Float to Integer actor, an erratic behavior

[fypy]

Hi everybody !

_(excuse my poor english, i'm french)_

The patch is basically a CountDown, very useful for my purpose, theatre control room.

So,

2 patches attached

- one which works perfectly with Isadora 1.3.0f24

- another one, same actors and connections, which don't work with Isadora 1.3.1f06

And the looser is.... uhuuu... "Float to Integer" actor !

In fact, i'm not quite sure of this... But this actor seems to have an erratic behavior, and it's very boring for my particular work...

If some of you just can take a look... Thanks !

8952f7-countdown-in-isadora-1.3.0f24.izz bd8509-countdown-in-isadora-1.3.1f06.izz

[mark]

Dear fypy,

Well, yes, there is a problem, but it has to do with the fix to the Float to Integer actor made between 1.3.0f24 and 1.3.1f06. In the past, the Float to Integer actor would only send an output to the value when the value changed. Now, it sends a value every time a new input is received. (For instance, if the input changed from 3.2 to 3.1, the old Float to Integer would not send a value. Now, it sends a value when it receives 3.2 and when it receives 3.1. This is more in line with how the Calculator actor works.)

Your patch relies on the old behavior. But since the updated Float to Int sends a value every time a new input value arrives, your Counter actor immediately jumps from the desired value to 0.

In any case, please try the Countdown patch I've created for you. It uses the Envelope Generator as a timer, which I think makes the function of the actor a bit more straightforward.

I'm sorry for the fact that the old patch didn't work. I try to ensure that old files will work with new versions, but sometimes a problem like this is unavoidable.

Best Wishes,
Mark

9d234c-countdown-v2.iua

[fypy]

_excuse my poor english, I'm french_

Dear Mark

first, thank you to be as you are, so concerned by the community of Isadora's users, and so kind with us !!

In french, we have an expression, and i translate here literally : it's an honor for all of us seeing you "leaning over the question".

So,

i open your "countdown v2", made for me and others by you, and, kabooom, unexpected error (attached file #1)

So i am sure that there is a problem with my configuration...

Then,

because i am doing this 10 times a day, i clicked "continue" and opened a new patch, loaded your "countdown v2" and examined it.

One of the beauty of Isadora is that we can obtain a result with many ways ; some are elegant, some are clumsy, some are "strange but it works".

Sometimes, i think that we have to examine the problem with a wide vue.

For exemple, in my particular case, it is not because i am dealing with seconds, that i **must** use a Timer, or a Clock, etc.

That is first lesson.

Second lesson,

you are not hesitating to use user patches inside of user patches ; i have done it before, but with a little sense of fear, probably because of a mental image representing a box in a box in a box, etc, something hidden and secret...

You use 2 little "user-in-user controls", named "Float Thru" and "On-Off Thru", and i don't understand your purpose here. (attached pictures #2 and #3). Can you explain (or somebody else) that for us ?

Third lesson,

i don't know you, but i think that we have a tendency to forget the existence of some actors, because they are so many. Examining your patch, i see a couple of "gate", and i never use it (i use lots of "comparator" for this purpose, or "pass value").

The lesson is that **we have to** examine the patches developed by others. That is one the importance of the forum.

 * * *

Have you ever thought of a sort of competition (friendly), like "build a countdown control", where the criterias have to be elegance, less CPU usage, less controls instances, etc. ?

It might be a good, funny and interesting thing, no ?

Thanks for all

fypy

[mark]

Dear fypy,

You are right. I get the same error. So I attach a revised Float to Integer that I hope will solve this problem once and for all! Read this [Knowledge Base article](http://troikatronix.com/support/kb/installing-an-isadora-plugin-manually/) to find out how to install it. It will probably solve your other Float to Integer problem as well.

Regarding the "Float Thru" and "On/Off Thru", I use these to create a sort of "node" -- mostly it is to make the organization more clear.

Best Wishes,

Mark

9510bd-float-to-integer-mac.zip 73d596-float-to-integer-win.zip

[fypy]

_excuse my poor english, I'm french_

Thanks Mark for this update !

I have two others questions (and i think that the answers will interest lots of people here - I ever liked to ask questions that others would have, but didn't because they are afraid to feel ashamed of such a stupid question !... -) :

1 - so, can i install this revised "Float to Integer" in older versions of Isadora ? (it's important to know, because sometimes i have to deal with productions which are working on older versions)

2 - (very stupid question I guess) if my patch is working perfectly with this new instance of "Float to Integer", it doesn't mean that it will work on another computer, right ? I mean that the new parameters of the revised "Float to Integer" are NOT, let say, encapsulated in my patch, right ?

[mark]

Dear fypy,

A1: I have not tested the Float to Integer on older versions. But I believe it will work. I will leave it to you to try it and report back.

A2: No, you will need to install this plugin for every copy of Isadora that will use your patch.

Best Wishes,

Mark