Original LXSeries Forum

Hello

I have beeen using MacLux Pro for years and as I am European I have created some custom symbols.

Is there a way I can do the same thing in lx?

I suppose I would have to create the symbols as vector graphics objects that eventually could be imported.

I have discovered lxfree just 2 days ago and it seems to do the tricks I was missing in MacLuxPro. As the use will probably be limited to relatively few users I wonder if you shouldn't ask a shareware fee or open a donation account. I think the project is great and I am ready to contribute (being aware that it will be very hard to break even). But anyway, thank you!

You can look at the post in the feedback section about moving light symbols for more information about the way LXFree deals with symbols.

The sort answer is that you cannot import graphics into LXFree to use as symbols. The (beta coming soon) SymbolsEditor will allow you to paste in a graphic that you can trace to create LXFree symbols. But, the symbols used by LXFree are collections of points which describe the outline of the symbol.

The first beta of LXTools is available for download.

http://www.macluxpro.com/lx/lxtools_download.html

LXTools includes LXSymbolEditor, LXKeyEditor, LXReportEditor and LXColorLibraryEditor.

You can use the symbol editor to create symbols and the key editor to include them in keys.

The question is:

Now that I've created a custom symbol, why doesn't it appear in LXFree?

The answer is that there's one more step--you must use your symbol in a key entry.

A key entry associates a symbol with what it means. A symbol by itself is just a collection of points which describes a way to draw a graphic. A key entry combines a symbol with other information.

A number of key entries taken together, create a key. LXFree starts up a new plot with a key that includes a large number of lights. In any particular situation, you'll probably really use a small fraction of that library. There is no reason to either make your plot larger by including all that information or to make it harder to find the light you are interested in by including all those symbols (each representing an entry). You can create a key for a plot with a much smaller subset of the lights you actually have available. In fact, it is advisable to do so.

Part of the design of LXFree is that you probably have a few sets of equipment (keys) that you commonly use. One example is a venue where you work that has a particular set of equpment available. Once you've created a key for this venue (or any particular set of equipment), it is easy to re-use that key for a new plot.

The symbol tab of the inspector in LXFree contains a popup menu that contains all the keys that LXFree found (in the standard folders), when it starts up. Selecting a key from this menu switches the palette of the plot to this key. EXCEPT that any entries that you are already using in the plot do not disappear. If the new key contains updated information for the entries already in use, it is replaced. Following the switch, the key of the plot will be the entries in use plus any other unused entries from the new key file.

Once you understand this, you understand the reason there's an empty key in the standard distribution. If you select this key, the result is that the key for the current plot is reduced to only the symbols that you have already used. One strategy for creating a key for yourself using only LXFree is to create a scratch plot, that uses one of each of the equipment that you are interested in from the standard library. By selecting the empty key, you can eliminate all the equipment you don't need. Then you can save the key for use with other plots.

This is how LXFree works and it is important to understand that behavior. But, the LXKeyEditor can also create a key for use with LXFree. In fact, it's purpose is to create and edit keys. With the key editor, you can open the "all" key by using the 'Open from Library' command and then copy and paste individual entries to create your desired set of equipment, saving it as your custom key file.

The one caveat to this process is that LXFree scans the standard directories for key files when it starts up. So, if you've created a new key with LXKeyEditor, LXFree will not find it until you quit and re-launch LXFree.

Returning to the original problem: How to make a custom symbol appear in LXFree.

A symbol needs to be used in a key. If you save a symbol in the standard directories (..Library/Application Support/lx/Symbols) the LXKeyEditor will be able to associate it with an entry using the 'Change Symbol' button. For a brand new symbol, this means you need to create an entry, choose the symbol, and enter any information about that symbol you intend to use. Saving the entry in a key file makes it available to LXFree as outlined above.