Starting and Using the Editor

The Editor is used to set up or maintain details of all cues for a production. You can also nominate how you want to use sound devices for the production, eg what speaker placements you want to use.

Access to the Editor may be restricted by password control so that operators can be prevented from changing cue details. This is particularly useful if the person running the cues is not the person who setup the cues.

To activate the Editor just click the Editor button in the run screen's toolbar. If the buttons is disabled (greyed out) then editing is locked. To unlock the Editor, click the Options button in the toolbar to open the Options and Settings window, click the button labeled Unlock Editing and Options Changes and then enter the required password.

In the Editor window you will see a Toolbar at the top of the screen, and a 'tree view' of your Cue List on the left below the Toolbar. Each item in the tree view is known as a node. Properties of the currently-selected node are displayed in the panel to the right of the tree view.

The icons in the tree view and the toolbar represent the following:

Between the Cue List and the Properties Panel there is a vertical draggable splitter bar. Dragging this splitter bar left or right resizes the window horizontally, as the property panels have a fixed width. This enables you to change the display width of the cue list on the left. The window size and position will be remembered between sessions.

In the Properties Panel, if you are viewing Cue Properties then there is a horizontal draggable splitter bar between the Cue Properties and the Sub-Cue Properties. The default position of this splitter bar is just below the Activation button, hiding the rarely used Standby control. You can see the Standby control by either scrolling down the Cue Properties, or by dragging down the horizontal splitter bar. SCS deliberately does not save the position of this horizontal splitter bar, so the next time you start SCS this splitter bar returns to the default position.

In the Editor you can:

•Display or change production-level properties by clicking on the production node. The panel on the right will show the properties for this production, such as the name or description, and the device and speaker assignments you want to use. You can also display Production Properties by clicking on the Production Properties button in the Editor's toolbar. See Editor Toolbar for more information.

•Display or change any cue or sub-cue properties by clicking on the cue or sub-cue node. The panel on the right will show the general cue properties in the upper part of the panel, and properties specific to the cue type or sub-cue type in the lower part of the panel.

•Add a cue by clicking the Cues button in the editor's toolbar, and then selecting the required Cue type from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, if a button for adding the required cue type is displayed in the Favorites then just click that Favorites button. A new cue will be created after the currently selected node. Default values may be pre-loaded into some of the properties. You can also add a cue by using right-click on the cue list in the Editor. A context menu is displayed when you right-click.

•Add a sub-cue to an existing cue by clicking the Sub-Cues button in the editor's toolbar, and then selecting the required Sub-Cue type from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, if a button for adding the required sub-cue type is displayed in the Favorites then just click that Favorites button. A new sub-cue will be created after the currently selected node. Default values may be pre-loaded into some of the properties. You can also add a sub-cue by using right-click on the cue list in the Editor. A context menu is displayed when you right-click.

•Moving cues and sub-cues, and changing sub-cues to cues or vice versa. Arrow buttons to the left of the cue list enable you to easily move cues or sub-cues, including moving a sub-cue into another cue. Using appropriate buttons you can also create a new cue from an existing sub-cue, or merge two cues, ie move all the sub-cues of a cue into the previous cue. See Moving Cues and Sub-Cues, and Changing Sub-Cues to Cues or Vice Versa for details.

•Collect Production Files. this provides an easy way for you to collect into a 'Production Folder' all the audio, video and image files used in your production. This simplifies transferring the production to another computer. See Collect Production Files for details.

•Import or Export cues. If you want to copy some cues from another SCS cue file then you can use the Import/Export Cues menu option displayed when you click the Cues button in the toolbar. You can also Export selected cues from the current cue file to create a new cue file (or overwrite an existing cue file) to provide a subset of the cues in the current file. The Import and Export facilities enable you to have libraries of cues that you may want to drop into various shows. You can also Import or Export by right-clicking on the cue list in the Editor. A context menu is displayed when you right-click. See Importing Cues and Exporting Cues for details.

To Close the Editor, use the window's 'X' icon. You may also minimize the window or just switch back the Run Screen if you do not yet wish to close the Editor, but just want to go back to the Run Screen.