What is the Programmer

The programmer is a temporary memory, where the edited values are placed. The values can then be stored or released.

Every user has their own programmer.

The programmer has three levels:

• Selected fixture
• Active programmer values
• Inactive programmer values

The programmer values usually have an effect on the output from the system. But there is a Blind function that allows hiding the programmer values from the output.

Selected fixtures are the ones that will be affected by encoder input and any intensity changes. Selected fixtures can be identified by having a yellow name and ID text color.

Both active and inactive programmer values can affect the output. The difference is that the active values will be stored using the default store options (Use Selection = Active).

Active values have a red background, white value text color, and a red marker in the fixture sheet.

Inactive values have red value text color and a white marker in the fixture sheet.

These are the default system colors. Read more about all the different system colors in the system (color) topic.

When a fixture is selected, it is possible to press Please twice to activate all attributes for the selected fixture. This puts all the current values for all the attributes of the fixture in the programmer. Press Please once more and the attributes will be inactive values in the programmer.

To release values from the programmer, press Off and then tap the value to deactivate it. Feature groups can also be released from the programmer using Off and then tapping the encoder toolbar.

When there are values in the programmer and a fixture is selected, it is possible to use the clear button to clear each of the three levels:

• Press Clear to deselect the fixture but keep the active and inactive values in the programmer.
• Press Clear again to keep the values in the programmer but as inactive values.
• Press Clear a final time to clear the programmer and release all the values.

Completely clearing the programmer can also be done by holding Clear for more than one second.

The associated keywords are Clear, ClearSelection, ClearActive, and ClearAll.

The Clear button in the AT Filter window executes the Clear command. For more information see At overlay.

Layers

The programmer has several layers. Normal values - for instance, a selected static position - are in the Absolute value layer. An absolute value can be affected by a value in the Relative layer. Relative values are indicated by a dark purple marker. The Fade layer can be used to adjust and see individual fade times. Individual fade times are indicated with a green marker. The Delay layer can be used to adjust and see individual delay times. They are indicated by an orange marker. These values are best looked at in the Sequence Sheet in tracking mode. Learn more about Individual Attribute Timing in Cues and sequences topic.

Programmer Parts

The programmer can have several parts (Maximum: Part Zero + 239 individual parts = 240 parts).

The ProgrammerParts window shows all parts of the current programmer. Parts can be labeled here directly.

The programmer parts can be sued to organize the values into different parts. Storing a cue, stores the programmer parts correctly into cue parts.

Create a programmer parts window, in the Add Window pop-up, select the All tab scroll down and select ProgrammerParts.  

Programmer parts can be created or deleted using the buttons in the title bar. A part can be selected by tapping the part in the window.

A new programmer part can also be created using the command line and the Programmer keyword.

To create programmer part 3, which is labeled "Color", type:

Select the programmer part simply by writing the keyword and the number or name.

When a programmer part is empty, it will be deleted when entering a different cue part.

Freeze

By default, the executors have a higher priority than the programmer. That means that the values in the programmer can be changed if a running executor has stored values for the same attributes. To give the programmer a higher priority than the executors, press Freeze. This keeps the adjusted values in the programmer even when the executor is executed.

Blind

Blind is a function that hides programmer values from the output. The blind mode can be toggled On and Off by pressing Blind or by using the Blind Keyword.

Turning on blind without any values in the programmer does not change the output. The changing values while in blind does not affect output. If the programmer is cleared before leaving the blind mode, then the output is not affected. Leaving blind with programmer values will take these values to the output. Entering blind mode with values in the programmer, removes these values from the output, meaning the output is changed.

Program Time

The values changes in the programmer are usually done immediately. But the value change can be done with a timed or manual fade using the Program Time function. Read more about it in the Time Control topic.