[Closed] Selecting multiple objects with try() and *

You are putting a PathName inside an array and so it throws an error:

try(select #($'Bip*Spine*'))catch(getCurrentException())
    "-- Runtime error: operation requires a collection of nodes, got: $$objects/.../Bip*Spine*"
    

Try removing the array:

try(select $Bip*Spine*)catch(getCurrentException())

Thank for your answer, PolyTools.
The reason why I’d like to select object with try() it’s because I like to see/control the list of objects like below:

try(select #(
	$'Bip Acolyte1A Pelvis',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A Spine',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A Spine1',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A Spine2',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A Neck',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A Head',
	
	$'Bip Acolyte1A L UpperArm',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A L Forearm',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A L Hand',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A R UpperArm',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A R Forearm',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A R Hand',

	$'Bip Acolyte1A L Foot', --Legs
	$'Bip Acolyte1A L Toe0',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A L Calf',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A R Foot',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A R Toe0',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A R Calf',

	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_06, --Skirt Front
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_01,
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_04,
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_13,
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_11,
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_14,
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_07,
	
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_03, --Skirt Back
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_16,
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_09,
	
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_02, --Skirt Left side
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_15,
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_08,
	
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_05, --Skirt Right side
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_12,
	$BoB_Acolyte1A_Falda_10,
)) catch()

But if I use your code I want be able to do that:

try(select $'Bip*Spine*', $'Bip*Pelvis*')
catch(getCurrentException())

this gives me an error:

-- Error occurred in anonymous codeblock; filename: C:\Users\AntonSh\Dropbox\Public\00-archive\03-distr\01-3d-tools\3dsmax\_scripts\01-my-scripts\01-tswfull\_mklink	swbase\; position: 148
-- Syntax error: at ),, expected <factor>
--  In line: try(select $'Bip*Spine*', $

One way could be:

nodes = #()
 join nodes $Bip*Spine*
 join nodes $Bip*Pelvis*
 select nodes

nodes = #()
 nodes += $Bip*Spine*
 nodes += $Bip*Pelvis*
 select nodes

select (#() + $Bip*Spine* + $Bip*Pelvis*)

I am not sure what a “top-down” list would be.

If you mean if the array would be unsorted or if that it would keep the order of the items as you add them, then yes, the items keeps the order as you add them. 

(#() + #("Z") + #("A") + #("B") + #("X") + #("M"))
  -- #("Z", "A", "B", "X", "M")
 
   (#() + #("8") + #("2") + #("10") + #("1") + #("3"))
 --#("8", "2", "10", "1", "3")

no, I meant how it represented in code:

I want something like this:

	$'Bip Acolyte1A Pelvis',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A Spine',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A Spine1',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A Spine2',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A Neck',
	$'Bip Acolyte1A Head',

In your case, if you want to select by nodes names, I don’t see how that could be easily solved using just PathNames:

$'Bip Acolyte1A Pelvis'	-- Select
$'Bip Acolyte1A Spine'	-- Select
$'Bip Acolyte1A Spine1'	-- Select
$'Bip Acolyte1A Spine2'	-- Select
$'Bip Acolyte1A Neck'	-- Select
$'Bip Acolyte1A Head'	-- Select

$'Bip Acolyte1A L UpperArm'	-- Avoid
$'Bip Acolyte1A L Forearm'	-- Avoid
$'Bip Acolyte1A L Hand'		-- Avoid
$'Bip Acolyte1A R UpperArm'	-- Avoid
$'Bip Acolyte1A R Forearm'	-- Avoid
$'Bip Acolyte1A R Hand'		-- Avoid

 Instead you could use RegEx: 

(
    	pattern = "Bip Acolyte1A [HNPS]"
    	regex = dotnetObject "System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex" pattern
    	
    	clearselection()
    	select (for j in objects where regex.isMatch j.name collect j)
    )

It could also be helpful to use the nodes hierarchy, but I don’t know if this is the case.

I am sorry but I think I am not following you. Wildcards and Try()Catch() statements are to different things.

In your very first example what was failing was not the wildcard but the array you were building #2.

If you would like to use Try/Catch with the Select function you could just add it as follow:

try (select (#() + $Bip*Spine* + $Bip*Pelvis*)) catch()

But I don’t see any reason to use it as if no nodes with the given path are found, then it would just select an empty array, which does not throws any error.

Thank you so much! This is exactly what I looked for.