live.path
Navigate to objects in the Live application
Description
live.path is used to navigate to Live objects on which the live.object, live.observer and live.remote~ objects operate. The navigation is purely path-based and is independent of the objects currently present in Live (navigating to a nonexistent path will result in the message being sent out the left and middle outputs rather than an error message).
Note: The Live API runs in the main thread in Live, and that all messages to and from the API are automatically deferred.
Arguments
initial path[symbol]
optional
Specify an initial path as argument to live.path, without any quotes.
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.
adds the object to the background layer, 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]
JS Painter File
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.
Inlets
Single inlet
Outlets
Left outlet
For example, consider a fresh Live set with two tracks, "1 Audio" as the leftmost track and "2 MIDI" to the right of it. If you navigate to the "2 MIDI" track ( ) and you create a new Audio track between "1 Audio" and "2 MIDI", your original MIDI track now would be at . But since the id number of the MIDI track would stay the same and no new id is sent out to the left outlet, the live.xxx objects connected to this outlet keep working with the MIDI track, until you sent another goto.
Middle outlet
Consider the example above. If the live.xxx objects would be connected to the middle outlet of live.path, then they would work with the newly created audio track.
The spontaneous sending of object ids out of the middle outlet, i.e. without an inlet message causing it, but caused by a change in Live, is called a notification.
Note: It is not possible to modify the Live set from such a notification.
Right outlet
Messages
getid
TEXT_HERE
getcount
Arguments:
is the name of a child of the object at the current path.
Operation:
Sends a count message to the right outlet, containing the name of the child and its number of entries.
Remarks:
The given child must be a list.
Outlet | Output | Example |
---|---|---|
right |
- child-name
[symbol]
getchildren
Operation:
Sends a list of children of the object at the current path, if any, to the right outlet.
Remarks:
The child names are the same names as used in the goto message.
Outlet | Output | Example |
---|---|---|
right |
getpath
Operation:
Sends a path message with the current path to the right outlet.
Outlet | Output | Example |
---|---|---|
right |
bang, getid
Operation:
Sends the id of the object at the current path to left and middle outlets. Sends if there is no object at the current path.
Outlet | Output | Example |
---|---|---|
left | ||
middle |
path
Same as
but limited to absolute paths that start with a root object name like , , or .- absolute-path
[symbol]
goto
Arguments:
is an absolute path (starts with live_app, live_set or control_surfaces N ) or a relative path, or
Operation:
Navigates to given path and sends id of the object at that path out the left and middle outlets. If there is no object at the path, is sent.
Remarks:
You cannot go to a list property, only to one of its members.
invalid:
correct:
Outlet | Output | Example |
---|---|---|
left | ||
middle |
- path
[symbol]
See Also
Name | Description |
---|---|
JS API | JS API |
Live API Overview | Live API Overview |
Creating Devices that use the Live API | Creating Devices that use the Live API |
Live Object Model | Live Object Model |
live.object | Perform operations on Live objects |
live.observer | Monitor changes in Live objects |
live.remote~ | Realtime control of parameters in Ableton Live and Max for Live. |