solomonB

I was wondering if there is a way to have an addition operation where the sum is outputted upon input into either inlet. I checked maxobjects.com but I did not see any externals that do this. Is there a way to do this in max?

addition-operator-question

The reason that there's not an external object

that does this is that you can patch it yourself

using any object that sends a bang [a message box,

a button, etc.]. Remember that the leftmost [hot]

inlet triggers the calculation, so all you'd need

to do is to have any input to the right inlet 

send a bang to that left inlet. I was thinking

that one of the very early tutorials actually 

did this explicitly, but I guess not. Anyway,

I'll let you meditate on how you might do this

This is an example of something that happens in

Max programming all the time - there is usually

no one arbitrary object that does *anything* because

there are simple techniques that beginning users

can add to include this functionality, obviating

the need for a completely new external. One reason

to spend time learning the basics is that you'll be

adding things of this nature again and again if you

The reason that there's not an external object
that does this is that you can patch it yourself
using any object that sends a bang [a message box,
a button, etc.]. Remember that the leftmost [hot]
inlet triggers the calculation, so all you'd need
to do is to have any input to the right inlet 
send a bang to that left inlet. I was thinking
that one of the very early tutorials actually 
did this explicitly, but I guess not. Anyway,
I'll let you meditate on how you might do this
simple thing.

This is an example of something that happens in
Max programming all the time - there is usually
no one arbitrary object that does *anything* because
there are simple techniques that beginning users
can add to include this functionality, obviating
the need for a completely new external. One reason
to spend time learning the basics is that you'll be
adding things of this nature again and again if you
continue with the Way that is Max.


Your right I was being an idiot. I blanked on the trigger object.

No, you weren't being an idiot at all. The

kinds of thing you're thinking about involve

developing habits of thought, which it'd be

silly to assume you automatically have. Getting

a sense of how to manipulate things at what 

seems to be a "simple" level, combined with

learning to generalize and re-use your own

solutions, are what separate the beginner 

from someone who's not. You're on your way.

No, you weren't being an idiot at all. The
kinds of thing you're thinking about involve
developing habits of thought, which it'd be
silly to assume you automatically have. Getting
a sense of how to manipulate things at what 
seems to be a "simple" level, combined with
learning to generalize and re-use your own
solutions, are what separate the beginner 
from someone who's not. You're on your way.


I second Gregory's nurturance. And to encourage more, for some specific needs you could check out the object(and if you ever need something for lists, the object).

I second Gregory's nurturance. And to encourage more, for some specific needs you could check out the  object(and if you ever need something for lists, the  object).


(Sorry, Gregory, but I got sufficiently tired of [t b i]s that I went through the effort to write sigma.)

...Litter Starter Pack, URL below. Yes, I need to update the listing at maxobjects.com but there have been higher priorities.

Googling the list ought to turn it up. There's a long discussion at, for instance, 

...Litter Starter Pack, URL below. Yes, I need to update the listing at maxobjects.com but there have been higher priorities. 

Googling the list ought to turn it up. There's a long discussion at, for instance, 


Thanks for the kind words Gregory. I'm definately starting to get more into the habit of reusing general code via prototypes, abstractions, and bpatchers. Its all a learning experience and sometimes I forget obvious things.

Addition operator question