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Control Link Example

Command Control Link

A Command control has no state. It simply allows you to initiate an action. Unlike a Toggle, you cannot undo a Command. The most common usage of Command controls is to assert a preset.

Example Scenario

You are designing an audio system for a church and have configured several presets containing different audio configurations for the sanctuary (Sunday Service - 9am; Sunday Service - 7 pm; Bingo Night). You want to give church personnel the ability to assert the appropriate preset depending on the current audio needs of the room. A list of Command controls works well in this situation.

note: A Selector Preset Group would also work quite well for this example, but we'll use Command Controls for now to illustrate how they work.

Creating the Link

Hardware Controls

A DR2 works nicely for this scenario. The end user highlights the preset on the DR2 LCD screen and then pushes the DR2 knob, which asserts the selected preset.

Halogen Configuration — Hardware Workspace

  1. Add one DR2 to the Hardware Map.
  2. Double-click the DR2 to open its properties, and then configure its Control Mode as a List of Toggles/Commands.
  3. Define the correct number of controls by adding or deleting items. In this example, we need three items.
  4. Select each item and configure it as a Command (by selecting Command from the dropdown list in the lower right corner).
  5. You may also want to name these Command items by clicking on the name to open an edit box, and then entering a custom name. Note that these names are not the display names that appear on the actual device but are instead for your clarification within the software.
  6. Optionally, name the DR2 and/or manipulate its Backlight Settings. Note that the name configured here is not the display name that appears on the actual device. We'll get to that in a moment.

Halogen Configuration — Processing Workspace

  1. Display the hardware controls by clicking the Control tab in the palette area, and then locate the relevant DR2.
  2. Click each DR2 Command control to open its properties dialog box.
  3. In each properties dialog box, enter the appropriate Display Label. This is the name that will appear in the command list on the DR2's LCD screen. In this example, you'd want to enter a label that identifies the preset to be asserted (for example, Sunday 9am, Sunday 7pm, and Bingo).
  4. In the Processing toolbar, click Presets to open the All Presets dialog box. We'll assume that you have already created your Command presets for the three audio needs: Sunday Service - 9am; Sunday Service - 7 pm; Bingo Night.
  5. In the All Presets dialog box, click the Command tab to display the Command presets.
  6. In the Control palette (or from within the DR2 Command control properties dialog box), drag the link icon for one of the DR2 Command controls and drop it on the appropriate preset in the All Presets dialog box (on the Processing Map).
  7. In the prompt dialog box that appears, confirm that you want to create a new control link. Also, give the new link a meaningful name for easier identification later.
  8. Repeat this step for the other two DR2 Command controls.
Testing the Link
  1. In the Control palette, click each DR2 command control to open its properties dialog box.
  2. In one of the properties dialog boxes, click the Command button, and then check the Halogen configuration to confirm that the preset was asserted.
  3. Repeat for the other two DR2 command controls.