Track QUestion

[thevikester]

Totally new to tracks, and I'm going to call Don
but want to see if I have this right...If I already have acompleted sequence, 160 channels. Now I want to be able to group channels by color, since i'm using 3 colors, not every red, clear or green is next to each other. Do I need to duplicate track before I start grouping them, or once I had a new track, is my existing sequence already saved as essentially my master track?

The reason I ask this is, if I do the edit, duplicate track, it creates a second track and my original is listed as track 1, which of course I can name whatever. Or should I duplicate, make a 2nd or duplicate track which has all channels, and THEN, make additional tracks that have each component or color grouping?

After that, once I have the tracks completed, export that channel configuration under a new name?. ANd if I want those tracks for my other sequences that are completed, open up an existing sequence, and then import the newly created LCC with the tracks, correct? What i'm trying to do is fine tune my sequences and seems it would be easier with my colors grouped for specific props...thanks for any help anyone can give me.

DON, if you get this, is it okay to call during football Sunday...I wouldn't be calling durng the VIkings game from 4:15 to 7:30 : }

[Don]

It's okay to call.

[PaulXmas]

Sounds like you are getting your answers form Don but there could be others that are wondering the same thing.

I started using tracks this year and for me they have been a great time saver.
The first track I set up channel 1 thru 16 for each controller then I DO NOT touch this track!
If I wanted to group all my greens in one area I would right click each one and "Copy" to Other Track then Copy to Track #
I can now set another track for say all my trees.
On these new tracks I can move/remove channels without effecting the main track.
If I add something new next year I can either add them to the main track or create on just for them or ???
I bought 4 CCRs this year, 200+ channels and they are on their own track

As long as you don't touch the main track

[FireMedic4Christ]

PaulXmas wrote:

Sounds like you are getting your answers form Don but there could be others that are wondering the same thing.

I started using tracks this year and for me they have been a great time saver.
The first track I set up channel 1 thru 16 for each controller then I DO NOT touch this track!
If I wanted to group all my greens in one area I would right click each one and "Copy" to Other Track then Copy to Track #
I can now set another track for say all my trees.
On these new tracks I can move/remove channels without effecting the main track.
If I add something new next year I can either add them to the main track or create on just for them or ???
I bought 4 CCRs this year, 200+ channels and they are on their own track

As long as you don't touch the main track

This is what I do as well. The first track is all controllers and channels in order. I then group by color, left to right across the display, top to bottom of the display, and finally by specific elements as appropriate such my pumpkin choir or my Holdman trees.

One other thing to note when importing your channel configuration to an existing sequence. Unless I have missed something in LOR2, you need to add enough blank tracks to the beginning of each sequence to hold to the all of the new tracks without overwriting what you already have there. It does not erase the programming but rather assigns it to the new controller and channel in that location. After that, you may copy and paste from the old sequence track at the end to the appropriate location in the new tracks. Finally you may the delete the last track with the original programming if you wish or leave it for future reference.

Brian

[thevikester]

One other thing to note when importing your channel configuration to an existing sequence. Unless I have missed something in LOR2, you need to add enough blank tracks to the beginning of each sequence to hold to the all of the new tracks without overwriting what you already have there. It does not erase the programming but rather assigns it to the new controller and channel in that location. After that, you may copy and paste from the old sequence track at the end to the appropriate location in the new tracks. Finally you may the delete the last track with the original programming if you wish or leave it for future reference.

Brian

Brian...are you sure about having to add space or blank tracks to an existing sequence before importing a new LCC that has tracks??? I'm not sure that is the case, but I haven't tried that yet, and don't want to end up screwing up my channels.

[Don]

I don't recall ever having to add extra channels in S2.

[FireMedic4Christ]

Don wrote:

I don't recall ever having to add extra channels in S2.

Not channels, tracks.

To verify this, I took an old sequence from 2007 with 4 controllers 16 channels each all in one track and imported my channel configuration for 2011. This one has 6 tracks with 11 controllers of 16 channels each. The resulting import does not change the programming as displayed from top to bottom, but it does change which controller and channel it is assigned to based on how they are listed from top to bottom in my new configuration.

Adding new tracks to the beginning of an existing sequence allows me to keep the original intact and then cut and paste onto the new configuration. Otherwise what started out as the roofline may end up a shrub somewhere in my yard.

Hopefully, I am explaining this well enough. If not, please ask again.

[FireMedic4Christ]

Just a bump to see if I got this right or am I doing something wrong.

FireMedic4Christ wrote:

Don wrote:

I don't recall ever having to add extra channels in S2.

Not channels, tracks.

To verify this, I took an old sequence from 2007 with 4 controllers 16 channels each all in one track and imported my channel configuration for 2011. This one has 6 tracks with 11 controllers of 16 channels each. The resulting import does not change the programming as displayed from top to bottom, but it does change which controller and channel it is assigned to based on how they are listed from top to bottom in my new configuration.

Adding new tracks to the beginning of an existing sequence allows me to keep the original intact and then cut and paste onto the new configuration. Otherwise what started out as the roofline may end up a shrub somewhere in my yard.

Hopefully, I am explaining this well enough. If not, please ask again.

[Don]

Channels in the LOR config are stored in what I call "computer readable" code, and shown to us in "human readable" format.

What you are describing:

The resulting import does not change the programming as displayed from top to bottom, but it does change which controller and channel it is assigned to based on how they are listed from top to bottom in my new configuration.

This sounds like you simply renamed channels. So, what was "bush1 red" might now be "tree4 green". Since you didn't delete the channel, the "computer readable" description was left in tact and didn't change.

This is why I emphasize a "master" track. There are several opinions on this, however, I believe that the only things you should do in a master track are:
1) add channels
2) rename channels to "void"

Why the rename? Well, if you aren't going to use a controller anymore, or decide that you no longer like the UnitID 13, then you would void out that controller. It would stay in your master track, and simply not be used. You could then remove it from other tracks, but again, never delete it from the master track.

Worth noting that in S3 there is a feature to "Lock" a track. When a track is locked you get a warning message anytime you do something to a channel that would affect your master track.

So, if you delete a channel from a working track (instead of removing it) then you would be warned, and ask if it's something you really want to do.