Parsing Dict files to Javascript objects

The javascript functions below convert a dict structure to a javascript object and back. Use them in a js object.

The example below assumes that your patch contains a [dict] object called 'myData'.

// example
var dataDict = new Dict("myData");  
var data = new Object();

data = dict_to_jsobj(dataDict);

// returns or includes null if there is a dict without containing data.
function dict_to_jsobj(dict) {
	if (dict == null) return null;
	var o = new Object();
	var keys = dict.getkeys();
	if (keys == null || keys.length == 0) return null;

	if (keys instanceof Array) {
		for (var i = 0; i < keys.length; i++)
		{
			var value = dict.get(keys[i]);
			
			if (value && value instanceof Dict) {
				value = dict_to_jsobj(value);
			}
			o[keys[i]] = value;
		}		
	} else {
		var value = dict.get(keys);
		
		if (value && value instanceof Dict) {
			value = dict_to_jsobj(value);
		}
		o[keys] = value;
	}

	return o;
}

function jsobj_to_dict(o) {
	var d = new Dict();
	
	for (var keyIndex in o)	{
		var value = o[keyIndex];

		if (!(typeof value === "string" || typeof value === "number")) {
			var isEmpty = true;
			for (var anything in value) {
				isEmpty = false;
				break;
			}
			
			if (isEmpty) {
				value = new Dict();
			}
			else {
				var isArray = true;
				for (var valueKeyIndex in value) {
					if (isNaN(parseInt(valueKeyIndex))) {
						isArray = false;
						break;
					}
				}
			
				if (!isArray) {
					value = jsobj_to_dict(value);
				}
			}
		}
		d.set(keyIndex, value);
	}
	return d;
}

---

When working with javascript objects it can be useful to print their contents to the max window.

// example
printobj(data, "myData");

// this function will post a JS object's content to the max window
function printobj (obj, name) {
    post("---- object " + name + "----" +"\n");
    printobjrecurse(obj, name);
}

function printobjrecurse (obj, name) {
    if (typeof obj === "undefined") {
        post(name + " : undefined" +"\n");
        return;
    }
    if (obj == null) {
        post(name + " : null" +"\n");
        return;
    }

    if ((typeof obj == "number") || (typeof obj == "string")) {
        post(name +  " :" + obj + "\n");
    } else {
        var num = 0;
        for (var k in obj) {
            if (obj[k] && typeof obj[k] == "object")
            {
                printobjrecurse(obj[k], name + "[" + k + "]");
            } else {
                post(name + "[" + k + "] : " + obj[k] +"\n")
            }
            num++;
        }
        if (num == 0) {
            post(name + " : empty object" +"\n");
        }
    }
}

---

Outputting a dict back to your patch works as follows:

// example: takes a dictionary as input, parses the contents of the dict to an object, parses the object back to a dict and sends out the dict to an outlet. The resulting dict should be identical to the input dict.

function dictionary(dictName) {
	var dataDict = new Dict(dictName);  
	var data = new Object();

	data = dict_to_jsobj(dataDict);
	var newDict = jsobj_to_dict(data);
	outlet(0, "dictionary", newDict.name);
}

If saved as dictTest.js with the method above included, the example above should work with the patch below:

<code>
----------begin_max5_patcher----------
541.3ocyUEraiBCD8L7Uf7Y1HafDn6s9OzaqphLfapi.Cx1jMYq5+9ZO1jjM
MUKToD0CXz77X6273Ml2BCPkc6YJTzOi9UTPvagAA.jEHvGGfZo6qZnJHMTK
SonaXnX2bZ1dMfWyqz7NAUdHZHcUAFiyyyFyRLzxEMLMrEIdPdMrvtxs+fPN
KytA8XpDOpCRenm4nJBE8reJk9PCfhF2hdpt5UtXyZIqR6xOEms.GGkjuz9h
jl.Qlwnmsq48vP6P7Dk.A62FReUEXxEL95Eb1mUvmjWTrsT8OySFHEYKVdTF
Vhg.PEF2E5NV8ZCAMKYMUqk7xAsyeDbTLBPr1RFTK3XOROURaYZlbMSPKcLA
CyAZ6bUXyop6DWULIeTLymo4ojJ1LSkKgrxJYO.BWR133Wx9LgNnxtxo5jVc
e5bvD6qhk2pFm4TxooiY9RmPKLFOXpGkbZyMusxdjJ9e.PR5B7+0yPRKftsG
.oK8aX21m7YYqJxJOOwT5o1IdiuF2qndy3pzSlw4onuvaXGsMWTiSVcgCE0v
EW9+Sf3V7+UxUcCxpwB2esUzIpWan.WPstwyxwZ0OKoW400LwYdAC6UVNVej
je3a+ToyEG004i41lHx2G5PtapCYJrgb2TmIQG7WjNNmMsueGSp76IvDy0Fa
6j1v7XHjKbgvNhjrc7w7cHTooEVaZFGjtls8Et+WgZ6pYRw.GtdHzdxuG9W.
PZMbtA
-----------end_max5_patcher-----------
</code>