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Latest revision as of 02:09, 19 November 2010

Reaper Documentation/ReaScript/ReaPerl

Introduction

ReaScript Perl uses the standard module FFI, but there's no need to include the line

use FFI;

in your scripts because ReaScript will do that for you; it doesn't hurt if you do.

Caveats

In general you can write pretty standard Perl and not get into too much trouble. The Standard Modules are all available etc. There are a couple of things to watch out for though.

Perl Modules

You can write your own Perl modules as normal but with a couple of restrictions:

• You can't put a .pm file in the current directory, it must be in a standard /Perl/lib directory
• You can't call RPR_ functions in a .pm, only in a top level script

The <DATA> Filehandle

The <DATA> filehandle, as you know, reads data from the file containing the script after either __END__ or __DATA__ on a lines of its own. This is not supported.

All REAPER API Calls Must Be On A Single Line

This is valid Perl

$return_value = RPR_ShowMessageBox(
  $msg_1,
  $title,
  MSG_BOX_YES_NO
);

But... It won't work under REAPER at the moment, all calls to the REAPER API have to be on a single line, like this.

$return_value = RPR_ShowMessageBox($msg_1,$title,MSG_BOX_YES_NO);

Compile and Runtime Errors

Be aware that whilst Perl compile and runtime errors are reported, mostly - they're not reported very fully. Use an editor that does syntax checking for you (Komodo Edit perhaps) and test at each stage.

Busy Loops

Take care when using loops, if you set an endless loop going you might have to kill REAPER without saving your open Project(s) to stop it. REAPER does a good job of spotting endless loops but best not to rely on that; get in the habit of asking the user if they want to continue every so often.

Example Scripts & Modules

These scripts are available for you to copy, use, add to and enjoy - but take care. The ReaScript API allows you to delete, edit and generally muck around with your REAPER projects. So take care when running a likely looking script; test it beforehand on a project that can get damaged without causing a problem.

Reaper Documentation/ReaScript/ReaPerl