part of my motivation in having norns use lua is that i wanted something that could be potentially as approachable as teletype (ie, for non-programmers) but also powerful enough to do more complex things.
so, on one end of the spectrum— i wanted someone to be able to have a half-page of code which sets up softcut in a particular way, maps some encoders or midi, and shows something musically helpful on the screen. maybe extend it with some tables for musical purposes… ie, everyone has their own sequencer. at this level the code functions more like a composition, in a sense.
but i also set a precedent for big complicated scripts that are more like tools and less like compositions (ie mlr). and these big scripts could possibly use some OOP effectively. but to be honest i’m rewriting mlr from scratch and still not bothering with OOP— it feels overkill.
but where it is more often needed is in the core libraries. so maybe this is a good moment to set out a request: from all the smart people in this thread, we’d happily welcome contributions to the core library. for example— when norns started, there was no concept of “parameters” and that grew over time. i’d like to find situations where the core libs can address basic recurring needs, so where possible user scripts can be as short as possible and leverage existing patterns.
that said, things like the param system don’t accommodate every need— and there’s a point where overbuilding that system has diminishing returns. it’s very easy to make a custom param-menu-like thing… because it’s lua.
ps. the scripting docs (particularly the libs) are in desperate need of an overhaul, and a vision towards it. which will likely also suggest some sort of syntax unification… which is maybe what is meant by house style.
