How to retrieve text from a label?

[bijlevel]

I'm a bit ashamed to ask this, because it seems rather straighforward, but I don't seem to accomplish to get text from a label.

The obvious code would be:
labelText = panel:getLabel("labelName"):getText()

but as soon as I use console to display the value of the variable labelText, CTRLR crashes.

When I use

labelText = panel:getModulatorByName("labelName"):getText()

I get an error "attempt to call method 'getText' ( a nil value)"

It's no problem to set the the text of the label:

panel:getLabel("labelName"):setText("I'm fine")

So the question is: what am I missing?

[bijlevel]

I did find the answer (and as so many times, provided by dnaldoog!) by searching the old cltrlr site. This is the way the code should look like:
local val = L(panel:getLabel("modulator-1"):getText())

the trick is adding "L"! How can one know when to add "L"?

[Ted-juh]

Explained by Possemo as:

AFAIK “L” stands for Lua. It will prepare a string gotten from a component for using within Lua.

Also from Possemo:

L() prepares a string for Lua string manipulations (that’s why it is called “L”). In some cases when you get a string from a component it won’t work without L() sometimes it does. I guess it depends what you want to do with the string. Commands like e.g. string.gmatch probably need a “converted” string by L().

Edit again.. sorry:

From DnalDoog himself:

As far as I know the L() macro converts a string to a Lua ‘friendly’ string – I don’t know the details of this at all, but I think getComponent(ledtext1) is a reference to an object, therefore not a const string, which is what L() is for. When you do sName=L(mod:getName()) that’s a string you are formatting with L(), but ledtext1 etc is a variable:

Something like that!

I read a post by Atom stating:
text = L(panel:getLabel("nameInputLabel"):getText())
-- we take the text from the "nameInputLabel" and convert it to Lua type of
-- string, that's why there is the L() macro, otherwise we'd get a String()
-- instance, that might not work well with the native Lua library

[bijlevel]

Thanks for the info! So only (sometimes) needed for string manipulation.

(And thanks for the correct spelling of the forum name of dnaldoog 😉)

[damiensellier]

L calls "luabind" wrapper associated to the component.
this is why in the ctrlr code you have a list of Luabind functions.

For exemple this is the function for the component (slider, button etc)

void CtrlrComponent::wrapForLua (lua_State *L)
{
    using namespace luabind;

    module(L)
    [
        class_<CtrlrComponent, bases<CtrlrLuaObject, Component> >("CtrlrComponent")
            .def("repaint", (void (Component::*)()) &Component::repaint)
            .def("getWidth", &Component::getWidth)
            .def("getHeight", &Component::getHeight)
            .def("setSize", &Component::setSize)
            .def("getX", &Component::getX)
            .def("getY", &Component::getY)
            .def("isVisible", &Component::isVisible)
            .def("setVisible", &Component::setVisible)
            .def("mouseUp", &Component::mouseUp)
            .def("isMouseButtonDown", &Component::isMouseButtonDown)
            .def("isMouseOver", &Component::isMouseOver)
            .def("isMouseOverOrDragging", &Component::isMouseOverOrDragging)
            .def("mouseEnter", &Component::mouseEnter)
            .def("mouseExit", &Component::mouseExit)
            .def("keyPressed", &Component::keyPressed)
            .def("getBounds", &Component::getBounds)
            .def("getRect", &CtrlrComponent::getBounds)
            .def("setBounds", (void (Component::*)(const Rectangle<int> ) )&Component::setBounds)
            .def("setBounds", (void (Component::*)(int, int, int, int))&CtrlrComponent::setBounds)
            .def("getComponentText", &CtrlrComponent::getComponentText)
            .def("setComponentText", &CtrlrComponent::setComponentText)
            .def("setTransform", &Component::setTransform)
            .def("getTransform", &Component::getTransform)
            .def("click", &CtrlrComponent::click)
            .def("setComponentValue", &CtrlrComponent::setComponentValue)
            .def("setValue", &CtrlrComponent::setComponentValue)
            .def("getComponentValue", &CtrlrComponent::getComponentValue)
            .def("getValue", &CtrlrComponent::getComponentValue)
            .def("setComponentMidiValue", &CtrlrComponent::setComponentMidiValue)
            .def("setMidiValue", &CtrlrComponent::setComponentMidiValue)
            .def("getComponentMidiValue", &CtrlrComponent::getComponentMidiValue)
            .def("getMidiValue", &CtrlrComponent::getComponentMidiValue)
            .def("getMaximum", &CtrlrComponent::getMaximum)
            .def("getMinimum", &CtrlrComponent::getMinimum)
            .def("getTextForValue", &CtrlrComponent::getTextForValue)
            .def("getOwner", &CtrlrComponent::getOwner)
            .def("setCustomLookAndFeel", (void (CtrlrComponent::*)(const luabind::object &)) &CtrlrComponent::setCustomLookAndFeel)
            .def("getLuaBounds", &CtrlrComponent::getLuaBounds)
    ];
}

This is what you can reach from a lua script within your ctrlr panel for this particular element.

I guess those above don't need the L() , the other unlisted luabind functions require it :)

[bijlevel]

Oh, you guys are so knowledgeable! Thanks for the list, very handy, but where can I find the unbound functions and why for example is 'getname' not bound?

[damiensellier]

I have no idea but this is all the JUCE C++ classes that have been bound to LUA by Roman Kubiak.
https://github.com/RomanKubiak/ctrlr/tree/8aa00d82127acda42ad9ac9b7b479461e9436aa4/Source/Lua
The amount of work done by Roman is huge. I really understand why he gave up on the updates because he spent so much time on this project on his own it's insane.
I guess most of them are here but sometimes you want to do something very specific and you discover it's not working or is not available from where you call the function. Like the popup with option thing to apply LookAndFeel styling.
It's mostly not related to LUABind itself but from the component structure and hierarchy of CTRLR. Calling function to a child component is 99% working but it's not the case for a parent because owners sometimes are not the one you think :) (Luke I am your father). And other are segregated from each others.
https://github.com/damiensellier/CtrlrX/blob/master/Ctrlr-Structure.png
And this is why in our scripts we often start from the panel down to the targeted component with: panel:getChildLevel1():getChildLevel2():...
knowing that panel is actually the panel canvas (CtrlrPanelCanvas)

[Ted-juh]

If you ask me, the Luabind classes are "almost" complete. Well, to be more specific, from Ctrlr's perspective. Lots of Juce classes deal with stuff, like audio, that Ctrlr doesn't use.

However, some Luabind classes are missing some .def's. Some classes that "might be of use" are not bound at all. If someone here misses something, not audio related, give a shout, I'll be willing to try to bind them.

Ctrlr 5.3.201 was built on Juce 4.something or 5 whereas Ctrlr 5.6 is built on Juce 6, if I'm right and we're now almost reaching Juce 8. So, lots of things that were added to Juce aren't bound to Lua. And probably because of the reason Damien pointed out, it's quite a task to maintain compatibility.

[dobo365]

I remember I found some missing ones but atm don't remember which ones (and I found a workaround) but I was also thinking it would be nice to bind the missing ones.

[dnaldoog]

(And thanks for the correct spelling of the forum name of dnaldoog 😉)

I regret choosing that username - the spelling of it confuses me too and who can say how one would pronounce it? It’s actually my surname spelt backwards 😂

[bijlevel]

👍 nhoJ!

[damiensellier]

As a lefty I started writing mirrored as a kid, I was neimad back then :-)

[dnaldoog]

¡uʍop ǝpısdn puɐ ʇxǝʇ pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uı ʇsod oʇ ǝnuıʇuoɔ plnoɥs ǝM

[dobo365]

On this topic, it is always interesting to see how others are coding :)

I'm for example never using panel:getLabel() and setText()/getText() but always using this, whatever the modulator's type is:

mod:getComponent():setPropertyString("uiLabelText","Some text")
mod:getComponent():getPropertyString("uiLabelText") or mod:getComponent():getProperty("uiLabelText") 

with mod being a variable initialized for each modulator with panel:getModulatorByName().

[dnaldoog]

and there's also L(panel:getLabelComponent("modulator-1"):getText()) which Atom seems to use a lot in his DEMO panels.

[unityconstruct]

@bijlevel

• There's a thread somewhere on the original forum where someone who actually knew what they were talking about (unlike myself) enumerated the classes that exposed Lua Bindings
  /Source/Lua
• I grew tired of re-learning where that lovely place was, much less flipping through files, so dumped to *.md
• I was still trying to figure out how to tie my shoes when I captured (and I have 4 versions pulled locally), so don't know which specific version I pulled from.
• might as well dump it here.

Ctrlr Lua Class Functions

• SourceForge Files(older rev than on github!)
• /Source/Lua

CtrlrModulator: CtrlrLuaModulator.cpp

class_<CtrlrModulator, CtrlrLuaObject>("CtrlrModulator")
	.def("getValue", &CtrlrModulator::getModulatorValue)
	.def("setValue", (void (CtrlrModulator::*)(const int, const bool))&CtrlrModulator::setValue)
	.def("setValue", (void (CtrlrModulator::*)(const int, const bool, const bool))&CtrlrModulator::setValue)
	.def("setValueMapped", &CtrlrModulator::setValueMapped)
	.def("setValueMapped", &CtrlrModulator::setValueMappedCompat)
	.def("setValueNonMapped", &CtrlrModulator::setValueNonMapped)
	.def("getVstIndex", &CtrlrModulator::getVstIndex)
	.def("getMaxModulatorValue", &CtrlrModulator::getMaxModulatorValue)
	.def("getMaxMapped", &CtrlrModulator::getMaxMapped)
	.def("getMaxNonMapped", &CtrlrModulator::getMaxNonMapped)
	.def("getMinMapped", &CtrlrModulator::getMinMapped)
	.def("getMinNonMapped", &CtrlrModulator::getMinNonMapped)
	.def("getMinModulatorValue", &CtrlrModulator::getMinModulatorValue)
	.def("getComponent", &CtrlrModulator::getComponent)
	.def("getRestoreState", &CtrlrModulator::getRestoreState)
	.def("isRestoring", &CtrlrModulator::getRestoreState)
	.def("setRestoreState", &CtrlrModulator::setRestoreState)
	.def("getMidiMessage", &CtrlrModulator::getMidiMessagePtr)
	.def("getName", &CtrlrModulator::getName)
	.def("getValueMapped", &CtrlrModulator::getValueMapped)
	.def("getValueNonMapped", &CtrlrModulator::getValueNonMapped)
	.def("getModulatorValue", &CtrlrModulator::getModulatorValue)
	.def("setModulatorValue", &CtrlrModulator::setModulatorValue)
	.def("getLuaName", &CtrlrModulator::getName)
	.def("getModulatorName", &CtrlrModulator::getName)

CtrlrLuaMultiTimer: CtrlrLuaMultiTimer.cpp

class_<CtrlrLuaMultiTimer>("CtrlrLuaMultiTimer")
	.def("setCallback", &CtrlrLuaMultiTimer::setCallback)
	.def("startTimer", &CtrlrLuaMultiTimer::startTimer)
	.def("isRegistered", &CtrlrLuaMultiTimer::isRegistered)
	.def("stopTimer", &CtrlrLuaMultiTimer::stopTimer)
	.def("isTimerRunning", &CtrlrLuaMultiTimer::isTimerRunning)
	.def("getTimerInterval", &CtrlrLuaMultiTimer::getTimerInterval)

CtrlrLuaObject: CtrlrLuaObject.cpp

		class_<CtrlrLuaObject>("CtrlrLuaObject")
			.def("getPropertyInt", &CtrlrLuaObject::getPropertyInt)
			.def("getPropertyDouble", &CtrlrLuaObject::getPropertyDouble)
			.def("getPropertyString", &CtrlrLuaObject::getPropertyString)
			.def("setPropertyInt", &CtrlrLuaObject::setPropertyInt)
			.def("setPropertyColour", &CtrlrLuaObject::setPropertyColour)
			.def("setPropertyDouble", &CtrlrLuaObject::setPropertyDouble)
			.def("setPropertyString", &CtrlrLuaObject::setPropertyString)
			.def("removeProperty", &CtrlrLuaObject::removeProperty)
			.def("setProperty", (void (CtrlrLuaObject::*)(const Identifier &, const var &, const bool))&CtrlrLuaObject::setProperty)
			.def("getProperty", &CtrlrLuaObject::getProperty)
			.def("getObjectTree", &CtrlrLuaObject::getObjectTree)
    ];

CtrlrLuaPanel: CtrlrLuaPanel.cpp

class_<CtrlrPanel, CtrlrLuaObject>("CtrlrPanel")
	.def("getModulatorByName", &CtrlrPanel::getModulator)
	.def("getModulator", &CtrlrPanel::getModulator)
	.def("getModulatorByIndex", &CtrlrPanel::getModulatorByIndex)
	.def("getNumModulators", &CtrlrPanel::getNumModulators)
	.def("sendMidiMessageNow", (void (CtrlrPanel::*)(CtrlrMidiMessage &)) &CtrlrPanel::sendMidiNow)
	.def("sendMidi", (void (CtrlrPanel::*)(CtrlrMidiMessage &, double)) &CtrlrPanel::sendMidi)
	.def("getPanelEditor", &CtrlrPanel::getPanelEditor)
	.def("getRestoreState", &CtrlrPanel::getRestoreState)
	.def("getBootstrapState", &CtrlrPanel::getBootstrapState)
	.def("isRestoring", &CtrlrPanel::getRestoreState)
	.def("setRestoreState", &CtrlrPanel::setRestoreState)
	.def("getComponent", &CtrlrPanel::getComponent)
	.def("getGlobalVariable", &CtrlrPanel::getGlobalVariable)
	.def("setGlobalVariable", &CtrlrPanel::setGlobalVariable)
	.def("getCanvas", &CtrlrPanel::getCanvas)
	.def("getWaveformComponent", &CtrlrPanel::getWaveformComponent)
	.def("getWaveform", &CtrlrPanel::getWaveformComponent)
	.def("getLabelComponent", &CtrlrPanel::getLabelComponent)
	.def("getLabel", &CtrlrPanel::getLabelComponent)
	.def("getToggleButtonComponent", &CtrlrPanel::getToggleButtonComponent)
	.def("getToggleButton", &CtrlrPanel::getToggleButtonComponent)
	.def("getImageButtonComponent", &CtrlrPanel::getImageButtonComponent)
	.def("getImageButton", &CtrlrPanel::getImageButtonComponent)
	.def("getButtonComponent", &CtrlrPanel::getButtonComponent)
	.def("getButton", &CtrlrPanel::getButtonComponent)
	.def("getComboComponent", &CtrlrPanel::getComboComponent)
	.def("getCombo", &CtrlrPanel::getComboComponent)
	.def("getListBoxComponent", &CtrlrPanel::getListBoxComponent)
	.def("getListBox", &CtrlrPanel::getListBoxComponent)
	.def("getFileListBoxComponent", &CtrlrPanel::getFileListBoxComponent)
	.def("getFileListBox", &CtrlrPanel::getFileListBoxComponent)
	.def("getSliderComponent", &CtrlrPanel::getSliderComponent)
	.def("getSlider", &CtrlrPanel::getSliderComponent)
	.def("getFixedImageSliderComponent", &CtrlrPanel::getFixedImageSliderComponent)
	.def("getFixedImageSlider", &CtrlrPanel::getFixedImageSliderComponent)
	.def("getFixedSliderComponent", &CtrlrPanel::getFixedSliderComponent)
	.def("getFixedSlider", &CtrlrPanel::getFixedSliderComponent)
	.def("getImageSliderComponent", &CtrlrPanel::getImageSliderComponent)
	.def("getImageSlider", &CtrlrPanel::getImageSliderComponent)
	.def("getModulatorWithProperty", (CtrlrModulator *(CtrlrPanel::*)(const String &, const int)) &CtrlrPanel::getModulatorWithProperty)
	.def("getModulatorWithProperty", (CtrlrModulator *(CtrlrPanel::*)(const String &, const String &)) &CtrlrPanel::getModulatorWithProperty)
	.def("getModulatorsWithProperty", &CtrlrPanel::getModulatorsWithPropertyLua)
	.def("getModulatorsWildcard", (luabind::object (CtrlrPanel::*)(const String &, const bool))&CtrlrPanel::getModulatorsWildcardLua)
	.def("getModulatorsWildcard", (luabind::object (CtrlrPanel::*)(const String &, const String &, const bool))&CtrlrPanel::getModulatorsWildcardLua)
	.def("getInputComparator", &CtrlrPanel::getInputComparator)
	.def("getModulatorValuesAsData", &CtrlrPanel::getModulatorValuesAsData)
	.def("setModulatorValuesFromData", &CtrlrPanel::setModulatorValuesFromData)
	.def("getLibrary", &CtrlrPanel::getCtrlrMIDILibrary)
	.def("getCtrlrMIDILibrary", &CtrlrPanel::getCtrlrMIDILibrary)
	.enum_("CtrlrPanelFileType")
	[
		value("PanelFileXML", 0),
		value("PanelFileXMLCompressed", 1),
		value("PanelFileBinary", 2),
		value("PanelFileBinaryCompressed", 3),
		value("PanelFileExport", 4)
	]

CtrlrPanelCanvas::wrapForLua : CtrlrLuaPanelCanvas.cpp

class_<CtrlrPanelCanvas,Component>("CtrlrPanelCanvas")
	.def("getLayerByName", &CtrlrPanelCanvas::getLayerByName)
	.def("getLayer", &CtrlrPanelCanvas::getLayer)
	.def("getLayerFromArray",&CtrlrPanelCanvas::getLayerFromArray)
	.def("getNumLayers",&CtrlrPanelCanvas::getNumLayers)
	.def("getLayerName",&CtrlrPanelCanvas::getLayerName)

CtrlrPanelCanvasLayer: CtrlrLuaPanelCanvasLayer.cpp

class_<CtrlrPanelCanvasLayer, bases<Component, CtrlrLuaObject> >("CtrlrPanelCanvasLayer")
	.def("moveUp", &CtrlrPanelCanvasLayer::moveUp)
	.def("moveDown", &CtrlrPanelCanvasLayer::moveDown)

CtrlrPanelEditor: CtrlrLuaPanelEditor.cpp

class_<CtrlrPanelEditor, CtrlrLuaObject>("CtrlrPanelEditor")
	.def("getWidth", &CtrlrPanelEditor::getWidth)
	.def("getHeight", &CtrlrPanelEditor::getHeight)
	.def("getCanvas",&CtrlrPanelEditor::getCanvas)

CtrlrLuaUtils: CtrlrLuaUtils.cpp

class_<CtrlrLuaUtils>("CtrlrLuaUtils")
	.def("unpackDsiData", &CtrlrLuaUtils::unpackDsiData, adopt(result))
	.def("packDsiData", &CtrlrLuaUtils::packDsiData, adopt(result))
	.def("warnWindow", &CtrlrLuaUtils::warnWindow)
	.def("infoWindow", &CtrlrLuaUtils::infoWindow)
	.def("questionWindow", &CtrlrLuaUtils::questionWindow)
	.def("openFileWindow", &CtrlrLuaUtils::openFileWindow)
	.def("saveFileWindow", &CtrlrLuaUtils::saveFileWindow)
	.def("getDirectoryWindow", &CtrlrLuaUtils::getDirectoryWindow)
	.def("askForTextInputWindow", &CtrlrLuaUtils::askForTextInputWindow)
	.def("getMidiInputDevices", &CtrlrLuaUtils::getMidiInputDevices)
	.def("getMidiOutputDevices", &CtrlrLuaUtils::getMidiOutputDevices)