unexpected results with FILL feature

[Philip]

The fill feature is so much better than having to use the background and highlight each section and fill them all in seperately. However, I've noticed that when I highlight several rows at once and use the FILL it will fill in gaps in rows going all the way back to a previous effect command that is outside of the selected area, which means that I have to select each row individually.

Is it possible that the fill would only affect empty cell using a start and stop point WITHIN the selected area, such that it would ignore a gap in effects that has it's prior or next command outside of this selected range.



In the attached image I would only want to fill in the gaps within the selected area, but by higlighting and hitting the "F" key


Attached files

[LightORamaDan]

The fill works a little differently than other tools. It does not work on the "selected" area.

In the example that you gave you would select the fill tool first then click in top or bottom rows of the area (between the ON and the Fade) that you wanted to fill, hold the mouse button down and move the mouse up or down and as you "hit rows" those rows will fill.

Dan

[Philip]

Thanks Dan

I've very used to leaving the "select" as the current selected tool and using the keyboard shortcuts, but this works just as well, I just have to get used to the Shift+F, but it is working so much faster

btw... LOVING the new software !!!!!!!

[bob]

That seems like a good idea to me, at least as an option, but please let us think about it some more.

Anyway, in the particular case that you show in your screenshot, I think that what I gather you want to do can be done with the keyboard. You just have to think about it a bit differently:

Instead of selecting the maximal rectangle in which there are empty spots that you want to fill (as you've done in the screenshot), just select the minimal rectangle which includes parts of all of the empty spots that you want to fill.

That is, just select the five cells in the column immediately preceding the fade down, and apply the Fill tool to that selection.

Also, you might want to try using the Fill tool with the mouse - it's a very different experience. You don't have to select any area. Rather, you just click on a spot you want to fill, and while still holding the mouse button down, drag to other spots you want to fill. It doesn't cause anything to get selected -- it doesn't modify your selection at all -- it just fills the things that you click on and drag to.

I'm not sure if I'm describing it well, so please give it a try to see if you like it. It's very different than using the Fill tool via the keyboard, and it's also different from using other tools via the mouse.

[bob]

The fill works a little differently than other tools. It does not work on the "selected" area.

It does in the case of keyboard use. It acts as if you have used the mouse-based Fill tool on all empty spots within the selection.

[Greg Young]

Hint:

Sounds like the fill and chase tools might benefit from a little video how to in the help (documentation) section of the LOR website. :cool:

Maybe one of our experienced testers/users could volunteer to help out with that.

Greg

[Charles Belcher]

Just going through the new changes and I am on FILL now.

The help file states:

The Fill tool, on the other hand, is applied to the cell that you click on, immediately when you click down, and to any cell that you subsequently drag to (with the mouse still clicked down). It does not change the selected area of the sequence grid in any way. This fact, plus the fact that the Fill tool does not affect cells that are not already completely off, hopefully makes it easy to apply a wide range of fills quickly, simply by clicking and dragging to the appropriate spots.


But, when I click down on the fill tool on one empty cell, it stills fills all the cells in between two events. I am not dragging, just clicking.







Any ideas?

Charles

[Charles Belcher]

Bob,

Are you there? Can you help me with the above post please.

Charles

[bob]

Yes, I am here. I've already given the answer to Charles in an email that he sent me, but I will repeat it here for anyone else who may be interested:

The Fill tool does not pay attention to cells at all. It pays attention to effects. When you click on an "off" effect, it applies to that entire effect, regardless of whether that effect is one cell, many cells, part of a cell, or what.

We will get the misleading sentence in the help file changed.

[Steven]

One thing that would be nice, but I'm only suggesting it because I'm getting spoiled with all these new tools, is a way to fade a channel off from its current color.

In other words, I'd like the behavior of the fill tool near the end of the sequence where there are no more events, except I'd like to fade to black in the middle of the sequence.

Currently, I can do this by making a column of intensity 1%, using the fill tool, then turning that column off.

[bob]

That's a good idea. I suggest sending it to wishlist@lightorama.com.

There's also another way (besides your "1%" way), but it too is kind of kludgy. I don't know whether it would be easier or not, but:

You could put the color that you want to fade from at a spot appropriately far from the end of an RGB channel, then fill, then cut, then paste.

If you don't have an RGB channel that could be used that way, you could always make one (and not set it up with unit/circuit IDs and such).

[marquisite]

It would be cool if one could use the fill tool like other tools - where it only applies to a selection if and only if we click and create a range of cells on one single channel. This would allow fills to start at a given point that I want.

Alternatively, can a setting dialogue be added to intelligent fade where it will inherit the adjacent cell's value for the min/max instead of it taking the preset 0, 25, 50, 75, 100% or what ever.

Or perhaps another button "Seamless fade" where it does just this sans the requirement of a setting box as it would be its own button. Fill works perfectly where you want to fill from one non-0% cell to another non-0% cell. But when you want to fill an area with one side of the selection including a 0% cell, fill falls down.

Basically, if one was to select a cell with any kind of intensity, this effect should inherit this % as a "fade from" if extended the selection to the right - OR the effect should inherit this % as a "fade to" if extended the selection to the left.

I'd send it to wishlist but I've already sent many suggestions already...

Is it at all possible to develop some kind of feature request tool where we can all see each other's suggestions, and collaborate on them (vote up/down, comment).. see if they have been 'accepted' to be implemented in a later revision etc.. this would be beneficial, I think. Such a system might be able to double is a bug tracker also (that includes design 'bugs', Dan ).

At present it feels like suggestions sent to the wishlist are lost. I know this is not the case, but I hope you can understand where I am coming from