Max Symbols $

Ali's icon

propper newbie question but what does the '$' symbol actually mean?

Ben Bracken's icon

Hi Ali,

In a message box, the '$' character is usually followed by a number (1-9). In Max, this is what is called changeable or replaceable arguments. From the message reference page:

---------
A dollar sign ($), followed immediately by a number in the range 1-9, is a changeable argument. This argument's value can be replaced by the corresponding item in a list received in the inlet. (Example: $2 stores the second item in a list as its value before sending out the contents of the message box.) The value of a changeable argument is initially 0.
---------

In an object like [if] or [expr] (and some others), the '$' can be followed by a data type abbreviation (f(float), s(symbol), i(integer)). These are also considered changeable arguments and generally used as variables in an equation of some sort. Check out the reference entries for these objects for more info.

Hope that is helpful!

-Ben

elmiller's icon
dthomas86's icon

the dollar sign is a variable.

Max Patch
Copy patch and select New From Clipboard in Max.

Not the best patch to show you on but I am at uni at the moment

dthomas86's icon

oops best go by what ben says I have explained the principle quite confusingly

Ali's icon

thanks for the help guys it makes sense now
Cheers again