for user intervention.

Many thanks.

Danny

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David Rutten on April 8, 2010 at 7:51am

Danny,

I've been thinking about having "constants" inside each document, which are basically values that will be available to all expressions that are run inside a single canvas. There would be a [constant] object and you could plug numbers, strings, booleans and points/vectors into it, at which point they become available to all expressions inside the same document.

There is however a problem with recursion here. It becomes very easy for constants to refer to each other more easily since there is no need for a wire between them. This is not a good thing. At least with the wires you can clearly see that you've created a closed loop.

Another problem is to do with updating. It's difficult to know whether or not a specific expression somewhere was evaluated using a particular variable.

--
David Rutten
david@mcneel.com
Poprad, Slovakia

Permalink Reply by Danny Boyes on April 8, 2010 at 8:05am

Part of me likes the idea of this. You (the developer) could tag a component that has a constant used in it's expression with a label like those used in the profiler widget but located in the top right hand corner to indicate the usage. Different Colours different constants.

But another part prefers the completely up front approach of GH wires for example instead of flattening a data stream inside a component I like to use the flatten component, that why I can see what's flattened at first glance. Which brings it back around to having an input for the integer that you can see and trace.

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