Artur Dobija

I have begun to play around with the node js recently, such a great tool

I want to build a standalone from my patcher. Separate .txt files are read by the node.script, processed in some way and outputted. Everything (patch, js, txts) are in the same folder.

Everything works fine, until I build a standalone (be it app or mxf). The directory of the txt files cease to be recognised by the node.

It doesn't matter if I do this from the level of max project or only a max patch (using "include folder" option when building a standalone). I also include all .txt files in the app; it is directory which fails.

This is the function that causes trouble.

max.addHandler('readKernFile', fileName => {

    let score = fs.readFileSync(fileName);    // buffer. <= this works in a patch but not in a standalone.

    let midi = new Midi(score);                // a custom constructor

    let bach = constructBachFromMidi(midi);

The fileName is something like a-nice-piece-of-music-file1.midi .

Thank you for your time and effort for your help!

(btw I am not working with midi here, but with something else.)

Hello!
I have begun to play around with the node js recently, such a great tool
I want to build a standalone from my patcher. Separate .txt files are read by the node.script, processed in some way and outputted. Everything (patch, js, txts) are in the same folder.

Everything works fine, until I build a standalone (be it app or mxf). The directory of the txt files cease to be recognised by the node.

This is the function that causes trouble.

const fs = require('fs');
class Midi = ...
max.addHandler('readKernFile', fileName => {
	let score = fs.readFileSync(fileName);	// buffer.   <= this works in a patch but not in a standalone.
	let midi = new Midi(score);				// a custom constructor
	let bach = constructBachFromMidi(midi);
	max.outlet('clear');
	max.outlet(bach);
});

Hello!
I have begun to play around with the node js recently, such a great tool
I want to build a standalone from my patcher. Separate .txt 

max-app-node-js-and-reading-txt-files

are you working with absolute filepaths or just filenames, relative paths here? If it's the latter I'd recommend that you move to absolute filepaths and reading the files that way in the Node context. When running a standalone Max has to setup a temporary directory structure to run the Node scripts in so it might end up that relative filenames or paths won't be resolved exactly the way you expected it.

On a different note for future reference - your 

handler could also be written in an asynchronous way to make use of the EventLoop model in Nodejs and not be blocked by sync calls to fe. the FileSystem.

const { promises } = require('fs');
const { readFile } = promises;

class Midi {}

const constructBachFromMidi = midi => "process";

max.addHandler('readKernFile', async (filePath) => {
  const score = await readFile(filePath);

  const midi = new Midi(score);
  const bach = constructBachFromMidi(midi);
  
  await max.outlet('clear');
  await max.outlet(bach);
});

On a different note for future reference - your readKernFile handler could also be written in an asynchronous way to make use of the EventLoop model in Nodejs and not be blocked by sync calls to fe. the FileSystem.

Thank you for detailed answer, which solves the question, and for advice of looking at EventLoop model (which I am not aware of yet).

Max App, Node js and reading .txt files.