Max Greatest Annoyances #3: new objects are created right on top of the others

MaxMSP
Valery_Kondakoff's icon

Valery_Kondakoff

New objects in Max are created exactly in the place, where mouse cursor is located. Sometimes this leads to hard to debug problems. Here is an example video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0ypua2vdro2nee4/create%20objects%20successively.mov?dl=0
There is an integer number object connected to «+ 2» object, which in turn is connected to another integer number object. I’m changing the value of the first integer, but the result is still 0. Take a look at the video. Can you understand why this happens? This is because I created two integer numbers objects (press ‘i’ twice) beneath the «+ 2» and the patch cord by default connects to the lower object, which is invisible now. Funny, huh?

For keyboard-oriented users Max has a set keyboard commands that can make it really fast to create and connect objects together. This feature is enabled by default but can be disabled via the "Enable Patching Mechanics" Max Preference. It is potentially great, allowing us to create new objects already connected to previous objects, but it does not works well in reality, just because of the same problem: new objects are created exactly where cursor is (over the top of the previous object). And user need to reposition the mouse after every keyboard hotkey, or just take care of a bunch of connected objects which are piled on top of each other.

Proposal: newly created objects should be created at the mouse cursor position, but if there are several objects created successively, each other object should be positioned below the previously created object (not over the top). In addition, every objects created by Patching Mechanics shortcuts should be created below each other.

What do you think?

Roman Thilenius's icon

Roman Thilenius


& all graphic objects should be available with one click, like it was in max v4.

& key commands for object creation should be opt-in and user configurable.