maxmsp-es6-nodejs-babel-workflow

This repository may help you if:

• you like writing complex JS scripts for Max/MSP
• you would like to debug and run scripts into a more convenient environment (Node.js)
• you would like to use the cool ES6 syntax (with Babel)
• ... and you don't know how to do it.

The problem

Including Max/MSP scripts into regular Node.js files is problematic because of...

... Max js object properties which can be seen as undeclared variables:

autowatch = 1;
inlets = 0;
outlets = 2;

... messages which have to be called to debug scripts:

function bang()
{
    outlet(0, 'blip & blop');
}

... methods defined in the global Max Javascript context which do not exist in Node.js:

post('Coucou');

The concept

First, we need to export messages in scripts so as to call them outside with the CommonJS modules syntax:

// script.js
function bang()
{
    outlet(0, 'blip & blop');
}
exports.bang = bang;

// main.js
const s = require('./script.js);
s.bang();

However, Max may throw a: Javascript ReferenceError: exports is not defined, line XXX. Let's just wrap the exports into a `try/catch (which is a very unelegant way to deal with these probleme, but I don't care):

try {
  exports.bang = bang;
} catch (e) {
}

Then, we need to define a main playground file in which scripts will be included and executed, and which define useful Max global stuff:

// playground.js
global.post = message => process.stdout.write(message);
global.outlet = (...args) => process.stdout.write('OUTLET', args.map(JSON.stringify).join(' --> ').substring(0, 69) + '...');

import {bang} from './src/my-script';
bang();

You can provide your own implementation for post (the way things appear in the console) and outlet (a side effect which help you to debug the output of your scripts).

The process

Have a look on package.json, three NPM tasks are defined:

• npm run play: transpile the code and launch your playground file to debug and run your scripts in a terminal (see playground.js).
• npm run build: take all your scripts and transpile them to ES5 so as to use them in Max/MSP. In this a repository are given an example script (src/my-script.js) as well as an example dependency (src/my-lib.js). You can specify the directory in which the transpiled files appear (babel src -d ./<YOUR OUTPUT DIRECTORY>). Your scripts must be available to your Max/MSP environment.
• npm run clean: erase all js files generated by a previous build task.

Nota bene: Babel plugin transform-remove-strict-mode (declared in .babelrc) prevents Babel to add "use strict" at the beginning of transpiled scripts.