Questions about handling persistent data in panels

[VirtualVirgin]

@ustk
Thank you very much for that response!

I have been planning on more data storage using the panel.setValue() method and wanted make sure I'm not shooting myself in the foot with it, so after reading that section in the Docs (probably for the 5th or 6th time now) I was just getting confused.

It's great to get some help and be able to move past a sticking point :)
Much appreciated.

[Simon]

@ustk You can't store strings to value. I believe the example was assuming that when retrieving the value, you'd go

this.data.values = ["First Item", "Second Item", "Third Item"];
this.data.setValue(0);

var gimmeTheValue = this.data.values[this.data.getValue()];

More generally I think Christoph was getting at the idea of only storing integers to value whenever possible, and using a lookup table if you need something more complex.

That said I've been using a panel to store a big ol object with nested objects and arrays, and haven't noticed anything suspicious, so I'm not sure if he knows something we don't or if it's just cleaner that way.

I tried to provide some clarity to the docs here, feel free to contribute: https://github.com/christophhart/hise_documentation/pull/48

[ustk]

@Simon Oh absolutely yes! My mistake!
You can store objects, not strings. My example is very bad, I should have placed the string in an object first

const var values = ["First Item", "Second Item", "Third Item"]; // script the array if the project allows for it...
Panel.setValue([values[0]]);
// or
Panel.setValue({myVal: values[0]});

[Orvillain]

I would guess you can store references to global objects inside a panel right?

So you could have a global array, store a reference to it in this.data.values, and then access that array from inside the panel by setting and getting a value?

So...

const global_array = [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Then later:

this.data.values = [global_array];
this.data.setValue(0);

var access_global_array = this.data.values[this.data.getValue()];
Console.print(access_global_array[3]);

Would something like that work?

[VirtualVirgin]

@Simon said in Questions about handling persistent data in panels:

@ustk You can't store strings to value. I believe the example was assuming that when retrieving the value, you'd go

this.data.values = ["First Item", "Second Item", "Third Item"];
this.data.setValue(0);

var gimmeTheValue = this.data.values[this.data.getValue()];

More generally I think Christoph was getting at the idea of only storing integers to value whenever possible, and using a lookup table if you need something more complex.

That said I've been using a panel to store a big ol object with nested objects and arrays, and haven't noticed anything suspicious, so I'm not sure if he knows something we don't or if it's just cleaner that way.

I tried to provide some clarity to the docs here, feel free to contribute: https://github.com/christophhart/hise_documentation/pull/48

So I am confused on the purpose of this method...
If the set/getValue() is only going to be storing an index of an array and not the actual array value, then how does the value "persist" and load on compile?
"this.data.values" array will just get wiped on compile so if that array is supposed to be dynamic, then none of the changes actually "persist" to get reloaded.

[ustk]

@VirtualVirgin Then you can set both in an object and recall

// set
Panel.setValue({ar: values, idx: 2}); // holds the dynamic values array and the current index

// recall later
panel.getValue().ar[panel.getValue().idx)]; // "Third Item"

[VirtualVirgin]

So I have become very confused about storing persistent data in panels.
My recent attempts at persistent panel data are not behaving in ways that I expected in that the data is not persisting.

Here are two basic snippets-
In this first one I store a value in the panel's value:

const Panel1 = Content.getComponent("Panel1");
Panel1.set("saveInPreset", true);


Panel1.setValue
({
	"testValue" : "yes"
});


const testValuePersistence = Panel1.getValue().testValue;
Console.print("value persistence: " + testValuePersistence);

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In the second one, I comment out the "setValue()" to see if the panel will recall the value that I input:

const Panel1 = Content.getComponent("Panel1");
Panel1.set("saveInPreset", true);

/*
Panel1.setValue
({
	"testValue" : "yes"
});
*/

const testValuePersistence = Panel1.getValue().testValue;
Console.print("value persistence: " + testValuePersistence);

The first example prints the value from the panel to show it has been stored.
The second example comments out the "setValue" then prints the panel's value to see if it persists, and it does not:
the Console prints "undefined".

Scratching my head, especially because I have made this feature work in the past...
There must be something fundamental I am missing.

[VirtualVirgin]

Also bizarre, is that if I amend the first example (the one with the "setValue" included) and I try to print the value from the OnController callback,
I get "undefined", whereas that same compile will print the value onInit.

How can that same panel value be both defined and undefined?

[ustk]

@VirtualVirgin I don't know if it'll help, but I know it makes a difference wether you recompile the script or the interface. The values are not recalled the same way, so to be sure of your testing procedure, recompile on the interface window

[d.healey]

@VirtualVirgin on init runs before the value is restored, so all you are seeing on line 14 is the value as you set it on line 9. Then on init completes and the stored valued is loaded into the panel which is what you see in your on controller callback - you can use a local variable there instead of a reg.

[VirtualVirgin]

@d-healey said in Questions about handling persistent data in panels:

@VirtualVirgin on init runs before the value is restored, so all you are seeing on line 14 is the value as you set it on line 9. Then on init completes and the stored valued is loaded into the panel which is what you see in your on controller callback - you can use a local variable there instead of a reg.

Thanks :)
So how does that leave the onController recall of the value "undefined"? The reason I added that was to see what happens if I try to recall the value after onInit had completed and the persistent value restoration should be loaded. Why would the value I set for the panel onInit then not be available? Does it mean that it cannot save values that are set onInit and that all of the values that it will restore must be entered dynamically through callbacks after onInit? I am just trying to wrap my head around the mechanics here so I can know what to expect of the feature.

[d.healey]

@VirtualVirgin said in Questions about handling persistent data in panels:

Why would the value I set for the panel onInit then not be available?

After on init completes the value is overwritten by whatever the last saved value was, since you only ever set the value in on init the last saved value - a value set after on init - will be undefined.

Try it with a slider, set it's value in on init, hit compile and you will see the slider ignores the value you've set.

@VirtualVirgin said in Questions about handling persistent data in panels:

Does it mean that it cannot save values that are set onInit and that all of the values that it will restore must be entered dynamically through callbacks after onInit?

Yes

See this old thread for more details and examples - https://forum.hise.audio/topic/52/variable-persistence?_=1740706214240