Using a variable widget to hold an array of further variables

Community Usage questions
1

Hi there,

Apologies this may well be simple! I have a situation on my template whereby I need to access an array of variables. This is normally quite simple within a onvalue script, doing something like this (after declaring the variables):

const SearchSettings = ["Empty", Inst1, Inst2]

However, this only would get written to within that widget's script, I am trying to create a 'preset' system that would be recalled from many different places.

Therefore I thought the best method would be a sort of global array of variables that could be written and recalled anywhere when needed. The only way I can think to achieve it across the whole template would be in a dedicated variable widget, but how to do write and recall into an array of variables there?

I have tried putting something like this into the values field of the variable widget, but I realise this is over simplistic (variables not yet declared etc!):

[
Test1,
Test2,
Test3,
Test4
]

Any help greatly appreciated thanks!

array

2

To keep it as javascript-ish as possible you could create custom variables in some widget's onCreate function:

setVar(this, 'data', [1, 2]

and then use them in other scripts:

var data = getVar('widget_id', 'data')

Or maybe you simply wanted to write

[
  "Test1",
  "Test2",
  "Test3",
  "Test4"
]
1 Like
3

Ah, thanks for pointing me in the right direction Jean-Emmanuel, I think using your oncreate solution looks to be what I am after! Is it right then you could just recall and modify certain aspects of this array from any other widget just using something like:

setVar('widget_id', 'data', somevariable[i])

where somevariable is previously declared and 'i' is the array position?

And similarly could you could recall a particular value from the array with something like this?

var Particularvalue = getVar('widget_id', 'data', somevariable[i])

If this is the case, then I am good to go! So flexibility with Open Stage Control, still impresses me daily with new things I find out about using it! :grinning:

4

Is it right then you could just recall and modify certain aspects of this array from any other widget just using something like:
setVar('widget_id', 'data', somevariable[i])

Not exactly, should be something like:

var data = getVar('widget_id', 'data')
data[i] = somethingElse
setVar('widget_id', 'data', data)

And similarly could you could recall a particular value from the array with something like this:
var Particularvalue = getVar('widget_id', 'data', somevariable[i])

Should be something like

var Particularvalue = getVar('widget_id', 'data')[i]

Note that setVar and getVar are only available in scripting properties, you can't use these in JS{} or #{} blocks.

1 Like
5

Thanks very much for these explanations, I had a feeling my syntax was some way off! :grin: I will get working on testing this out, incredibly helpful examples, top support as always!

6

Oh, I just had one final (and hopefully not too silly!) question to ask concerning arrays in open stage control. Is there such a thing as too big an array (and will large arrays impact performance too much?). I have been doing some rough calculations and for this 'preset' idea, the array may end up holding in excess of 1000 values! :open_mouth:

7

If you're going to manipulate this array often it may indeed perform a bit slowly since getVar() makes a copy of the variable before returning it. Another approach to avoid that (didn't think of it at first) would be to simply use global variables:

// some widget's onCreate
globals.data = [1,2,3]

// anywhere else
globals.data[1] // returns 2
globals.data[1] = -2 // assign a value
1 Like
8

That sounds a perfect solution, thanks for the suggestion, didn't realise this was possible, very cool!