When my max/msp patches are opened by others, the preferences for appearance such as colors for comments, buttons, and color and opacity for panels appear to be those of the max5 user who has opened the patch on his/her computer. This also happens in runtime. How do I set my patch preferences so that another party opening the patch will see it the way it was saved on my computer?

preferences-from-computer-to-computer

Good question, I'm wondering whether you can specify a preferences file to go along with your patch. The prefs (as I understand them) are active for objects which you haven't specifically changed after creating them (changed colors etc.) So it's great if you want to change the overall appearance of everything with one click, but if you want a certain look on someone else's computer, you'd need to manually set all those colors for the objects. Once you set these they should stay that way regardless of the prefs anyone chooses, also great for flexibility, but being able to just use default settings and send along a prefs file (like a .css sheet of sorts) would be great.

alb wrote on Fri, 05 June 2009 16:05When my max/msp patches are opened by others, the preferences for appearance such as colors for comments, buttons, and color and opacity for panels appear to be those of the max5 user who has opened the patch on his/her computer. This also happens in runtime. How do I set my patch preferences so that another party opening the patch will see it the way it was saved on my computer?

Good question, I'm wondering whether you can specify a preferences file to go along with your patch. The prefs (as I understand them) are active for objects which you haven't specifically changed after creating them (changed colors etc.) So it's great if you want to change the overall appearance of everything with one click, but if you want a certain look on someone else's computer, you'd need to manually set all those colors for the objects. Once you set these they should stay that way regardless of the prefs anyone chooses, also great for flexibility, but being able to just use default settings and send along a prefs file (like a .css sheet of sorts) would be great.


Thanks for your tip. That still means that to send works (max/msp patches) to other folks I need to go to EACH object and make sure I've specified color and opacity. This opens the opportunity to miss a few. Where shall I look, or who should I contact, to see if I can lock my default settings when sending a patch on to others?

Thanks for your tip. That still means that to send works (max/msp patches) to other folks I need to go to EACH object and make sure I've specified color and opacity. This opens the opportunity to miss a  few. Where shall I look, or who should I contact,  to see if I can lock my default settings when sending a patch on to others?


Right-click into Patcher Inspector, then you'll see a checkbox for Default Values, plus some other things which may be relevant. "Object Defaults" in the Documentation will explain more.

You can highlight multiple objects and change them all at once in a single Inspector window, use control-I to open it as there's no button with multiple objects selected. Best to select groups of the same object type, but different ones will work as a group too, if they share attributes (color and opacity are universal I think, but some objects have several different colors in them).

In Cycling '74 --> default-settings you'll find a list of the preference files, including any you've stored, as .maxdefaults. So if you include this file with your patch, and can get the other person to put it in that folder of the Max app, it would show up as an option in their Object Defaults window. No dice for Runtime, unless there's a way to tell Max to load the file automatically? Didn't see a command for this in the "messages to Max" section of the docs, maybe it's not possible.

alb wrote on Sat, 06 June 2009 04:22Thanks for your tip. That still means that to send works (max/msp patches) to other folks I need to go to EACH object and make sure I've specified color and opacity. This opens the opportunity to miss a  few. Where shall I look, or who should I contact,  to see if I can lock my default settings when sending a patch on to others?

In Cycling '74 --> default-settings you'll find a list of the preference files, including any you've stored, as .maxdefaults. So if you include this file with your patch, and can get the other person to put it in that folder of the Max app, it would show up as an option in their Object Defaults window. No dice for Runtime, unless there's a way to tell Max to load the file automatically? Didn't see a command for this in the "messages to Max" section of the docs, maybe it's not possible.


There is also the universal object, which would let you operate on all instances of one object. I also work with prototypes quite a bit. When I'm creating new patches, I'll use the CNMAT.button, or whatever, which has the colors I use for that project.

It would be a nice feature, though, to be able to freeze those attributes in a simpler way.

First I would not want to see your patch with your default settings, as I have my own taste... 

But there is an easy way not to miss anything if you need to force your taste onto a patch, which in general would only be the main patch I guess. 

Just select all (cmd-a), and open the inspector with cmd-i. Then freeze the attributes you want to be freezed...

As an example, my ezdac~ witch should look now like it looks at my place...

let me know which color it has if switched on...

(Its an object I would agree, that the default from Cycling is simply unusable and thus needs to be set differently...

alb wrote on Sat, 06 June 2009 11:22Thanks for your tip. That still means that to send works (max/msp patches) to other folks I need to go to EACH object and make sure I've specified color and opacity. This opens the opportunity to miss a  few. Where shall I look, or who should I contact,  to see if I can lock my default settings when sending a patch on to others?

First I would not want to see your patch with your default settings, as I have my own taste... 
But there is an easy way not to miss anything if you need to force your taste onto a patch, which in general would only be the main patch I guess. 
Just select all (cmd-a), and open the inspector with cmd-i. Then freeze the attributes you want to be freezed...

I would never want to impose my visual preferences on truely creative artists but those folks who ask for my pieces should at least get a taste of what I wanted the patches to look like as they travel the world without me. Thanks loads. That little freeze level was unknown to me.

preferences from computer to computer