moving channels from one controller box to another

[Amie]

I've finally given up on my old songs...too much trouble. I went from 48 to 96 channels and I had about 10 songs last year. It's easier to program new songs than it is to get the old songs rearrange, one by one into the new order by cutting and pasting. Or by keeping the first page the exact same way the last year's order was.

Maybe after Christmas I will fix all of them and have them in better shape for next year.

[taybrynn]

The main thing is the LOR needs to make channels have an identity (internal ID#) when you first create the new channels. Then that display element can live on through moving, and re-assigning ... and probably also through some kind of de-commissioning process (i.e. sold the megatree, unlikely as it would be).

I think the configuration file should be an external reference, similar to how the audio file currently works. Then each song references the internal ID# mapping information in the external configuration file ... so one change in the external configuration file can affect all sequences referencing it.

There needs to be more LOR S2 structure around what people are doing each year ... namely:

(1) adding controllers
(2) adding new display items, removing display items
(3) re-arranging display items
(4) mapping old sequences (songs) into the new configuration/layout

Yes, you can do it currently ... but cutting and pasting every single sequence is the hardest way possible. There must be a better way to do this ...

**IDEA! ... not so good it turns out **
Back to the current state of LOR S2 -- it almost seems like you could use track#1 to import/export your configuration into ONLY. Do not sequence into track#1 is my thought. Then use tracks #2,#3,etc. to do your sequencing into. The benefit in this approach would be that you can move stuff around to your hearts content ... without having to worry about messing up the top-to-bottom order of the channels. So essentially could could just put track#1 in controller order C1:1-16,C2:1-16,C3:1-16, etc. and then use 'duplicate track' into new tracks ... where you could drap/drop (rearrange) to your hearts content without messing up the order (since tracks#2+ are just references back into track#1 configuration assignments).

I'm probably missing something here ... because there are probably other problems still ... but I do kind of like the idea of track#1 being reserved for configuration and assignments ... then tracks#2+ being for the sequence content.
So let's see how that would work ... say you decide to move "Mega tree#1" from controller C1-1 to C6-1. You could go into track#1 and change the name in C6-1 to "Mega Tree#1" ... and say you wanted to put Santa#1 (a new display item) into C1-1 ... so you would just update the name on C1-1 to "Santa#1".

So now, the problem is that Mega Tree#1 didn't really move at all, it's prior programming just will be used for Santa#1 ... ok, so this idea doesn't work.

I guess the problem I saw originally was it ... we need some non-changing ID# for each display item that is generated the first time you enter it.

** BETTER idea **
What would be neat would be a separate inventory file to contain your display items. In there, you would basically inventory your Display Items (items can be groups of things that are all controlled together) ... for example, Nativity Scene could be a group of 5 blowmolds. But in the inventory manager, you would add your 'display items' and they would get assigned a unique ID# there. By default, you wouldn't be able to change the ID# ... but in a 'Advanced Mode', you could. Meaning, you could replace display items with the new equivelents. This could be especially powerful when taking someones else's sequence and mapping it into your own display. LOR could take this another step and allow you a true inventory system (where you store your individual light strings and other display items) ... and then you group these inventory items into 'Display Items' (or display Element/display groups). You then get a unique ID# for Display Item and that becomes a more flexible thing to associate with sequences.

Then you would map to display ID#(s) ... and then the order becomes irrelevant and songs can be rearranged much easier in subsequent years.

[Amie]

Hey, a seperate inventory file...great idea. Isn't the unique id # what the channel numbers function is? It seems like having this extra number, plus the channel number puts a lot more complication to it. I guess I don't understand it's purpose. But I'm all for the inventory file, obviously.

I was right with you on the new idea you posted in red, but started to see the problem coming as I was reading. Kind of funny. Oh well. But thanks for trying to find a solution. I'd love to come up with a better way to do this. You and I have exactly the same number of channels right now. I'd love to solve this before I get too many more channels to deal with. It's been a nightmare with just 96. I would have been done a month ago if it weren't for this issue.

[Amie]

Hey taybrynn, guess what, we just invented the .lcc file. LOL

Go take a look at it. You can open it with Notepad on your computer and view it as a text file. The first section of the file is the channel properties including the name, color, devicetype, unit, circuit and savedIndex. The SavedIndex is exactly what you were calling a Unique ID #.

Now, if they can take this one step further and allow a text file to define the channel names and SavedIndex then create the *.lcc file based off of the information in a text file, that would be awesome.

[taybrynn]

Too funny !

[Amie]

Thanks Jeff for your post, it's nice to know that I'm not a total idiot - sometimes I feel like one with this stuff. I sent a fairly long email earlier today, once I sorted out the details of how it could be accomplished. I hope they consider it. I've done a little programming with html and css and I don't think it would be too hard to do. But I know they have lots to do. I'm guessing that they really didn't expect people to trade songs as much as some of us do - that's definitely one of the issues I have.

I agree with Jeff and would like to restress that editing the .lcc is not something that I would mess with unless you really know what you are doing. And definitely make a backup. If you mess up, you will have to start over from scratch.

Also, would everyone that is reading this thread and frustrated with this problem PLEASE submit at least a one sentence email to wishlist@lightOrama.com saying that you would like the import/export issues resolved for the tracks and a way to separately import/export the animation design. (I stole your words Jeff, hope that's okay.)