Hans-Christoph Steiner wrote:
For data types, I think its easiest to look to [route], [trigger], and [select], three Pd objects whose core function is to interpret data types. And this will give some perhaps surprising results. For example:
[word( | [select symbol]
this tells us "error: select: no method for 'word'", therefore [word( is not a symbol.
very empiristic indeed.
btw, i don't know why you consider these results as "surprising". i think people with _no_ knowledge of pd will think it very surprising if [select symbol] would select anything _but_ "symbol" (like "word") people who are used to pd should be surprised about this any more (since they are used to it)
[...]
This error message seems to tell us that [word( is not a symbol also.
right. nobody said that "word" is a symbol.
but nevermind...
bang float (== numeric element) list (== list series) pointer symbol symbolic element selector series
Here are some attempts at definitions:
list: a series of 2 or more elements whose first element is either the selector "list", or a float, which causes the "list" selector to be
i think this is a bad start. implying "list" or "float" is an exception and should be handled as such: at the very end of the documentation! if people would use [float 1( instead of [1(, then i think that there would be less confusion. so we should get people to _think_ [float 1(, even though they _write_ [1(.
symbol: a symbol is a two element series where the first element is the "symbol" selector and the second element is a symbolic element. But any series with a selector of "symbol" with more than two elements is automatically converted to a symbol by truncating all other symbolic elements but the "symbol" selector and the second element.
isn't the 3rd argument of [list 1 two drei( a symbol too?
selector series: a series of 2 or more elements whose first element is neither the selector "list" nor a numeric element. But it needs a better term.
how about "anything" (just joking)
numeric element: any element which is a functional representation of a number. In Pd, a numeric element is the same as a float.
symbolic element: any element which is not a functional representation of a number, usually in the form of words
and don't forget "pointer element".
apropos, isn't "element" a synonym for "atom"?
mfg.asdr IOhannes