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| -rw-r--r-- | README | 34 |
1 files changed, 28 insertions, 6 deletions
@@ -3,12 +3,34 @@ ========== this library allows you to to write externals for Pd using the -Tcl language. despite tot/toxy/widget externals, Tcl code ran -with tclpd actually runs in server (rather than gui process). - -this is a PRE-ALPHA release: it means something work, but don't -expect to do serious things right now. also expect changes to -the Tcl API and around. +Tcl language. +The API is the standard pd C API, so if you wrote an external in C in +the past, you know where to start. +(Otherwise you can read the Pd-External-HOWTO) + + + The client/server thing + ======================= + +Pd is split into two processes: the gui, and the core. +A pd external with no gui generally just runs in the core. +A pd gui external is split in two pieces: the gui and the non-gui part. +The non-gui part actually makes audio/file IO, while the gui part is +just a frontend to the non-gui one, displaying its state, and allowing +the user to interact with it. + +Tclpd runs the Tcl code in the core process. + +You might have been familiar with tot/toxy/widget externals. +Such externals run in the gui process (client). That was fine for writing +gui only external, but, for instance, you cannot do a metronome or +anything which is timing accurate, or heavy IO, as that is not the +purpose of the gui process. + +Theoretically, Tclpd could also do gui stuff. Communication to the gui +is done with the sys_vgui proc (communication in the opposite directions +is done via pd message and receivers). +Just I didn't design a framework for doing this, so it's up to you. Data conversion between Tcl <=> Pd |