[Macro]
(pattern {variable}* {type} {item}+ {option value}*)

Creates a pattern from a series of definitional clauses. There are four types of clauses: variable definitions, pattern and element type specifications, item specifications and pattern initializations.

Variable declarations

Pattern variables are named expressions that can be referenced as items inside the pattern's data specification. Only variables are evaluated; a pattern treats all other items as constant (unevaluated) data. There are two types of pattern variables: normal variables declared using with and substitution variables declared using alias:

with var = expr {and var2 = expr2}*
Declares variable var whose name is replaced by the value of expr inside the pattern's data specification.
alias var = form {and var2 = form2}*
Declares variable var whose name is replaced by the literal form inside the pattern's data and is evaluated only within the context of a call to next.

The difference between the with and alias variable declarations.

(define p (pattern with x = (random 10)
                   cycle a x b x c x))
(next p 12)
⇒ (a 7 b 7 c 7 a 7 b 7 c 7)

(define p (pattern alias x = (random 10)
                   cycle a x b x c x))
(next p 12)
⇒ (a 2 b 9 c 3 a 3 b 1 c 5)

Type declarations

The pattern's type declaration consists of a pattern type followed by an optional element type:

pattern-type [of element-type]
The pattern-type can be one of: cycle weighting heap line palindrome graph markov rewrite rotation. An optional of clause specifies an element-type. If provided it determines how items in the pattern are to be interpreted. The element-type can be one of: notes keynums hertz rhythms amplitudes.

Pattern and element type declarations.

(define p (pattern cycle c d e f g a))

(next p 12)
⇒ (c d e f g a c d e f g a)

(define p (pattern heap of keynums c d e f g a))

(next p 12)
⇒ (60 69 65 69 62 65 64 60 64 67 67 62)

(define p (pattern cycle of rhythms q w e s tempo 90))

(next p 8)
⇒ (0.6666667 2.6666667 0.33333334 0.16666667 0.6666667 2.6666667 0.33333334 0.16666667)

Item specification

Following the pattern's type declaration comes one or more item specifications. Items that are not pattern variables are unevaluated data, that is, they are are constants in the pattern. Certain pattern types ( weighting, graph, etc.) allow items to be specified within pattern node lists. In these cases the first element in the node lists is treaded as the node's item.

Item specification.

(define p (pattern with x = (pattern cycle 1 2 3)
                   weighting a (x :weight .5)  b c (d :weight 2)))
(next p 20)
⇒ (a c c d 1 2 3 c d 1 2 3 a d d d c d c a)

Pattern initializations

After the items have been specified zero or more pattern initializations can be provided, as described in the patterns topic help.

Pattern initializations.

(define p (pattern with x = (pattern cycle 3 4 5)
                   and y = (pattern heap 60 90 120)
                   weighting of rhythms q w e s tempo y for x))
(next p #t)
(0.33333334 0.25 0.25)

(next p #t)
(0.125 1.0 0.16666667 0.5)

(next p #t)
(0.6666667 2.0 0.25 0.16666667 1.0)

(next p #t)
(0.6666667 0.5 4.0)
⇒

See also: