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XLCue Importing A Show

Page history last edited by aff@... 15 years ago

Directions:

 

To import a show, click the "Import Show" button on the CueList Worksheet.  Select a USITT ASCII text file (extensions may include .asc, .alq, .txt, or others) in the Open dialog box, and you Cues, Submasters, Groups, and Patch will be imported.

 

Depending on your workflow, there are some other details you may want to pay attention to, all relating to the CueList:

 

Importing Changes To An XLCue Show:

 

If you have written a show with XLCue, exported it, and made changes in a console or off-line editor, the overall structure of your CueList setup should look pretty much the same.

 

There may be a few additions:  Any Channel used in the imported CueList but not already setup in your Cuelist worksheet will create a new Control at the end with the note "New Channel".  If a Scroller Channel exhibits a value that isn't found in the Scroller Palette, a new Control (or channels for a Multi-Channel Scroller) will be created with the same note.

 

For Control Sets with affecting multiple Intensity Channels or Scrollers and Automation Controls affecting multiple channels, XLCue will attempt to keep things grouped and arranged appropriately.  If one of several channels making up an Automation Control has a value while others don't, that channel will get a new Control also.  For instance, if you have a Control manipulating pan, tilt, and zoom of an automated fixture and a specific cue only sets the value for the Channel controlling zoom, you'll find a new control created for the zoom Channel with the note "New Channel".

 

If all Channels in an Automation Control have a value, but the combination of values does not match any Palette entry, the values will be entered directly into that Control of the CueList.  You can use the "*Create Focus Point" feature to create a new Palette entry.

 

Importing A Show From Outside XLCue:

 

If you're importing a show that you haven't edited in XLCue before, you have two options.

 

One option is to import the show without setting up any controls or Palettes.  Any Channel referenced in the imported file will create a new Control with the note "New Channel".  Controls will be created in the order they're encountered in the list of Cues being imported, so they may not be arranged numerically (or sensibly at all).  This importing option makes sense only if you're using XLCue to make simple batch edits, or have no metadata about the show you are importing (i.e. what channels control what instruments, what are sensible groupings, what channels control automated instruments or scrollers, etc.).

 

The second, and generally preferable option, is to setup your Controls as accurately as impossible before importing.  Create Intensity/Scroller Controls and Control Sets, and Automation Controls, including setting up Scroller Palettes (but not Automation Palettes) as accurately as possible.  This way your data will import in a form that is easy for you to understand and work with.  For Automation Palettes, it is unlikely you'll know the desired focus point values, so it is probably best to wait until after importing to use the "*Create Focus Point" right-click menu option to create new focus points from the imported data.

 

Technical Trivia:

 

Just like in export, XLCue will process the CueList from left to right.  Values will get "used up" during the progression, so a value used in a Control Set in column A will not appear in an individual Control in column B.  Always place Control Sets to the left of individual controls, this will create the most intuitive behavior for both importing and exporting.

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