Help me refine a Feature Request: Automated Sequence Updates

[Randy]

Before I submit this idea to the LOR feature request email address, I want to post this idea and get some help from the community refining it...Here goes:

I find myself doing this several times during the year, and would like to figure out a more automated way of performing this task in the Sequence Editor or external application...I think it would be very powerful and of potential use to many LOR users, but I wanted to vet the idea with the community...

I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-40 sequence files in my show directory, between announcements, songs, and even test sequences that I use during setup.

The task under discussion is to add a new decoration or other display modification (usually insert several LOR channels in a particular location), and then import a new configuration file that sets the channel assignments, names, colors in the sequencer, etc.

What I end up doing is opening each sequence file in the directory, add, delete or otherwise fix up the number of channels in the desired location in the file, and then import the configuration file and save it. This is repeated 30-40 times for each of the show sequence files.

The "ultimate" solution would be to insert some instructions in a small "change" file (add 5 channels below Unit 14.12, delete 4 channels below Unit 5.5, etc.), and "press a button" to have the Sequence Editor or some other standalone application open up each sequence in the "Sequences" directory sequentially, apply the changes from the "change" file, import a pre-saved configuration file, and then re-save the sequence. Repeat for all sequences in the "sequence" directory, and then stop.

Voila, all my sequences would then be updated, and they would all be consistent as far as channel count, configuration, etc.

Is this practical? Do others want a tool like this as well? Is there a better way to explain it or implement it? What do you think?

Thanks, Randy

[DownTown]

Randy -

I'm in the same boat... I have done exactly what you describe each year as I make changes... I'd be for it

D.T.

[Steven]

After 3 years, I think I finally found a workable solution. That is to keep a "Master" track as the first track in the configuration. The order of channels in the Master track is never changed, and channels are never removed. If a new controller is added, its channels are added to the end of the Master track.

If I change the order of channels in a decoration, I only do that in other tracks, that I use to do my sequencing work. The "Import" tool will handle that and put things right.

This year, so far so good. I just import into each sequence, apply new effects, and that's it.

[George Simmons]

Steven, I'm in complete agreement. Until now I've never appreciated, or even fully understood, the value of a master track. To me it seemed more of a hinderance than a help. But I'm adding it this year for the first time to hopefully make my life a little easier in the future - for the very same issue that Randy and Dave mention.

Randy - I don't know how to better explain it, but I'm not sure you need to since most of us with higher channel counts already know what you're talking about. Maybe this is something Bob L can sink his neurons into.

[ItsMeBobO]

You mean me George? I guess I could comment here, but I am striking out in the other tech talk thread so I just might here too.

Randy I totally know what you mean. Each year I want to move my display forward with new or rearranged elements and not start from scratch. I considered a program to do just what you said and made some progress on it. The last two years I have used my personal VB program to generate my config file and then imported it into my sequences. Also have a tool to examine and change channels talked about here. http://forums.lightorama.com/view_topic.php?id=26616&forum_id=81&jump_to=246962#p246962
But I cant release it due to changes in the way the files will be stored with S3. And also because S3 will do some of the things my tool does.

Anyway what Steve and George said is correct. You can avoid a lot of pain if your FIRST track has every channel in it and you never rearrange them. Just add new ones to the bottom of the first track.
Then you have other tracks which duplicate every channel in groups.

Your tracks after the first are just the same channels as the first track just in rearranged order. So SE doesn't actually store any effects in those tracks. The net effect is.. if you ALWAYS have them all in track 1 and add new ones to the end. You can then rearrange the other track channels at will and as much as you want and still be able to import the changes into every sequenced song and not have to move a thing. New channels will appear in the tracks without bumping any effects off into the wrong row. New or removed tracks are not a problem either.