Is it possible to run a LUA script when inputting values by keyboard?

[dervur]

Hello there,

I am trying to make a modulator for an FM synth, this means ratios with decimal values. I created a Fixed sliders from the actual shown value. That is fine. What I'm wondering is, is it possible to have a lua script run once you click on the number that can process whatever the user has written?
I ask this because if I type with keyboard the value "0.6" I want the slider to go to the equivalent position of what will show as 0.6 (that is modulator value 20 in my case), instead of having it round up to modulator value 1 (as Ctrlr usually does with decimal value).
Writing the script will be fine. I am just wondering if it is possible what I would like to do.

I see there are plenty of function when mouse is up or down, but this does not (I think) work in my scenario.

Or is there an alternative for me to obtain fractional modulator values?

Cheers

For reference this is how I populated the fixed slider values:

        -- Define the start value, end value, and step
        local start_value = 0.500
        local end_value = 1
        local step = 0.005

        -- Fill the table with values from 0.500 to 0.995
        for value = start_value, end_value, step do
            table.insert(values, string.format("%.3f", value))
        end

        -- Define the new start value, end value, and step
        local start_value = 1
        local end_value = 32
        local step = 0.01

        -- Fill the table with values from 1 to 31.99
        for value = start_value, end_value, step do
            table.insert(values, string.format("%.2f", value))
        end

    -- Concatenate the strings of values with newline characters
    local concatenatedStrings = table.concat(values, "\n")

    panel:getModulatorByName(fader):getComponent():setProperty("uiFixedSliderContent", concatenatedStrings, false)

[damiensellier]

if the scale is linear you can probably use an uiSlider instead of the fixed one, but with an expression for calculating in/out value.

you would also need to set the min max value with a custom increment.

[dervur]

Yeah I was trying to set up float intervals, but it seems only integers are accepted (If I put for example 0.005, it puts an interval of 1).

It is not a problem what the actual value is (I will have to break it down anyway as it will be two sysex messages, coarse value and fine value)), I would just like to have something where you can write the decimal value and it then goes to the nearest one available. But for now only integers seems to be a possibility at the input from keyboard...

[dervur]

What is also very weird is that, if I click on the value to change and it is for example 0.650, the textbox will show as 0.650 from the keyboard input, if you press enter the value dIoes not change, but if you try to write "0.650" in the box, it will round up to the value for 1 (and then show its equivalent in the fixed value)
How it shows when I click on the value:

If I do not modify it and press enter, it stays at 0.700:

Now, let's say I delete a 0 from the end:

What will show up is the equivalent value when the modulator is equal to 1 instead:

Even if you write "0.700", the value shown will be 0.505...

[damiensellier]

Yes I tried and it gave me the same thing.
I usually go for uifixed slider with the interval between values I am looking for.
I'll post below a link to a page where you can generate lists of values with the interval you need.

I'll check that interval parameter for sliders. Now it's just set to 1 whatever value you set it has no effect. I already opened an issue on ctrlrx.

I'll post later with the link to do your uifixedslider value list.

[damiensellier]

https://pinetools.com/generate-list-numbers

here is the tool to generate custom lists for your uiFixedSlider

In your case 1 to 32 with step 0.001 and you need "\n" as suffix for the line break if you set it from a lua script as property.
Copy paste this in your value list and you already have the right values :)

EDIT: below

[damiensellier]

Oops I set the interval wrong , you need 0.001 steps :
PineTools.com_2025-02-16_01h15m58s.txt

Just copy paste the content in your "slider content" field :

[dervur]

Oh I didn't know it didn't have any effect (I mean I kinda realized but was not sure).

And yeah that is why I'm using fixed slider for, also cause I have two different step sizes for values <0. I was just wondering for the actual typing in values.

Thanks for the website but I was already using table.concat() in the code to do that, also because based on a button the values will change (ratio or fixed frequency).

Anyway I guess for now it just won't be possible to type in values to change the slider value and that is it, thank you very much for the quick replies!

[damiensellier]

JUCE has a threshold parameter to change increment steps it's called velocity mode, it's in ctrlr but same thing I don't know if it works. I'm currently checking this interval problem and it's been left as work in process in the code :) I will try to implement it for the next version because it's very useful and we all have to generate lists for uiFixedSlider as a workaround.

velocity mode :

https://docs.juce.com/master/classSlider.html#a47c37989ff5f6453f2c44f1a7455e1c1

[damiensellier]

<and no you can't type decimal values because it's always rounded above because of the forced interval of 1.
I noticed a bug as , when you set up min 0 max 1 the slider always stick back to 1... It's really buggy.

[dervur]

Yeah it seems like it. I'll just leave it as it is for now. Maybe divide the value by 100 in the "Expression to evaluate ..." so I can get the right values for ratios <1, and then write the code accordingly.
Or alternatively do you know if in those "expression to evaluate" thing at the top we can also include if statments somehow? I was just trying it but I received an error, maybe I was setting it up wrong this is what I wrote in it: if (modulatorvalue<1) then (modulatorvalue/100)*0.005+0.500 else modulatorvalue/100 end
At least for ratios I would get the right value. For fixed frequency I need to use a look up table in LUA anyway...

[damiensellier]

I spent a little bit of time to analyze how uiSlider works and it's pretty complicated. It's not just a few parameters and good to go. Actually there's some 2 ways logic via the slider operator to update the GUI of the slider from host and midi in messages and at different steps values are only integers which leads to rounding whatever decimals you'll put from the GUI.

Roman Kubiak did it right but forgot to implement the interval parameter in the picture. I'll try to add it to have it work properly but I need to dig deeper into that. The values have to be managed as double type but snapped to integers etc that's complicated.

Mapped values when min is negative gave also wrong steps...

So it needs improvement.

[damiensellier]

I remember now why I used 99% of uiFixedSliders on my panels with huge lists of values to cover decimals.

For the moment this is why I would recommend.

[damiensellier]

I don't think you can put statements in the expression box. you would need to do it via a LUA script.

here is the note from the source code for expressions :

When evaluating expression in either direction a couple of utility functions can be used, the notation is the same as in C
			for example to get the absolute value of the modulator you'd type: "abs(modulatorValue)" as the expression

			A list of constants that can be used:
			- ceil : Returns the smallest integral value of the parameter
			- abs : Returns the absolute value of the parameter
			- floor : Returns the largest integral value that is not greater than the parameter
			- mod : divides two numbers and returns the result of the MODULO operation "%" in C 10 % 3 = 1, 0 % 5 = 0; 30 % 6 = 0; 32 % 5 = 2
			- fmod : Returns the floating-point remainder of the two parameters passed in
			- pow : Returns the first parameter raised to the power of the second (dunno what that could be used for but it's there)
			- gte : Return the larger or equal of the two passed parameters (a >= b), gte (modulatorValue, 0, modulatorValue, 128 - modulatorValue)
					will return modulatorValue if modulatorValue is greater then 0 and (128 - modulatorValue) if it is less then zero
			- gt : same as gte but greater then without the equal sign (a > b)
			- max : returns the bigger of two parameters
			- min : returns the smaller of two parameters
			- getBitRangeAsInt (value, startBit, numBits)
			- setBitRangeAsInt (value, startBit, numBits, valueToSet)
			- clearBit (value, bitToClear)
			- isBitSet (value, bitPosition)
			- setBit (value, bitToSet)
			- setGlobal (globalIndex, newValueToSet)

[dervur]

Yeah I wrote the lua script just now for what I wanted it to do so for now I'm fine. The only issue is that one cannot type the exact value they want, but it is not that big of a deal

[damiensellier]

All the decimal management with those sliders is not on point. I am struggling to find a logic that would fit both the current method and one that would all to type decimals and send valid messages via LUA or the expressions but it's a headache to be honest.

[damiensellier]

Let's say for a slider with min 0.0 max 1.0 interval 0.1 that would send message with modulatorValue*10 (valid integer) I can't get it to send 0,1,2,3 etc it only sends 0,0,0...,10

there's a double to integer conversion at one point that rounds up the value and won't allow to do it.

[dervur]

Do you think it would be easier to implement something instead that cross check the input of the keyboard (given it is numerical) with the fixed values (the closest one if they are numeric)? Maybe even as a box to tick and not always on

In this way fixed values can be used for the actual decimal representation, but if somebody writes 1.7 the code would not round it up to 2 and set whatever it is the third value in the fixed value list but instead set whatever value is closer to 1.7 or actual 1.7 if available.

or maybe that would be an even bigger headache...

[damiensellier]

There's several way to snap to modulator values, I'm not sure I really understood 100% your need but with fixedSliders your input message value should give back the index value of your "slider content".

You can also use lua scripts to filter incoming values and return a mapped value from a table (according to index number)