The Show dialog is reached from the Create Shows section of the Control Panel. It is used to create a show or to edit an existing one.
The Show dialog
Down the left side of the Show dialog is a menu. The top portion of the menu is used manipulate the content of the show -- which sequences get played and in which order. The lower portion of the menu is used to define the schedule for the show -- when it will be played. The last item on the menu is the Verifier, which performs some checks on the show and will display warnings if something needs adjustment.
A show consists of several sections. Each section serves a different purpose - for example, the "startup section" is a list of sequences that will be played when the show begins, while the "animation section" is a list of animation sequences that will be played throughout most of the show's duration (after startup and before shutdown). All sections are optional.
On the left side of the dialog, there is a menu item for each section. For details on each of the sections, please refer to the following:
After specifying the sequences in your show, you can continue down the menu and:
Editing A Playlist
Each section of the show has a playlist, except the Interactive section which consists of multiple playlists. A playlist is a list of sequences shown in the order that they may play. You can edit the playlist using the 5 buttons at the top right. Using them you can:
•Cut
•Copy
In addition to the information shown on the playlist, you can hover your mouse over a sequence name and a tool-tip will be displayed showing the sequence's full path.
There will be an additional column on right titled "Time Code" if Time Code Sync is enabled in Settings > Integration. See the Time Code Synchronization topic for more information.
For animation sequences with loops -- the Duration column will show the full length of the sequence, including loops.
Add A Sequence
To add a sequence to a section, click on that section's menu item, and then on the "+" button at the top. This will prompt you for the name of the sequence that you want to add (you can selected multiple sequences here if desired).
Remove One Or More Sequences
Select the sequences to remove, and then on the "-" button at the top. This is similar to the Cut function, but does not place anything on the clipboard.
Replace
To replace one sequence with a different (keeping the same place in the playlist), select the sequence to be replaced by clicking on its name, then click the Replace icon. This will prompt you for the name of the replacement sequence.
Cut
The Cut command copies the file names of the selected items to the clipboard, then removes those items for the list.
Copy
The Copy command copies the file names of the selected items to the clipboard. The content of the clipboard is formatted as text, one file (full path) per line. It can be pasted into the same playlist, another playlist, or a text editor (e.g. Notepad), or a spreadsheet.
Paste
The Paste command adds any items on the clipboard into the playlist. New items are added after the selected sequence. Use paste after a cut or copy from the current playlist, or another playlist. A cut followed by a paste allows you to move items from one playlist to another.
Change Sequence Order
A sequence can be moved up or down by simply dragging its handle on the left with your mouse and dropping it in the desired position. You can also reorder sequences by clicking on a sequence name and then clicking the up arrow or down arrow button. The up and down arrows also work when multiple sequences are selected (use Ctrl-click or Shift-Click to select multiple items). This generally affects the order that the sequences will be played in, but not always: For example, in the main section, you can select that the sequences will be played in the order listed, or in a random shuffle; if you choose the latter, it doesn't matter what order they are listed in. Similarly, in the animation section, you can select that the sequences be played simultaneously (as opposed to sequentially); if you do, their listed order does not matter.
Right-Click Context Menu
You can right-click on any sequence in the playlist to view a pop-up menu of additional actions. The pop-up menu consists of 3 items:
•The Sequence File sub-menu:
oOpen - opens the file in the Sequencer.
oOpen containing folder - opens the folder where the sequence is located in Windows File Explorer.
•The Media File sub-menu (not displayed for animation sequences):
oOpen containing folder - opens the folder where the media file is located in Windows File Explorer.
oCopy path to clipboard - copies the location of the media file to the clipboard
•The Cut command copies the file names of the selected items to the clipboard, then removes those items for the list.
•The Copy command copies the file names of the selected items to the clipboard. The content of the clipboard is formatted as text, one file (full path) per line. It can be pasted into the same playlist, another playlist, or a text editor (e.g. Notepad), or a spreadsheet.
•The Paste command adds any items on the clipboard into the playlist. New items are added after the selected sequence. Use paste after a cut or copy from the current playlist, or another playlist. A cut followed by a paste allows you to move items from one playlist to another.
•The Set Time Codes command will only be shown if Time Code Sync is enabled in Settings > Integration. See the Time Code Synchronization topic for more information.
Missing Sequence File
Sometimes a sequence file referenced by a show can get renamed, moved, or deleted. When this happens, a red document icon will be displayed to the left of the file name.
If the sequence is no longer needed in the show, you can remove it using the Remove or Cut buttons. To point the entry to the new location for the sequence, use the Replace button.
The sequence "Cannot Find Me" is missing
Missing Media File
Sometimes the media file associated with a sequence can get renamed, moved, or deleted. When this happens, a red music note icon will be displayed to the left of the file name.
If the sequence is no longer needed in the show, you can remove it using the Remove or Cut buttons.
To fix the sequence so it points to the correct media file:
•Right-click on sequence name and select Sequence File > Open from the pop-up menu.
•Once open in the Sequencer, select Sequence > Media File from its menu.
Media file is missing for the sequence "Bad Audio Path"
The Startup Section
When a show is started (at a time determined by the schedule), the sequences in its startup section will be played, one at a time, in order. After they all have finished, the main portion of the show will begin, consisting of the animation section and the main section.
You can control whether or not sequences in this section will automatically turn their lights off when they reach their end by setting the "Turn used lights off at the end of each sequence" checkbox.
If your Light-O-Rama software license is for the Advanced or Pro level, you additionally have control over whether this section (and the rest of your show) starts immediately at its scheduled time, or upon an input trigger (for example, when someone hits a "start" button). See "Show Options" for details.
The Startup section, with 1 sequence
The Main Section
After a show's startup section has completed, its main section will begin (as will its animation section).
Only one sequence from the main section will play at a time. They can be played in the order listed in the playlist, or shuffled randomly. If shuffled randomly, you can also control two different aspects of how shuffling is done: Whether or not a sequence is allowed to be played a second time before all sequences have played once, and whether or not a sequence is allowed to play twice in a row (this latter does not apply if you have only one sequence in the main section - it will definitely be played back-to-back).
Play will continue until the show is shut down (at a time determined by the schedule). If the sequences are to be played in the order listed, and the end of the list is reached before the show is to shut down, play will loop back to the first sequence in the list.
Optionally, a "cleanup sequence" can also be specified in the main section. If so, that sequence will be played immediately after the completion of any sequence in the main section, before the next one begins. Also optionally, a delay can be specified between songs.
You can control whether or not sequences in this section will automatically turn their lights off when they reach their end by setting the "Turn used lights off at the end of each sequence" checkbox.
The Main section, shuffled playback, with a 5 second delay between sequences
The Shutdown Section
When the end of a show is reached (at a time determined by the schedule), its animation section and main section will end, and its shutdown section will begin. Sequences in the shutdown section will play, one at a time, in the order listed. After they all have completed, the show is truly finished.
You can control whether or not sequences in this section will automatically turn their lights off when they reach their end by setting the "Turn used lights off at the end of each sequence" checkbox.
The Shutdown section
The Animation Section
Starting with version 6.3.14, this section is only available for existing shows that have sequences in the Animation section. It is not possible to create a new show with an Animation section. Use the Background or Main sections instead.
After a show's startup section has completed, its animation section will begin (as will its main section).
Sequences in the animation section can be played concurrently or sequentially. If you choose to play them sequentially, the first in the list will be played, and when it finishes, the next will be played, and so forth. After all of them have been played, the first in the list will be played again. This pattern will continue until the show is shut down (at a time determined by the schedule).
If they are played concurrently, all of them will be played at once, and whenever one reaches its end, it will simply loop back to its beginning and keep playing. Again, this will continue until the show is shut down.
You can control whether or not sequences in this section will automatically turn their lights off when they reach their end by setting the "Turn used lights off at the end of each sequence" checkbox.
Typically, this section will contain animation sequences. If a musical sequence is used in this section, the media file will not be played and Warning #33 will be displayed in Verifier: Musical file used in non-audio section of show.
The Animation section, with 3 sequences that will play concurrently
The Background Section
When a show is started, all of the sequences in the show's background section will start playing, simultaneously. When such a sequence reaches its end, it will simply loop back to its beginning and keep playing. All of these sequences will continue playing in this way until the show ends (also at a time determined by the schedule).
If your Light-O-Rama software license is for the Advanced feature level, you additionally have control over whether this section (and/or the rest of your show) starts immediately at its scheduled time, or upon an input trigger (for example, when someone hits a "start" button). See "Show Options" for details.
Typically, this section will contain animation sequences. If a musical sequence is used in this section, the media file will not be played. Using a musical sequence in this section will generate Warning #33 in the Verifier: Musical file used in non-audio section of show.
Channels controlled by a background sequence should be separate from the channels used by other sequences. This means that sequences in the background section should use a different preview than sequences in the other sections. If you have more than one background sequence, each background sequence must have a separate preview and control its own set of channels.
The Background section, with a single sequence
The Interactive Section
Some Light-O-Rama controllers can be used not only to control lights, but also to accept input from people, causing Light-O-Rama to play sequences on demand. For example, you could have a big red button as part of your display, which when pressed, will cause Light-O-Rama to start playing a particular song or songs.
This is controlled through the interactive section of the show. You can use this section to specify what sequences are to be played when particular inputs are triggered. Please see the separate topic on interactive groups for details.
Note that, unlike for the other sections of the show, the "Interactive" section actually lists groups of sequences, rather than directly listing sequences. Again, please see the page on interactive groups for details on how to create and modify these groups of sequences.
You can control whether or not sequences in this section will automatically turn their lights off when they reach their end by setting the "Turn used lights off at the end of each sequence" checkbox, but unlike in other sections of the show, this setting is controlled individually for each interactive group, rather than for the section as a whole.
The Interactive section, with 1 group
Schedule Dates & Times
A show's schedule is composed of schedule entries specifying when the show will run.
A newly created show does not have any schedule entries, and a show without schedule entries will NOT RUN. So it is important that you visit this section when creating a show!
Active / Inactive Toggle
Each show can be active or inactive. Only active shows will be scheduled by the Show Player. However, you can still play inactive shows using Show On Demand. Setting a show active or inactive can be done here while editing a show (top line), or directly from the list of shows.
Schedule Entries
A schedule entry specifies 3 things:
•When the show will play. This consists of a start time and an end time of your choosing. The time range could be 5pm to 10pm; or it can cross midnight, starting at 8pm and ending at 2am for example.
•What days of the week the show will play.
oThe Add button will default to running 7 days per week.
oThe Add Weekdays button will default to running Sunday through Thursday.
oThe Add Weekend button will default to running on Friday and Saturday.
•The date range for the show. After pressing the Add, Add Weekdays, or Add Weekend buttons, the start date will default to the current day and the end date will not be populated, meaning it will run on the specified days of the week from now to eternity.
The Show Player will only schedule a show to play when all 4 items are true:
1.The show is active, and
2.The current time is within the play time range, and
3.The current date is within the schedule's date range, and
4.The current day of the week matches days one of the selected days of week on the schedule.
A single schedule entry that will run from 5pm to 10pm for the month of December 2022
The schedule above will run from 5pm to 10pm on a single day: 31 Oct 2022. Even though all days of the week are specified, the date range will constrain the schedule to a single day. Since 31 Oct 2022 is a Monday, this schedule would run the same if only Monday were checked. If Monday were not checked, the show would not run at all
To remove a schedule entry, click the trash can icon on the right edge of the entry. You can remove all entries at once by clicking the "Remove All" button at the top right.
A single schedule entry that will run from 5pm on 31 Oct 2022 until 2am on 1 Nov 2022
Here is a similar schedule, except the end time is not until 2am the following day (Tuesday 1 Nov 2022). Note that this will run as expected until 2am on Tuesday 1 Nov 2022 even though Tuesday is not checked and the end date is 10/31/2022. That is because the date range and the days of the week constrain the start time, not the stop time.
The schedule after pressing the "Add Weekdays" and "Add Weekend" buttons
You can create a quick schedule by clicking the "Add Weekdays" button and then the "Add Weekend" button. The resulting schedule is shown above. It will run from 5pm to 10pm Sunday through Thursday, and from 5pm to 11pm on Friday and Saturday. Because there are no end dates specified, this schedule will play at the schedule times whenever the Show Player is active.
Time Entry
To enter a time, click on the time field. You will have columns for hours, minutes, and AM/PM (or just hours and minutes if your regional settings in Windows are set to display a 24-hour clock). Each column can be scrolled independently - just move your mouse over the column to be changed and then use your mouse's scroll wheel to move to the desired value. When you have finished selecting the time, click the check mark icon at the bottom.
You can change the number of values shown in the minute column by setting the interval value in Settings > Misc.
Date Entry
You can either type a date directly into a date field, or you can click the calendar icon on the right side of the date field to pick a date from the calendar.
Schedule Relative To Sunrise / Sunset
NOTE: when scheduling relative to sunrise or sunset, you must first set your latitude and longitude in Settings > Misc. This will allow the Show Player to accurately calculate sunrise and sunset for your location.
When setting the Play Time, you can select the type of time you are entering:
•A specific time of day (default)
•A time relative to sunrise
•A time relative to sunset
Selecting the type of time
If you select "Sunrise +" or "Sunset +", the time value you enter is the number of minutes after sunrise / sunset. You can enter a negative number so that the show starts before sunrise / sunset. In the following example, the show would start 10 minutes after sunset and stop 30 minutes before sunrise.
Show Options
If your Light-O-Rama software license is for the Advanced or Pro level, you have more control over exactly how your show will start up and end. Select the Options section, where you can set:
Show Options section
Start Of Show Options
Start At Scheduled Time
In this mode, your show will begin immediately at its scheduled start time.
Start At Scheduled Time, but in the paused state
In this mode, your show will begin at its scheduled start time but will be paused. No sequences in the show will play until you click the resume button in the Show Player.
This option is NOT RECOMMENDED for regular use.
Start On Trigger
In triggered startup mode, your show will start when a specified circuit on a specified Light-O-Rama controller is triggered (as long as it is triggered during the show's scheduled run time). For example, you could hook up a big red button labeled "Start the Show" to a controller. Please note that triggers are not supported on LOR Enhanced networks.
Immediate Background Startup
In immediate background startup mode, your show's Background section will start immediately at the show's scheduled start time, but the rest of the show will not start until a specified circuit on a specified Light-O-Rama controller is triggered (as long as it is triggered during the show's scheduled run time). Please note that triggers are not supported on LOR Enhanced networks.
End Of Show Options
Stop After Current Song
This is the default and what you should use in most cases. When the show reaches its scheduled end time, the song that is currently playing is allowed to finish before the show moves to the shutdown section.
Stop Immediately
When the show reaches its scheduled end time, the show is immediately stopped. This can be useful if you have a long filler sequence at the end of your Main show section.
Verifier
In the Verifier section, you can check your show (and the sequences used in the show) for issues that might cause problems when it is played. Just click the "Check Show" button to get started.
When all checks have finished, you can refer to the List of Verifier Messages to find out more about a particular message.
Messages will either be warnings or errors. Errors should be addressed before the show is played. Warnings are for your information and taking action to correct them is optional.
