Defining a patch and using it

Typical newbie questions. I defined a patch, gave it i/o, and saved it.

I think it should have 4 inputs and 1 output. Instead it has 4 inputs and 5 outputs (each input IOBOX (Value) is shown as an output as well. I didn’t connect anything to the inputs, why does vvvv think it’s an output?

Also, every time I copy it, I get a new window showing the patch. I can hide it with alt-3, but it seems unnecessary to have extra windows. If I close the window the patch is also removed from my active window.

I’ve clearly missed something in what I read. Help…

I didn’t connect anything to the inputs, why does vvvv think it’s an output?

because its the same iobox for both input and outputs. as long as you havent connected anything vvvv doesnt know if its in or output. just connect something (eg. another iobox but without description) to the input io boxes and they dont show up as outlets anymore.

Also, every time I copy it, I get a new window showing the patch. I can hide it with alt-3, but it seems unnecessary to have extra windows. If I close the window the patch is also removed from my active window.

i think when you copy the subpatch while its window is hidden also the copys have their windows hidden, of course as soon as you open one of the copied patches the other windows open too. maybe you noticed that all copies of a subpatch share the same values, as long you dont feed it with values from the outside. if you want to act each copy independently you have to save it under another name…

I’ve clearly missed something in what I read. Help…

Thanks. Makes perfect sense.

sorry, simplest of all newby questions : how do i define a new patch and have it shown in the parent window ? when I create a new patch in the root window, the patch window opens but therse no trace of the patch in the root window - thanks

some useful shortcuts:
*show root patch = alt+r
*new patch = ctrl+n (its parent patch will be the root patch)
*new subpatch in current patch = ctrl + shift + p (new patch inside the current patch)

thanks - didnt realize it started with a new patch already, what I took for the root wasn’t root - now I see, thanks