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, ie 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.

When you are in the Editor you can switch back to the Run window while keeping the Editor window active. Once you have started the Editor you will see two icons for SCS in your Windows task bar - one for the Run Window and the other for the Editor Window. One of the issues in handling the two windows is how to treat auto-start cues. If you are testing a cue in the Editor and there is another cue that auto-starts on the completion of the one you are testing, then in the Editor we do not want this auto-start to be actioned. The approach used is that if the Run screen has 'focus', ie it is the current window, then auto-start cues operate normally, but if the Editor window has focus then auto-starts are ignored.

To activate the Editor just click the Editor button in the run screen's ribbon bar. If the buttons is disabled (greyed out) then editing is locked. To unlock the Editor, click the Unlock Editor button and enter the required password.

In the Editor window you will see a Ribbon Bar at the top of the screen, and a 'tree view' of your Cue List on the left below the Ribbon Bar. 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 production. (This icon symbolises a theatre ticket)
	An audio file cue or sub-cue
	A stop / fade-out / release (SFR) cue or sub-cue
	A level-change cue or sub-cue
	A control send cue or sub-cue
	A playlist cue or sub-cue
	A video/image cue or sub-cue
	A note cue (also currently used for 'go to' cues)
	A cue containing sub-cues (shown in either the open or closed state)

Between the Cue List and the Properties Panel there is a 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.

· 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 sound 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 ribbon bar. See Editor Ribbon Bar 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 an appropriate button in the Cues tab of the editor's ribbon bar (see Editor Ribbon Bar for details). A new cue will be created after the currently selected node. The type of cue will be dependent on the button you clicked. Default values may be loaded into some of the properties. You can also add a cue by using right-click on the cue list in the Editor. A menu is displayed when you right-click.

· Add a sub-cue to an existing cue by clicking an appropriate button in the Sub-Cues tab of the editor's ribbon bar (see Editor Ribbon Bar for details). A new sub-cue will be created after the currently selected node. The type of sub-cue will be dependent on the button you clicked. Default values may be 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 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.

· Create or Resync a Production Folder. This enables you to copy all the audio files used in your production into one folder, together with the cue file itself. This folder can then be copied to another PC, such as your theatre PC, and SCS will find all the audio files without having to prompt you to locate them. See Production Folder for details.

· Import or Export cues. If you want to copy some cues from another SCS cue file then you can use the Import menu option under 'Production' to do this. 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 menu is displayed when you right-click. See Importing Cues and Exporting Cues for details.

Tip: The easiest way to add, delete, copy or paste cues or sub-cues is to right-click on the required cue or sub-cue in the cue list, and then select the required action from the menu displayed.

Warning! This warning only affects users with a screen height of less than the recommended minimum of 768 pixels. If your screen height is less than the recommended minimum then the Editor window height may be reduced to the available height, and a vertical scrollbar will then be displayed to the right of the properties panels (cue properties, etc). This means you can scroll down to see the part of the window not initially visible.

BUT there is currently an issue with the way in which property panels are displayed, and the work-around is to always ensure you are scrolled to the TOP of the properties before you click on another node in the cue list tree, or before you try to add a new cue or sub-cue. If you are scrolled part-way down the properties when SCS tries to display another node (existing or new) then the sub-cue properties for that node may be displayed with a large gap between these properties and the cue properties. Similar issues can occur with switching to or from the production properties.

If this display problem occurs, you should find the display corrects itself if you close and re-open the Editor.

Please note that this display problem does not affect your cue file - it is simply a display issue in the Editor.

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.