# Can't name a \`fluid.dataset~\` with just a number?

**URL:** <https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/cant-name-a-fluid-dataset-with-just-a-number/1259>\
**Category:** Bug Reports and Issues\
**Created:** [March 4, 2022, 9:40am UTC](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/cant-name-a-fluid-dataset-with-just-a-number/1259 "2022-03-04T09:40:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rodrigo.constanzo](https://discourse.flucoma.org/user_avatar/discourse.flucoma.org/rodrigo.constanzo/32/12_2.png) [@rodrigo.constanzo](https://discourse.flucoma.org/u/rodrigo.constanzo)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 9:40am UTC](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/cant-name-a-fluid-dataset-with-just-a-number/1259/1 "2022-03-04T09:40:59Z")

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So was updating @weefuzzy’s handy abstraction from [this thread](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/easier-way-to-concatenate-datasets/819/2) to merge some datasets for some [recent tests](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/ways-to-test-the-validity-usefulness-salience-of-your-data/841/38) I’ve been doing and I realized that I couldn’t just name `fluid.dataset~` with a number. That is, something like [fluid.dataset~ 1000].

It throws up a yellow error:

> fluid.dataset~: Shared object given no name – won’t be shared!

From the reference file it looks like that it takes no other arguments other than the name, so not sure what it’s parsing the number as.

The intention here is to create unique datasets using `#0` without then needing to cleave off bits of text using `regexp` later (e.g. `#0_whatever`).

Is there a reason why a `fluid.datset~` can’t just take a number as a name?

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**Author:** ![weefuzzy](https://discourse.flucoma.org/user_avatar/discourse.flucoma.org/weefuzzy/32/362_2.png) [@weefuzzy](https://discourse.flucoma.org/u/weefuzzy)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 9:49am UTC](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/cant-name-a-fluid-dataset-with-just-a-number/1259/2 "2022-03-04T09:49:01Z")

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You can, but you need to put quotes around the `#0` (i.e. `[fluid.dataset~ "#0"]` when you make the box to tell Max it’s a symbol, not an int. After that it should work, although it’s quite possible there would be other places where you have to be explicit with Max that what you’re passing is a symbol not a number.

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**Author:** ![rodrigo.constanzo](https://discourse.flucoma.org/user_avatar/discourse.flucoma.org/rodrigo.constanzo/32/12_2.png) [@rodrigo.constanzo](https://discourse.flucoma.org/u/rodrigo.constanzo)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 11:08am UTC](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/cant-name-a-fluid-dataset-with-just-a-number/1259/3 "2022-03-04T11:08:24Z")

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Fair enough. I’ll take `fromsymbol` over having to remember what the string/message for `regexp` any day though!

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**Author:** ![rodrigo.constanzo](https://discourse.flucoma.org/user_avatar/discourse.flucoma.org/rodrigo.constanzo/32/12_2.png) [@rodrigo.constanzo](https://discourse.flucoma.org/u/rodrigo.constanzo)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 11:18am UTC](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/cant-name-a-fluid-dataset-with-just-a-number/1259/4 "2022-03-04T11:18:01Z")

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Ok, the “#0” thing doesn’t work. It resolves to `#0` once the object is instantiated and stays as a non-symbol when the patch is saved.

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**Author:** ![weefuzzy](https://discourse.flucoma.org/user_avatar/discourse.flucoma.org/weefuzzy/32/362_2.png) [@weefuzzy](https://discourse.flucoma.org/u/weefuzzy)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 1:02pm UTC](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/cant-name-a-fluid-dataset-with-just-a-number/1259/5 "2022-03-04T13:02:57Z")

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I see what you mean. I’m afraid you’ll need a suffix then (although I don’t follow why you then need to regex it later).

I note that it’s not possible to give either `buffer~` or `jit.matrix` numeric names either.

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**Author:** ![rodrigo.constanzo](https://discourse.flucoma.org/user_avatar/discourse.flucoma.org/rodrigo.constanzo/32/12_2.png) [@rodrigo.constanzo](https://discourse.flucoma.org/u/rodrigo.constanzo)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 1:55pm UTC](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/cant-name-a-fluid-dataset-with-just-a-number/1259/6 "2022-03-04T13:55:27Z")

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I see what you mean with `buffer~` and `jit.matrix`. `coll` is quite verbose with it’s response (“First Argument Must Be a Symbol”) which is helpful. Maybe a more responsive complaint would be good from `fluid.dataset~`?

Ok, can just do #0 along with `combine` to spoof one of those jitter-esque names:  
 ![Screenshot 2022-03-04 at 1.53.01 pm](https://discourse.flucoma.org/uploads/default/original/2X/9/944226f7211c6b34e16f8f9a8bed6d8a68377f75.png)

I’ve not sorted my hierarchy/structure yet, but at the moment the patch passes along the “unique identifier” part of the name elsewhere so I can reference the contained #0’d datasets, so I `regexp` off the `#0` part and carry on from there. May not be necessary once I sort things.

For now it takes an arbitrary list of datasets and spits out a unique “u103351”-looking dataset as a name.