I've been trying to create an active magic sheet, but when I call up the report I get in the input section "<input type=text type=4>". I also get this error message "warning patch duplication error at address 9".
Wondering what's going on. What is the best way to create a magic sheet?
I'm currently using a licensed version of LXBeams.
Creating An Active Magic Sheet
The active magic sheet is a variation of a channel summary. It is designed to be exported as a web page.
The patch error message is telling you that you have set a dimmer to be controlled by more than one channel. This can easily happen when duplicating or copying/pasting lights and forgetting to erase the dimmer number of the copy. The message simply warns you of this mistake.
Because the messages window can get in the way of trying to correct the error, in the latest build errors continue to be written to the messages but the panel is only shown when the report is the front window. In previous versions, the panel was shown every time the report was regenerated. Reports are continually updated as changes are made to a plot. This resulted in the messages panel continually being shown while a report window (with warnings) was open. Now, you'll be able to see the warnings by bringing the report window to the front. But, you'll be able to close the messages panel and continue working in other windows without the report causing it to be displayed again as soon as a change is made.
The channel summary report could be your best bet to use as a magic sheet. Alternatively, you could create a list report that sorts using the "Group" field. What fields like "group" and "use" mean is, of course, up to the user's preference. However, the intention of LXSeries is that "group" refers to a general set of lights with a similar function: "warm front" or "blue back". The "use" field is then more specific: "SL area" or "DSC". There are different style of magic sheets. Some are arranged by function (group in LXSeries). Others are arranged by location, which might be by common "use" in LXSeries. How you extract information for a magic sheet from a report depends on the type of magic sheet you desire.
I use a graphic magic sheet that arranges channels in functional groups. I open a channel summary and a new drawing in LXBeams and draw out the magic sheet in the separate file. But, that's just me.
As mentioned above, the active magic sheet is designed to be exported as a web page. Generate a magic report and export (or save as) an html file. Then, open that file in a browser. There is JavaScript added to the exported page that allows generation of ASCII cues. The idea behind this is that the web page can be used by anyone with a browser to generate cues independent of access to a console. This process is useful in a festival situation where different groups need to send cues in advance. The generated ASCII cues can easily be e-mailed and imported so that the cues can be preloaded before the festival.
The patch error message is telling you that you have set a dimmer to be controlled by more than one channel. This can easily happen when duplicating or copying/pasting lights and forgetting to erase the dimmer number of the copy. The message simply warns you of this mistake.
Because the messages window can get in the way of trying to correct the error, in the latest build errors continue to be written to the messages but the panel is only shown when the report is the front window. In previous versions, the panel was shown every time the report was regenerated. Reports are continually updated as changes are made to a plot. This resulted in the messages panel continually being shown while a report window (with warnings) was open. Now, you'll be able to see the warnings by bringing the report window to the front. But, you'll be able to close the messages panel and continue working in other windows without the report causing it to be displayed again as soon as a change is made.
The channel summary report could be your best bet to use as a magic sheet. Alternatively, you could create a list report that sorts using the "Group" field. What fields like "group" and "use" mean is, of course, up to the user's preference. However, the intention of LXSeries is that "group" refers to a general set of lights with a similar function: "warm front" or "blue back". The "use" field is then more specific: "SL area" or "DSC". There are different style of magic sheets. Some are arranged by function (group in LXSeries). Others are arranged by location, which might be by common "use" in LXSeries. How you extract information for a magic sheet from a report depends on the type of magic sheet you desire.
I use a graphic magic sheet that arranges channels in functional groups. I open a channel summary and a new drawing in LXBeams and draw out the magic sheet in the separate file. But, that's just me.
As mentioned above, the active magic sheet is designed to be exported as a web page. Generate a magic report and export (or save as) an html file. Then, open that file in a browser. There is JavaScript added to the exported page that allows generation of ASCII cues. The idea behind this is that the web page can be used by anyone with a browser to generate cues independent of access to a console. This process is useful in a festival situation where different groups need to send cues in advance. The generated ASCII cues can easily be e-mailed and imported so that the cues can be preloaded before the festival.
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Stilts15ak
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2012 12:30 am
Thanks for the reply!
I wasn't sure how the magic sheet worked, I looked very carefully in the help section and on the help forum and didn't find it, so thank you.
It's an interesting approach to us the magic sheet as you are. However, I don't think that approach is going to work for me. I do it manually as you do.
I would like to ask why you have implemented the magic sheet in this way? I have seen other programs that will do it automatically as the way you have described with the manual approach.
Is it possible in a future release that the automatic approach could be applied? It might save a lot of time.
I wasn't sure how the magic sheet worked, I looked very carefully in the help section and on the help forum and didn't find it, so thank you.
It's an interesting approach to us the magic sheet as you are. However, I don't think that approach is going to work for me. I do it manually as you do.
I would like to ask why you have implemented the magic sheet in this way? I have seen other programs that will do it automatically as the way you have described with the manual approach.
Is it possible in a future release that the automatic approach could be applied? It might save a lot of time.
It has been an outstanding wish since the days of MacLux Pro to automatically generate a magic sheet. The question is how to do that so that configuring options isn't more work than just drawing the magic sheet. The problem has always been that while large groups are (relatively) easy, any plot has specials and other odd, hard to standardize elements.
If anyone wants to post examples of what they would wish a magic sheet to look like, perhaps we can come up with a useful form that would work for any plot.
If anyone wants to post examples of what they would wish a magic sheet to look like, perhaps we can come up with a useful form that would work for any plot.