File Browser Drag and Drop

Once you find files in the file browser, you can quickly incorporate them into patchers by dragging them. Files can be dragged into patchers as well as onto objects. Below are some common tasks you can accomplish with drag and drop.

Creating objects from the file browser

Click on an object file in the file browser and drag into any empty space in an unlocked patcher window. You’ll see a translucent copy of the row from the file browser appear in the window when you drag the file into it.
When you release your mouse, a instance of the object will appear in the patcher.

Creating read file messages for media files from the file browser

Click on a media file an imagefile, an audiofile, or a moviefile in the File Browser browser display area and drag into any white space in an unlocked Patcher Window. You’ll see a translucent copy of the row from the File Browser appear in the unlocked patcher window when you drag your cursor into it.
When you release your mouse, a message box will appear in the Patcher Window that contains the Max message used to load the media file (e.g. read <moviefile name>, open <audiofile name>).
You'll need to add a patch cord to connect newly created message box

Holding down the Option key (Macintosh) or Alt key (Windows) while dragging will show a pop-up menu. Although the contents of the menu will vary depending on what type of media file you choose, you are basically presented with the choice of creating a message box with the necessary message to load the file, or to instantiate a Max object that loads the media file.

Loading QuickTime movies from the file browser

Click on a moviefile in the file browser and drag onto any jit.qt.movie object in a locked or unlocked patcher window. You’ll see a translucent copy of the row from the File Browser appear in the unlocked patcher window when you drag your cursor into it.
When you release your mouse, the QuickTIme movies will be read into the jit.qt.movie just as if you had used the read message.

Loading audiofiles into MSP objects from the file browser

Click on an audiofile in the file browser and drag onto any buffer~, waveform~, or sfplay~ object in a locked or unlocked Patcher Window. You’ll see a translucent copy of the row from the File Browser appear in the unlocked patcher window when you drag your cursor into it.
> When you release the mouse button, the audiofiles will be read into a buffer~ object as if you had used the replace message or into an sfplay~ object as if you had used the open message.

Holding down the option key (Mac) or control key (Windows) while dragging will show a pop-up menu. You can choose to create a message box with the necessary message to load the file, or to instantiate a buffer~ or sfplay~ object that loads the media file.

Loading image files from the file browser

Click on an image file in the file browser and drag onto any fpic or jit.qt.movie object in a locked or unlocked Patcher Window. You’ll see a translucent copy of the row from the File Browser appear in the unlocked patcher window when you drag your cursor into it.
When you release the mouse button, the image file will be read into a the fpic or jit.qt.movie object as if you had used the read message.

Holding down the option key (Mac) or Alt key (Windows) while dragging will show a pop-up menu. You can choose to create a message box with the necessary message to load the file, create an fpic object that loads the media file, or create an embedded image.

Creating menus from the file browser

Click on a folder in the file browser and drag into any white space in an unlocked Patcher Window. When you You’ll see a translucent copy of the row from the File Browser appear in the unlocked patcher window when you drag your cursor into it. When you release your mouse, a umenu object will appear that contains the names of all the files in the folder.

Loading a patcher into a bpatcher from the file browser

Click on the name of a patcher file in the file browser area and drag onto any bpatcher object in an unlocked patcher window. When you release the mouse button, the patcher file will be loaded into the bpatcher object, or will replace any patcher file currently loaded.