truly awesome!...but after one hour sleep i'm still not too logical in my brain...so..

>zot.cellcheck refer to a field or method of a class.

yes, it's a method in a class TuioRange that extends TuioLoader which is an instance of the TuioProcessing class ... i hope that is allowed

so I called to TuioRange from a class called Module ('zot' is defined to be a TuioRange object in the Module parameters): 

zot = new TuioRange(centerpoint, range);
if (cellcheck() == true) {
out.setGain(0);
}
else {
out.setgain(-50);
}

TuioRange zot = new TuioRange(centerpoint, range);

inside TuioRange:

//methods
boolean cellcheck() {
 
Vector tuioObjectList = tuioClient.getTuioObjects();

for (int i=0; i<tuioObjectList.size(); i++) {
TuioObject tobj = (TuioObject)tuioObjectList.elementAt(i);

//distance from TUIO points to grid (sample) cells
float testX = testpoint.get(x);
float testY = testpoint.get(y);
range = range * 200;
distance = tp.getDistance(testX,testY);
if (distance <= range) {
lineswitch == true;
return lineswitch;
}
}
}

thanks to you both for the corrections (oops! on the ==) and pointers, but its now giving me "the function cellcheck() does not exist" 

so am i doing some other dum thing....

your guidance is truly appreciated

and waaay faster than me - passed out and dreamed code....only problem it was even more confusing in the dream..  I really appreciate you two helping understand this (slowly) 

yes, that is why i was trying to call zot.cellcheck, so ok i only had that partly screwed up. unfortunately there is no partly screwed up in code lol...

so, ejected out of a couple hours 'rest', the next iteration continues to be problematic:

most of the class TuioLoader is taken directly from an example in the TuioProcessing distribution, that section is below

so now I'm getting 'The constructor TuioProcessing(this_sketch.TuioLoader) is undefined'

i have this feeling that somehow building a class this way is not allowed, or I broke the implementation trying to put the example into a class (I'm trying to make my program more 'modular' if that makes any sense..)

anyway, if anyone can again point out what is probably obvious, or direct me in the correct way to understand the logical flow or correct syntax, I am again in your debt

class TuioLoader {

////////requires TUIO Processing
////works best with Sony PS3 Eye cam

/*

portions of this code from
TUIO processing demo - part of the reacTIVision project
http://reactivision.sourceforge.net/
Copyright (c) 2005-2009 Martin Kaltenbrunner < mkalten@iua.upf.edu>
GNU General Public License, version 2 and later

*/

import TUIO.*;
TuioProcessing tuioClient;

float cursor_size = 40;
float object_size = 60;
float table_size = 480;
float scale_factor = 10;
TuioObject tobj;


//constructor
TuioLoader() {

size(640,480);
noStroke();
fill(0);
smooth();
loop();

scale_factor = height/table_size;

tuioClient = new TuioProcessing(this);
}

// within the TuioTracking method we retrieve a Vector (List) of TuioObject and TuioCursor (polling)
// from the TuioProcessing client and then loop over both lists to draw the graphical feedback.
void TuioTracking() {
background(0);
float obj_size = object_size*scale_factor;
float cur_size = cursor_size*scale_factor;

//make a list (java Vector) of all the objects
Vector tuioObjectList = tuioClient.getTuioObjects();
for (int i=0; i<tuioObjectList.size(); i++) {
TuioObject tobj = (TuioObject)tuioObjectList.elementAt(i);
}

  //draw Tuio tracking blobs
Vector tuioCursorList = tuioClient.getTuioCursors();
for (int i=0;i<tuioCursorList.size();i++) {
TuioCursor tcur = (TuioCursor)tuioCursorList.elementAt(i);

fill(255);
ellipse( tcur.getScreenX(width), tcur.getScreenY(height),cur_size,cur_size);
}
}



 ///// these callback methods are called whenever a TUIO event occurs - this is directly copied from the example with no changes

// called when an object is added to the scene
void addTuioObject(TuioObject tobj) {
println("add object "+tobj.getSymbolID()+" ("+tobj.getSessionID()+") "+tobj.getX()+" "+tobj.getY()+" "+tobj.getAngle());
}

// called when an object is removed from the scene
void removeTuioObject(TuioObject tobj) {
println("remove object "+tobj.getSymbolID()+" ("+tobj.getSessionID()+")");
}

// called when an object is moved
void updateTuioObject (TuioObject tobj) {
println("update object "+tobj.getSymbolID()+" ("+tobj.getSessionID()+") "+tobj.getX()+" "+tobj.getY()+" "+tobj.getAngle()
+" "+tobj.getMotionSpeed()+" "+tobj.getRotationSpeed()+" "+tobj.getMotionAccel()+" "+tobj.getRotationAccel());
}

// called when a cursor is added to the scene
void addTuioCursor(TuioCursor tcur) {
println("add cursor "+tcur.getCursorID()+" ("+tcur.getSessionID()+ ") " +tcur.getX()+" "+tcur.getY());
}

// called when a cursor is moved
void updateTuioCursor (TuioCursor tcur) {
println("update cursor "+tcur.getCursorID()+" ("+tcur.getSessionID()+ ") " +tcur.getX()+" "+tcur.getY()
+" "+tcur.getMotionSpeed()+" "+tcur.getMotionAccel());
}

// called when a cursor is removed from the scene
void removeTuioCursor(TuioCursor tcur) {
println("remove cursor "+tcur.getCursorID()+" ("+tcur.getSessionID()+")");
}

// called after each message bundle
// representing the end of an image frame
void refresh(TuioTime bundleTime) {
//redraw();
}
}

///ps is it considered bad etiquette to paste code like this? should i do it line by line for 'conceptual block questions' like this?

i feel so dum.... i think i understand that, but now i get another syntax error...which i'm sure is something to do with the way i am trying to write the inheritance....i really want to understand this! (also, sorry if the code below is pasted a bit messy - trying to figure out this forum code insert..)

import TUIO.*;

class TuioLoader { 
  
/*

portions of this code from
TUIO processing demo - part of the reacTIVision project
http://reactivision.sourceforge.net/
Copyright (c) 2005-2009 Martin Kaltenbrunner <mkalten@iua.upf.edu>
GNU General Public License, version 2 and later

*/

float cursor_size = 40;
float object_size = 60;
float table_size = 480;
float scale_factor = 10;
TuioObject tobj;
TuioProcessing tuioClient;

//constructor
TuioLoader(PApplet pa) {

   size(640,480);
   noStroke();
   fill(0);
   smooth();
   loop();

   scale_factor = height/table_size;

   tuioClient = new TuioProcessing(pa);
}

void TuioTracking() {
   background(0);
   float obj_size = object_size*scale_factor; 
   float cur_size = cursor_size*scale_factor; 

   //make a list (java Vector) of all the objects 
   Vector tuioObjectList = tuioClient.getTuioObjects();
   for (int i=0; i<tuioObjectList.size(); i++) {
   TuioObject tobj = (TuioObject)tuioObjectList.elementAt(i);
}

// draw Tuio tracking blobs

   Vector tuioCursorList = tuioClient.getTuioCursors();
   for (int i=0;i<tuioCursorList.size();i++) {
     TuioCursor tcur = (TuioCursor)tuioCursorList.elementAt(i);
     fill(255);
     ellipse( tcur.getScreenX(width), tcur.getScreenY(height),cur_size,cur_size);
     }
}



  // these callback methods are called whenever a TUIO event occurs - callbacks remain unaltered from source //

// called when an object is added to the scene
void addTuioObject(TuioObject tobj) {
  println("add object "+tobj.getSymbolID()+" ("+tobj.getSessionID()+") "+tobj.getX()+" "+tobj.getY()+" "+tobj.getAngle());
}

// called when an object is removed from the scene
void removeTuioObject(TuioObject tobj) {
    println("remove object "+tobj.getSymbolID()+" ("+tobj.getSessionID()+")");
}

// called when an object is moved
void updateTuioObject (TuioObject tobj) {
println("update object "+tobj.getSymbolID()+" ("+tobj.getSessionID()+") "+tobj.getX()+" "+tobj.getY()+" "+tobj.getAngle()
+" "+tobj.getMotionSpeed()+" "+tobj.getRotationSpeed()+" "+tobj.getMotionAccel()+" "+tobj.getRotationAccel());
}

// called when a cursor is added to the scene
void addTuioCursor(TuioCursor tcur) {
   println("add cursor "+tcur.getCursorID()+" ("+tcur.getSessionID()+ ") " +tcur.getX()+" "+tcur.getY());
}

// called when a cursor is moved
void updateTuioCursor (TuioCursor tcur) {
   println("update cursor "+tcur.getCursorID()+" ("+tcur.getSessionID()+ ") " +tcur.getX()+" "+tcur.getY()
+" "+tcur.getMotionSpeed()+" "+tcur.getMotionAccel());
}

// called when a cursor is removed from the scene
void removeTuioCursor(TuioCursor tcur) {
   println("remove cursor "+tcur.getCursorID()+" ("+tcur.getSessionID()+")");
}

// called after each message bundle
// representing the end of an image frame
void refresh(TuioTime bundleTime) {
//redraw();
}

}

ok...that starts to become (a little) clearer

TuioRange(PApplet pa, PVector tempXY, float temprange) {
super();

but then I'm going to have to pass another parameter also from any class that calls TuioRange, no? 

in my Module class ( a class that puts together my Tuio data and audio samples...)

  zot = new TuioRange(centerpoint, range); 

reports TuioRange(PVector, float) is undefined,  because now I have to also pass a value for that parameter from the class that calls it, right?.....wow..this could go on forever...or, more likely, I still don't get it

and weirdly (to me) this syntax (PApplet tr in TuioRange constructor)

zot = new TuioRange(PApplet tr, centerpoint, range);

reports (on the same line) a missing right parenthesis?...

I don't know why Processing is so addictable and frustrating at the same time - right now I have no idea what is wrong

ok, edit, just tried

 zot = new TuioRange(zot.acceptMessage, centerpoint, range);

 

//but no luck there...i reasoned that calling a method from TuioProcessing through the chain of inheritance would get me somewhere...but zot.acceptMessage cannot be resolved, or is not a field.

and

zot = new TuioRange(zot.getTuioCursors(), centerpoint, range); which i thought perhaps to be a more reasonable function also says it doesnt exist, so i cannot access my TuioRange class 

i guess i'm trying

zot = new TuioRange(zot.getTuioCursors(PApplet tr), centerpoint, range); back to missing right parenthesis...i have no more ideas so i will hope for some conceptual guidance from this madness

i did sort that out after working all night and a few tips from other sources also - i have other problems with it now but those are questions i will post elsewhere if i cannot resolve them.

I am truly thankful that you were able to have time to explain to me so clearly about Java/Processing syntax/logic, I wasnt even aware you could pass a PApplet parameter that way (or even that you might need to) so that was a major step forward

you sum it all up with > "you have to pay attention to the types expected by the methods you call" which after much thinking and trying makes so much sense :)

merci bien!