Timer, pass variable

[Tonfisch]

Hello,
is there a way to pass a variable to a timercallback?
It seems to me that the only way is going global for this, but i want to avoid that.
Any ideas?

[dnaldoog]

I think you have two choices:

1. closures
2. metatables

local counter = (function()
    local i = 0
    return function()
        i = i + 1
        return i
    end
end)()

myMethod = function(--[[ CtrlrComponent --]] comp --[[ MouseEvent --]], event)
-- rename the TimerCallback to either TimerCallback2 or TimerCallback
    timer:setCallback(1, TimerCallback2) -- TimerId 1
    timer:startTimer(1, 200)
end

TimerCallback = function(timerId)
    if timerId == 1 then
        local count = counter()  -- Call the counter function to get and increment
        panel:getLabelComponent("out"):setText(String(count))
        
        if count >= 10 then
            panel:getLabelComponent("out"):append("\nEND")
            counter = nil  -- Clear the counter reference
            timer:stopTimer(timerId)
        end
    end
end



TimerCallback2 = function(timerId)
    if timerId == 1 then
        local counter = my.counter
        my.counter = my.counter + 1
        panel:getLabelComponent("out"):setText(String(counter))
        if counter >= 10 then
            panel:getLabelComponent("out"):append("\nEND")
            counter = nil
	    my.counter=nil
            timer:stopTimer(timerId)
        end
    end
end
my=setmetatable({},{__index=function(t,k) t[k]=1 return t[k] end})

Timer local variable_1_0.zip

[Tonfisch]

Thanks for your work.
I have to learn the metatable stuff first.
Closures are new to me, cool.
Good lecture, those two links.

[dnaldoog]

Once you get the idea of metatables, you will never look back!

Using __index you can lookup another table's value if your table is missing an index or key. That other table (metatable) might contain a function that returns a value for the key/index of the table with a missing key. Once it does this the calling table now has a value for that key/index and doesn't call the metatable again.

Your table = t
t={}
if you call console(String(t[3])) you will get an error because that table entry doesn't exist.
Same with console(String(t.lforate))

However if you create another table {} and assign it as a lookup, you can access these values automagically:

t={}
m={}
m.lforate=45
setmetatable(t,{__index=m})
console(String(t.lforate))  --> 45

or, you can assign the metatable directly to the calling table:

t={}
setmetatable(t,{__index=function(t,k) t[k]=45 return t[k] end })
console(String(t.lforate)) --> 45

or

t=setmetatable({},{__index=function(t,k) t[k]=45 return t[k] end })
console(String(t.lforate)) --> 45

For example, in your DPS-V77 panel you have nearly 400 initializers for controls:

MixFad6 = panel:getModulatorByName("MixFad6")
MixFad7 = panel:getModulatorByName("MixFad7")
MixFad8 = panel:getModulatorByName("MixFad8")
MixFad9 = panel:getModulatorByName("MixFad9")
MixFad10 = panel:getModulatorByName("MixFad10")
MixFad11 = panel:getModulatorByName("MixFad11")

MixStructCombo = panel:getModulatorByName("MixStructCombo")
EqAtypeCombo = panel:getModulatorByName("EqAtypeCombo")
EqBtypeCombo = panel:getModulatorByName("EqBtypeCombo")
FxAdisplay = panel:getModulatorByName("FxAdisplay")
FxBdisplay = panel:getModulatorByName("FxBdisplay")

....

You can replace all that with these 4 lines of code in on_panel_load()

mods=setmetatable({},{__index=function(t,k)
local mod=panel:getModulatorByName(k)
t[k]=mod
return t[k] end
})

In your panel now, instead of calling

EqASlider17:getModulatorValue()

you call:

mods.EqASlider17:getModulatorValue()

---

but the great thing is if you want to create a new control, you don't have to do anything:

console(String(mods.mynewmodulator:getModulatorValue())

will work without having to initialise a new variable in on_panel_load()

Another use is the infamous lua tables start at index 1 not 0 like in other panels:

There are two possibilities here:

myMethod = function(--[[ CtrlrComponent --]] comp --[[ MouseEvent --]], event)
    for i = 0, 31 do
        console(string.format("[%d] %q", i + 1, t[i]))
    end
end

t =
    setmetatable(
    {[0] = "my first item = 1"},
    {__index = function(t, k)
            t[k] = "My next item = " .. k + 1
            return t[k]
        end}
)

outputs

[1] "my first item = 1"
[2] "My next item = 2"
[3] "My next item = 3"
[4] "My next item = 4"
[5] "My next item = 5"
[6] "My next item = 6"
[7] "My next item = 7"
[8] "My next item = 8"
[9] "My next item = 9"
[10] "My next item = 10"
[11] "My next item = 11"
[12] "My next item = 12"
[13] "My next item = 13"
[14] "My next item = 14"
[15] "My next item = 15"
[16] "My next item = 16"
[17] "My next item = 17"
[18] "My next item = 18"
[19] "My next item = 19"
[20] "My next item = 20"
[21] "My next item = 21"
[22] "My next item = 22"
[23] "My next item = 23"
[24] "My next item = 24"
[25] "My next item = 25"
[26] "My next item = 26"
[27] "My next item = 27"
[28] "My next item = 28"
[29] "My next item = 29"
[30] "My next item = 30"
[31] "My next item = 31"
[32] "My next item = 32"

or as an alternative:

myMethod = function(--[[ CtrlrComponent --]] comp --[[ MouseEvent --]], event)
   for i = 0, 31 do
       console(string.format("[%d] %q", i + 1, t[i]))
   end
end

t =
   setmetatable(
   {},
   {__index = function(t, k)
           t[k] = "My item = " .. k + 1
           return t[k]
       end}
)

will print

[1] "My item = 1"
[2] "My item = 2"
[3] "My item = 3"
[4] "My item = 4"
[5] "My item = 5"
[6] "My item = 6"
[7] "My item = 7"
[8] "My item = 8"
[9] "My item = 9"
[10] "My item = 10"
[11] "My item = 11"
[12] "My item = 12"
[13] "My item = 13"
[14] "My item = 14"
[15] "My item = 15"
[16] "My item = 16"
[17] "My item = 17"
[18] "My item = 18"
[19] "My item = 19"
[20] "My item = 20"
[21] "My item = 21"
[22] "My item = 22"
[23] "My item = 23"
[24] "My item = 24"
[25] "My item = 25"
[26] "My item = 26"
[27] "My item = 27"
[28] "My item = 28"
[29] "My item = 29"
[30] "My item = 30"
[31] "My item = 31"
[32] "My item = 32"

Metatable example_1_0.zip

Please see

• Cache Modulator/Component Object #482
• Template panel #509

[dnaldoog]

Okay - I'll try and duplicate it - what is bank,preset data like?

[Tonfisch]

Just numbers. For the preset dump, to know where it wants to go to in the FX.

[Tonfisch]

Testtimer_1_0_Testtimer_2025-07-21_08-17.zip

[dnaldoog]

That is very interesting - I never knew about dump either. Wow! All these years thinking the debugger section did nothing!

[Tonfisch]

i think it is more light weight to ctrlr than the console, but i can be wrong.

[dnaldoog]

So with that program, I only see one iteration 2000ms later.

How would you loop through a table of say 100 values one by one - I don't see where the counter is like in the closure example I posted?

::start dumpvar
"I do something first",{"string": "I do something first"},
::end

::start dumpvar
"after that i do something else",{"string": "after that i do something else"},
::end

::start dumpvar
"bank: 1",{"string": "bank: 1"},
::end

::start dumpvar
"preset: 5",{"string": "preset: 5"},
::end

[Tonfisch]

It is more thought as replacement for os.execute(sleep(time))

[dnaldoog]

Thank you for opening up some new possibilities - will look into in detail. I like the elegance of it, so want to get familiar with it.

[dnaldoog]

Here is a modified version processing a table: It's a bit convoluted but interesting nevertheless.

Run Anonymous function_2_0_Testtimer.zip