Smart Text Fields & Placeholders for Dynamic Widget Displays (Text, Buttons, Faders, etc.)
planned
ultracello
Problem:
Text in Loopy Pro widgets is static – there’s no way to display live values like AUv3 or MIDI, or to show dynamic status feedback.
Users can’t show the value of a fader or knob, nor adapt text visibility, size or content dynamically.
Proposed Solution:
- Text binding to controls:Let text widgets display live MIDI values from bound faders or knobs
- Placeholder systemwith support for:
-
$project.name$
, $bar.current$
, $channel_name_1$
, $AUv3_post_3$
- Current/total clip layers, named layers
- Clip colors, groups, AUv3 plugin parameters
- User-defined labels for value ranges, e.g.
30–155 Hz = “Rumble”, 1000–3000 Hz = “Medium”
- Conditional formatting & visibility
- Show exact value only while knob/fader is touched
- After a delay, return to label display (e.g. "Range name")
- Text resizing logic
- Auto-scale font size with widget/canvas changes
- Manual ± font size per widget
- Formula-based expressions, likeSWITCH(...)
- Text changes via actions, e.g. “Set label to: VERSE”
Benefit:
- Real-time, intelligent feedback in the UI itself
- No need for extra screens or MIDI displays
- Clear overview of dynamic values, actions and playback states
- Great for live performance, section navigation, parameter feedback and more
- Customizable and responsive interface that adapts to user interaction
Extension: Define Dynamic Behavior for Each Placeholder
Ideally, each placeholder should have its own display logic – controlling
when and how
it appears. Examples:
- Always visible(default)
- Only visible during interaction, e.g. while a fader or knob is being moved
- Visible for a short time after interaction, e.g. 1 second after release
- Conditionally visible, e.g. only when a clip is playing or a value is in a certain range
- Toggle visibility via actions or logic
This would allow for highly adaptive and context-aware UIs – showing the right info at the right moment without visual overload.
It would give Loopy Pro a unique edge as a flexible, user-definable performance environment.
This summary was automatically generated by ChatGPT-4 on April 30, 2025.
ultracello
Just merged: "Fader widget, with signal level display" into this thread. It's basically the same.
ultracello
Merged in a post:
Fader widget, with signal level display
ultracello
ultracello
Also please allow to display a precise fix value of a plugin parameter on a text widget.
ultracello
Merged in a post:
Show value % in icon
C Wongpradit
I need show value 0% - 100% in icon vertical horizon in slidebar
M
Mike Watkinson
Text to display key information from whatever parameter the action of a widget is linked to eg 'Set Master Length' from Clock Actions. Text to display on linked widget itself, and/or customisable text field linked to the widget.
S
Sawyer Lawson
Also allow dynamic text labels that reference stepped dials and radio buttons:
[current item of list widget x]
[next item on list widget x]
[previous item on list widget x]
Use case for this:
Using a stepped dial I can set a single foot switch button to progress through a series of actions that amount to the sequence of the whole song. The problem is, without easy to read text prompts, it’s a lot to memorize to always know what the next action is going to be (is it about to put me in record for a bass line or a percussion part?), especially if I’ve made these kinds of custom arrangements for a lot of different songs. It would be great to have a large text box or a button with large text that always tells me what the next action is going to be by referencing the stepped dial. This could also be used for lyric cues that would update based on what section of the song I’m currently at, which I’ve seen requested elsewhere.
ultracello
Yes!
D
Davy
After long thinking I came to the conclusion that I would go even further than just variables placed in text. If use cases get more advanced, variables handled in the text field will become too complicated.
For example: conditional display of text would be very helpful to display brief and meaningful feedback. But with a variable style approach, the implementation can be messy. Let's take a simple label which displays the quantized delay time of an fictional delay with the "Excel formula" approach:
"Delay time $SWITCH($project.effects['send delay'].time; 0, '1/32'; 16, '1/16t', 32, 1/16; 48, '1/8t'; 64, '1/8'; 80, '1/4t; 96, '1/8d'; 112, '1/4'; 127, '1/2')"
Instead, I suggest a new "format" section which is available for each widget. In this section, building blocks which consists of conditionals and actions can be added to not only define the text of the widget but also the color, visibility and possibly more.
ultracello
Merged in a post:
Change Label Text With Actions
Chris Bartholomew
ultracello
Merged in a post:
Refer to UI elements by more than just the label
E
Eric Raymond
For example a control setting refer to button press via the label displayed. If that button label is repeated multiple times, the summary is ambiguous (which makes it very hard to spot bugs or to remap controls).
One idea: Allow for an optional "id" field that is displayed if provided.
ultracello
Merged in a post:
Dynamic text on a button or text field
E
Eric Raymond
Allow the text on a button to change based up it's state or via a follow action. For example, the Play/Stop button would say Play when stopped and Stop when Playing.
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