grab
Intercept the output of another object
Description
grab can send a message and extract the result from the receiving object.
Note: The grab object cannot be used to communicate from a send to a receive between Max for Live devices.
Arguments
number-of-outlets[int]
optional
The first argument sets the number of outlets, in addition to the right outlet. If there is no argument, grab has 1 additional outlet.
receive-name[symbol]
optional
If a symbol is present as a second argument, the message received in the inlet is sent to all receive objects named by the symbol, instead of being sent out the right outlet. In this case the rightmost outlet, which would normally send out the incoming message if no second argument were present, will not exist.
Attributes
Common Box Attributes
annotation[symbol]
Sets the text that will be displayed in the Clue window when the user moves the mouse over the object.
background[int]: 0
Adds or removes the object from the patcher's background layer. background 1 adds the object to the background layer, background 0 removes it. Objects in the background layer are shown behind all objects in the default foreground layer.
color[4 floats]
Sets the color for the object box outline.
fontface[int]
Sets the type style used by the object. The options are:
plain
bold
italic
bold italic
Possible values:
0 = 'regular'
1 = 'bold'
2 = 'italic'
3 = 'bold italic'
fontname[symbol]
Sets the object's font.
fontsize[float]
Sets the object's font size (in points).
Possible values:
'8'
'9'
'10'
'11'
'12'
'13'
'14'
'16'
'18'
'20'
'24'
'30'
'36'
'48'
'64'
'72'
hint[symbol]
Sets the text that will be displayed in as a pop-up hint when the user moves the mouse over the object in a locked patcher.
ignoreclick[int]: 0
Toggles whether an object ignores mouse clicks in a locked patcher.
jspainterfile[symbol]
You can override the default appearance of a user interface object by assigning a JavaScript file with code for painting the object. The file must be in the search path.
patching_rect[4 floats]: 0. 0. 100. 0.
Sets the position and size of the object in the patcher window.
position[2 floats]
write-only
Sets the object's x and y position in both patching and presentation modes (if the object belongs to its patcher's presentation), leaving its size unchanged.
presentation[int]: 0
Sets whether an object belongs to the patcher's presentation.
presentation_rect[4 floats]: 0. 0. 0. 0.
Sets the x and y position and width and height of the object in the patcher's presentation, leaving its patching position unchanged.
rect[4 floats]
write-only
Sets the x and y position and width and height of the object in both patching and presentation modes (if the object belongs to its patcher's presentation).
size[2 floats]
write-only
Sets the object's width and height in both patching and presentation modes (if the object belongs to its patcher's presentation), leaving its position unchanged.
textcolor[4 floats]
Sets the color for the object's text in RGBA format.
textjustification[int]
Sets the justification for the object's text.
Possible values:
0 = 'left'
1 = 'center'
2 = 'right'
varname[symbol]
Sets the patcher's scripting name, which can be used to address the object by name in pattr, scripting messages to thispatcher, and the js object.
Messages
bang
Performs the same function as anything .
int
Performs the same function as anything .
- input
[int]
float
Performs the same function as anything .
- input
[float]
list
Performs the same function as anything .
- input
[list]
anything
The message is sent out the right outlet, or if a second argument is present the message is sent to receive objects named by the second argument.
- input
[list]
Output
anything
Out right outlet: The right outlet should be connected only to the leftmost inlet of other objects. The message received in the inlet is sent out to the left inlet of all objects connected to the right outlet. Whatever goes out their outlets, however, is then intercepted by grab.
Out other outlets: Whatever would normally be sent out the outlets of the objects connected to the right outlet, is sent out the grab object's outlets instead, in response to a message from grab. Whatever would be sent out the leftmost outlet of the other objects is sent out the leftmost outlet of grab, and so on. Note: Only the output that is sent out the outlets of other objects can be intercepted by grab. Other types of output, such as transmission of MIDI messages or printing in the Max Console, cannot be intercepted by grab. Also, grab does not intercept the output of timing objects such as seq, metro, and clocker.
Connecting the right outlet of grab to the inlet of a patcher object, however, will not grab the output of the subpatch. It will simply grab the output of the inlet object inside the subpatch, which is exactly the same as its input. However, grab can communicate with remote objects via a receive object named as the second argument to grab.
If a second argument is present, the message received in the inlet is sent directly to receive objects named by the argument instead of being sent out the right outlet. Any such receive objects should be connected only to the leftmost inlet of other objects. The rightmost outlet, which would otherwise be used to grab the output of other objects, does not appear if the second argument is used.
Note that if grab is connected to other objects remotely via numerous receive objects of the same name, the order in which grab communicates with those other objects is undefined, so the order in which their output will be sent out of the grab object's other outlets is unpredictable.
See Also
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| preset | Store and recall settings |
| table | Store and edit an array of numbers |