A continuation of the "Tcl for a rainy day" project.......
I don't use vanilla yet for quite a few reasons but the tcl/tk is getting better.......
Here is the start of the next unfinished project.......
woof.zip (version3)

Before you start MAKE A BACKUP of pd/tcl/pd_menus.tcl and pd/tcl/pd_menucommands.tcl
Unzip the file and copy the contents to the "pd/tcl" folder
Open Pd.

It works for windows pd vanilla 0.46-7.......... for what is working so far........ that is......
A "miouw" to the great help received on this forum.
The color picker.
Direct access to this forum and some other documentation.
Direct access to the wish console.
Direct access to the Widget Demo.
NEW widgets editor added........... but......... you need to download vtcl-8.6 from https://github.com/hpheidinger/vtcl.vtcl-8.6/wiki
and copy the unzipped folder to your pd directory.......

I have no idea (yet) about other platforms, but it should do no damage, and anyway you have your backup.........?

David

@gsagostinho Yes Gilberto....... I have dedicated (big word I know) this project to you (and also to @EEight @Maelstorm @alexandros @Liam and everyone that has helped me so much in the past... plus those of you that I have not listed!).......

There has been some discussion about the (non) aesthetics of vanilla lately, but there is a hidden tk/tcl widget demo in the vanilla download. The widget typeface matches more or less my os typeface and the widgets are quite beautiful compared to the font that had to be chosen for Pure data objects. The font used in Pd objects can be changed with a start-up flag to Pd........ and with a message from tk/tcl, but any font outside a select list will crash Pd........
Anyway..... back to the widgets.

They can be called easily from the Tcl prompt: in the Pd console.
Try copying ...... exec wish85.exe $::sys_libdir/lib/tk8.5/demos/widget .... to the tcl prompt (ctrl-v works) and pressing enter to see what I mean......

I am looking for a way to send messages to that prompt (or directly to wish) from within a patch. I do not need an object as such........ just an address....... such as [; pd::tcl_prompt message(
A simpler means to return variables to pd would be useful as well......but with an attached "bang"....... which might require an external. I suppose that an "external" means would be best and that I will have to learn "how". Then a patch could be built that pops up widgets as its interface (maybe run in -nogui mode) and the returned variables would control the patch.

...............................Maybe the code exists, but I have not found it yet....... anyone?

There is a free widget editor Visual Tcl (vtcl-8.6)
https://github.com/hpheidinger/vtcl.vtcl-8.6/wiki
which is mostly working and being developed........... so it is a good time to try this!
vtcl-8.6 is also a "must" if you are interested in tcl...... I have learnt more in 5 minutes reading the "tool tips" than in a week of trawling tcl code...........
David.

@emviveros Hello....... for osx, to get the widgets, you will need at least tcl/tk 8.5.
It can be downloaded here
http://www.tkdocs.com/tutorial/install.html
and then you will have to change some lines in pd_menucommands.tcl where "wish8.5.exe" is mentioned.

I will try to write in the if/else stuff to make that happen automatically...... soon/ish.......
David.

Hi David,

Sorry for my late reply! I left this page opened in one of my tabs, but I didn't have time to test it `til now. Well, I think this is a great idea and I love the name, thanks a lot for that

Maybe that is true also for Linux? and any Unix distribution?

I tested it on Linux 64-bit and here is what I found:

meow : Error: couldn't execute "wish85.exe": no such file...
Font Chooser... : does nothing
Color Palette... : besides the American spelling ( ), it changes the colour of Pd console and menus, but not of the background of the patch canvases
Links to forum, manuals, etc. : all working, great idea!
Wish Console : does nothing
Widget Demo : Error: couldn't execute "wish85.exe": no such file...
Widgets... : does nothing
Widget Editor : Error: couldn't execute "wish85.exe": no such file...

Cheers!
Gilberto

PS: sorry for being so silent lately, I am busy with the conclusion of my master studies, as well as with a couple of concerts and a possible publication

@gsagostinho
Thanks Gilberto...... it is very much work in progress....

PS: sorry for being so silent lately, I am busy with the conclusion of my master studies, as well as with a couple of concerts and a possible publication

Brilliant........ I so wish Pure Data had been around when I was a university!
Born too early (in my case).....
David

it is very much work in progress....

No problems. Let me know if you want anything tested on Linux.

I so wish Pure Data had been around when I was a university!

Yeah, Pd is really great for this kind of environment, absolutely all my electronic music is produced with it. But lately I am quite focused on purely instrumental music, and so I miss working with Pd as much as I used to!

Cheers!
Gilberto

@gsagostinho I never managed to find time to learn to play an instrument either. And I was always surrounded by superb musicians and never imagined that I would be able to play what was spinning in my head........ as they so easily could do.......

Anyway, distracted.....
Is it acceptable to send an email to the list (all members). The address is there for all to see, but I would think that it would be so impolite that no-one would talk to me ever again.
I have searched for days for how to send a message to tcl (from a patch........ like [; pd dsp(...... but [; tcl whatever( ........)
The prompt window is sitting there so temptingly in the Pd console but................? I found some code where that tcl prompt is specifically mentioned as being excluded from console messages.......
David.

Hi David,

Is it acceptable to send an email to the list (all members). [...] I have searched for days for how to send a message to tcl (from a patch........ like [; pd dsp(...... but [; tcl whatever( ........)

The list is not only for discussions about development or bug reports, it for sure can be used to ask questions concerning Pd, particularly if the question has been asked in the forum without success and if the questions is something non-trivial like order of operations (though even that would be fine, if only frowned upon). So I'd say go ahead, I am sure someone there will be happy to tell you about these things!

I never managed to find time to learn to play an instrument either.

I used to play the piano, harpsichord and flute, as well as drums. But once I realised I didn't have to play in order to compose I kind of got lazy, as those felt just like hobbies. Today I only play the recorder from time to time and just for fun, and I am not able to play any of my compositions on it.

Cheers!
Gilberto

@gsagostinho Thanks again Gilberto....!
Only very slightly off-topic for this thread, and in the natural flow of the research........
....... I have found that the "Consolas" typeface will play nicely with Pd, has better spacing (it's monospace but still looks better) and is a better match for the label fonts and even the window fonts........ on the windows platform...... on osx the standard typeface might look better.
I am of course looking for a way to select it (and others that will work..... drop down list......) after Pd has loaded, but for the time being.......
.......It can be loaded with a start-up flag "-font-face Consolas", and I think it is ubiquitous.........
David.

That typeface does look much better IMO!