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1 Connecting to a LanBox
2 Rigging a Stage
3 Control your lights
4 Cues and Chases
5 Live- and Automated Shows
6 Create and Edit Fixture Definitions

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Chapter 7: Fast Key Commands

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         8 UDP networking usage
         9 DMX input and MIDI usage

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another way of displaying the chapter Rainer

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Menu Shortcut Keys

Many menus have key shortcut commands, just click on a menu and see which shortcut is available.

Fokko, although well known (I think), a screenshot of a Menu will help and a "hidden" (twisted) list of the Key Shortcuts wont hurt either

Key Actions

LCedit+ has several single key actions. Below you find an overview of the keys and their actions. Once you know these key commands (together with user defined keystroke commands), you can execute complex commands in no time. A "must" for live shows, but also very useful to create cues in a snap.

Note: The cmd (apple) key corresponds to ctrl key on Windows systems.

Show Key CommandsHide Key Commands

Show CLI CommandsHide CLI Commands

Command Line Interface (CLI)

The graphical interface of LCedit+ is without doubt an advantage for beginners. But there surely are moments you wish to have fast and short key commands to get things done quickly. The CLI offers the possibility of doing whole actions by use of a single keystroke.

As soon as you type a CLI character the CLI interface is activated until the end of sequence command is received. The valid CLI commands are described in the Key Actions.

The CLI is a powerfull system to get actions done by typing very short commands.
Take a look at the pictures:
the k1-3k5-8 selects fixtures 1-3 and 5-8, while the next command ps2 sets them to 100% intensity.
A sequence must be terminated by enter/return/space/tab,
ESC cancels the command.
CLEAR clears the command except for the first letter.

* Fokko, to my mind these pix doesnt say a lot *

Multiple commands / parameters must follow this syntax:
type	separator	example
commands	;	cmd1; cmd2; cmd3
parameter list	,	param1, param2, param3
parameter range	-	param1 - param2

Macros

With CLI you have a fast way to control LCedit+, but what if you want to have a short way for sending commands to the LanBox (like setting the chaser, clearing an engine, etc)?

The answer is Macros. A macro is a recorded sequence of lanbox commands, this means that any command which can be sent to the LanBox, can be recorded. Recording a macro is initiated (and ended) by the menu command Tools/Record Macro. A macro may contain up to 20 LanBox commands. When you end the recording, you will be asked to chose a name for the macro. This name popups in the command macros lists on the control window (see picture). A macro can be started by selecting it from the list, and click on the Run button. A fast way to run e.g. macro 2 is typing m2 (see CLI commands). Macros can be deleted with the Tools/Delete Macros menu command.

Keystroke Editor

If you want to use a single keystroke in order to simulate some CLIs, you can use the built-in keystroke editor to assign one key to do CLI commands.

The keystroke editor allows you to assign very unusual key combinations (like control-alt-shift-F3). Single keystrokes are mandatory if you want to use very handy hardware like buttons, jog, shuttle USB devices, like the Contour Shuttle Pro .

Backup files

Fokko, this topic just doesnt belong to here, may be we should introduce a separate topic: Safety - or something like that, where all relevant tasks what backing up and restoring data is summarized

Backup files are located inside a box & date directory (like "Demo-LCX-2 [2003.10.03.1403]", while these directories are located inside the "backup files" directory. The file type of backup files are tab separated text files. The advantage of the text files is that backup files can be read into any word processor and particularly into spreadsheet programs. This also makes it possible to make custom software that creates backup files, and the files can be read/edited in a spreadsheet program. If you save the spreadsheet file as a tab separated text file, they can be uploaded to the LanBox with restore. A backup file is a tab separated text file. Each line contains data for a scene, each column contains data for a DMX channel. Each line is terminated with a <CR> ($0D). The header, the first row, contains global information about the file. It consists 10 columns, with the following data: v2.00, LanBox name, 0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, cuelist HSB, cuelist LSB. After the first 10 columns the columns are filled with the numbers of used DMX channels (in ascending order) in this cuelist. After the header a number of rows follow. Each row contains data of one cuestep, including the step action data. The first item in each line is the step number, preceded by the step type code and its 6 parameters (see LanBox reference manual page 82). Column 9 indicates whether it is absolute scene data (0), or relative scene data (1), and column 10 is empty. Note: The cuestep numbers must be consecutive, otherwise LCedit+ can't restore the file. When generating a LanBox-LC+ backup file from a custom made program, you can best use the save option 'save range'. -

Now you have learned a lot, and we are sure you can use LCedit+ at least basically. There are of course more chapters to go but they are only relevant for those who want to have multiple universes or UDP networking with third party software.

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-- FokkoVanDuin - 18 May 2007