Also note that some objects, e.g. [qlist], positively depend on the message sending style. My students who wanted to use them have often wondered why we hadn't covered the two ways of sending more in depth.
Can you explain with an example? I don't understand why you must use message boxes semi-colons for [qlist]. The [qlist] help patch doesn't have any message boxes with semi-colons, for example.
.hc
Sure. A [qlist] sends messages from a file (among other things). Those messages have the same form as messages sent from message boxes: send-receive_symbol list or whatever;
The only difference is that the first message in a message box is sent from its outlet rather than to a receive -- the leading semicolon you see just means "send no message from outlet" which to me makes plenty of sense and is not difficult to read at all.
For instance, this:
|; init-1 6 / |; init-2 symbol foo | |; init-3 -2 \
Really means: ____________ ; init-1 6; init-2 symbol foo; init-3 -2 ____________
Doesn't it? (pardon my ascii) And if you did this:
bang; init-1 6; init-2 symbol foo; init-3 -2 ____________
then it would send a bang from its inlet first.
So in order to have my students understand [qlist] and its files, they have found it very useful to know about the message system in message boxes... it makes the message system in Pd on the whole a lot more understandable and less confusing, and it seems to be less confusing the earlier you introduce it to them.
That's all I meant.
Matt