Method assistant not working

Questions
#1

I just started to use SuperCollider last week and I’m having an issue with ‘method assistance’ on SuperCollider. A list of methods doesn’t pop in front of an object when you call for its methods. I tried to install different versions of supercollider but the problem still persists. I use a 2017 MacBook pro with mac OS Big Sur. I’d greatly appreciate it if anyone can help.

#2

It’s helpful to be specific when describing a problem. Here, I don’t know what you’re doing to trigger autocompletion. So, it’s possible that you’re doing it right and there’s something wrong in your system, or it’s also possible that the sequence of steps you’re taking doesn’t open autocompletion – not known with the given information.

The method list doesn’t appear until after you type ..

  • If the token before . is a literal, then the list of methods will be tailored to that: a literal classname will bring up class methods for that class, a "string literal" will show string instance methods, etc. (One exception: if it’s an integer literal like 123, then a . could be either a decimal point or a method-call indicator. So in that case, you get the method list after typing a lowercase letter after ..)

  • If the preceding token is an expression (variable name or other), then the class isn’t known. So it shows you all methods after you type at least 3 letters.

Check also Edit → Preferences → Shortcuts and filter on “auto” – this will show the key binding to trigger autocompletion. If that key binding conflicts with something reserved for the system (such as, often, input method switching), you might need to change it.

hjh

#3

Thank you, I was able to make the auto completion list appear using the shortcut “Trigger Autocompletion” with your help. However, I want it to show up every time I type a least 3 letters for a method and not have to use the shortcut. My friend who is also a beginner was able to have that when he installed the software, do you know how I can achieve that?

#4

In a word… no… I don’t personally.

I suspect an issue specific to your machine or OS (or perhaps Qt) installation, but I haven’t used macOS in many years so I’m at some remove from macOS-specific problems.

I can only say what it’s supposed to do (like above).

Perhaps a Mac user has more ideas.

hjh