# Scripting fluid.object creation/connecting (generic attribute bug?)
**URL:** https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/scripting-fluid-object-creation-connecting-generic-attribute-bug/2075
**Category:** Bug Reports and Issues
**Created:** [August 18, 2023, 8:14pm UTC](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/scripting-fluid-object-creation-connecting-generic-attribute-bug/2075 "2023-08-18T20:14:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@rodrigo.constanzo](https://discourse.flucoma.org/u/rodrigo.constanzo)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2023, 8:14pm UTC](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/scripting-fluid-object-creation-connecting-generic-attribute-bug/2075/1 "2023-08-18T20:14:23Z")
TLDR:
-`fluid.objects` don’t respond to “generic” attributes (`varname`, `patching_rect`, etc…)
-can’t script/connect `fluid.objects` as a result
-not sure how to script the creation of an object with wildcards _&_ additional attributes (`@fixwidth 1`)
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
So building something using `fluid.nmfilter~` and I’d like to have it be (behind-the-scenes) dynamically sizeable.
My initial thought was to just make a max amount of components I may want (say 16), and then `mc.pack~` and deal with the empty channels later on.
Turns out that that’s really expensive as `fluid.nmffilter~` does it’s thing whether or not there’s stuff in those channels, making `fluid.nmffilter~ 16` expensive, just sitting there.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
SO
I wanted to dust off some of the oldschool/arcane magic and script object creation, movement, connecting etc… to basically make something like this:
What’s in the red.
In trying to do this I’m running into a couple problems.
One is a more general Max one where I don’t know how to instantiate the object while having wildcards (`#0`) in the name AND still set general/global attributes after (`@fixwidth 1` so it’s not all smooshed up).
So I can do this:
`script newobject fluid.nmffilter~ 16 @bases sorted @fftsettings 512 64 512 @maxfftsize 2048 @maxcomponents 16 @maxmaxcomponents 16` but that creates a really smooshed thing:
Ok, I can put the stuff in a `@text` attribute, and then shove the `@fixwidth 1` at the end, like so:
`script newobject newobj @text "fluid.nmffilter~ 16 @bases sorted @fftsettings 512 64 512 @maxfftsize 2048 @maxcomponents 16 @maxmaxcomponents 16" @fixwidth 1`
That works, but I can no longer wildcard the amount of components (`16`s in this example).
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
BUT
All of this is moot when I realized that for some reason, I can’t set the `varname` of `fluid.nmffilter~` other than manually typing it into the info pane.
If I send `varname foo` to `fluid.nmffilter~` I get:
This appears to be the case for all the “generic” attributes (`patching_rect`, etc…).
Is this intentional or a bug/oversight?
The reason this is important in this case is because the objects need to have scripting names to be able to script connections between them (e.g. `script connect foo 0 bar 0`). So if I can’t dynamically create a `fluid.nmffilter~` with a scripting name attached, I can’t go forward and make connections between it and subsequent objects.
edit:
Initially made this as “Usage Question” category, but I think the attribute problem seems more important, so changed it to “Bug Reports” instead.
---
### Author:  [@jln](https://discourse.flucoma.org/u/jln)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2023, 10:19pm UTC](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/scripting-fluid-object-creation-connecting-generic-attribute-bug/2075/2 "2023-08-18T22:19:06Z")
Hi Rodrigo,
> [@](#):
>
> If I send `varname foo` to `fluid.nmffilter~` I get:
>
> 
>
> This appears to be the case for all the “generic” attributes (`patching_rect`, etc…).
>
> Is this intentional or a bug/oversight?
>
> The reason this is important in this case is because the objects need to have scripting names to be able to script connections between them (e.g. `script connect foo 0 bar 0`). So if I can’t dynamically create a `fluid.nmffilter~` with a scripting name attached, I can’t go forward and make connections between it and subsequent objects.
I remember running into this with objects other than Flucoma’s. Actually, I just tested again with a couple of Max objects (splay~, gate) and one cannot set varname with a message. SO that’s not a Flucoma issue, I assume.
Unless I am missing something, does something like this work for you ?
Best
[flucoma scripting.zip](https://discourse.flucoma.org/uploads/short-url/qH9MXytVJMiLlwZ8eHlYuFrdJAX.zip) (2.8 KB)
,
Julien
---
### Author:  [@rodrigo.constanzo](https://discourse.flucoma.org/u/rodrigo.constanzo)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2023, 10:33pm UTC](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/scripting-fluid-object-creation-connecting-generic-attribute-bug/2075/3 "2023-08-18T22:33:33Z")
Ah interesting.
So I guess the `#1` stuff penetrates the “text” thing (whereas `$1` stuff does not).
And right, having the `@varname` outside of the “text” seems to work as well.
Cool, I can work with that! Thanks.
---
### Author:  [@jamesbradbury](https://discourse.flucoma.org/u/jamesbradbury)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2023, 4:36am UTC](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/scripting-fluid-object-creation-connecting-generic-attribute-bug/2075/4 "2023-08-19T04:36:50Z")
Yeah for a fully comprehensive example of scripting flucoma-like objets, see the final tab which describes blocking. Pretty sure I scripted all of that.
---
### Author:  [@rodrigo.constanzo](https://discourse.flucoma.org/u/rodrigo.constanzo)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2023, 9:18am UTC](https://discourse.flucoma.org/t/scripting-fluid-object-creation-connecting-generic-attribute-bug/2075/5 "2023-08-19T09:18:38Z")
Turns out using some vanilla `pack` + `tosymbol` seems to work well too (at being able to add wildcards at the same level).
edit:
Here’s the patch for creating it, connecting it to before/after, and being able to change the fftsettings too.
```
----------begin_max5_patcher----------
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kuH1V+DhbZrRWqHVnsL+N83th75Jw2TylHyadA0qbtcV1+rTD2ktqumYBzyt
m7HSQAAfEHT0amKldCZpCVgMiTqV0eRuJjfiToDnHnlefmGuIkeZfiogksc4
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R9yFkHFDN4aCOOS5ow2JQSlXk7sQYEOS3jmUzdlvIOaj0ya1b87CeeHo2.f3
86elWV0LaEHNYwetPU1Lbk5TQt9Tl5zR9yh14qGItL4IQMOo9Pod+RdwW++X
lSVAT.N+fnoFLPO.R0NtH2akp8wZln1Xlk+X4+o7S12L
-----------end_max5_patcher-----------
```