Search Path

The Search Path is a collection of folders that Max looks through whenever it needs to find a file. It lets you reference files based on just their name, rather than their absolute path. To locate a file, Max looks in the following places, in order:

• The folder containing the currently open patch
• The project to which the current patcher belongs, if any
• The Max 9 Folder, including built-in patches and media, installed Projects, and others
• The folders in the current search path, in order

The File Browser lets you search, organize, and filter files in the current search path.

Editing the Search Path

Edit the search path by selecting File Preferences... from the Options Menu. This will open the File Preferences window.

The paths to the folders for User Library, Global Library, Examples, and Snapshots are managed by Max and cannot be modified. If you want Max to search other folders when looking for files, you can add your own folders using this window.

Adding a file to the search path

Click on the Add Path button in the bottom-left of the window. This will add a new, empty row to the search path list. Click the Choose button to open a dialog box that lets you browse for the folder you'd like to add to the search path. You can also name your path by double-clicking on the Name field. If you'd like to include subfolders as well, check the Subfolders box.

Removing a file from the search path

Select any path and click the Remove Path button in the bottom toolbar to remove it from the search path.

Listing all folders in the search path

You can click the List Path button in the bottom toolbar to list all of the folders currently in the search path. This includes subfolders and can include a lot of folders.

Max 9 Folder

Max adds a folder to the Documents directory called Max 9, containing files of different kinds that get added to Max as you work with it. This folder is located at %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\Documents\Max 9\Library on Windows and ~/Documents/Max 9/ on other operating systems.

• Collections - Collections that you make using the File Browser get stored here
• Library - This folder is for your use. Whatever files you put in this folder will be included in Max's search path.
• Packages - Packages instlaled by the Package Manager get installed here.
• Palettes - Palettes that you create using the Color Picker get stored here.
• Projects - This is the default location to save projects. Max will also unpack amxds here.
• Prototypes - Any saved Prototypes will be stored here.
• Recordings - The default directory for audio Recordings.
• Snapshots - New Snapshots get saved here.
• Snippets - When you create a Snippet, it gets stored here.
• Styles - New Styles get saved here.
• Templates - Saved Templates go to this directory.

Path Objects

Several objects facilitate working with Max's search path:

Projects

Projects collect and organize dependencies. All files in a given project will be able to locate other files in the same project. In addition, projects support Project Search Paths, which are extra search path folders specified by that project. For more details, see the documentation for Projects.

Standalones

Search paths in standalones work more or less the same as in regular Max, with a couple of small differences. Check out the documentation for Standalones for more details.