Macro Engine with Command Line Tab

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Macro Engine with Command Line Tab

Postby florian » Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:48 pm

Hello,

I have requested something along these lines a couple times, but I am once again in a situation where it would help me out in a new way so I'd like to amend the original request.

I am working on a project where I need to create a battery of sites with a large number of graphic layers. In order to accelerate the process of adding a whole slew of graphic layers to a site, I am running a WDP instance on the same machine and using the 'AddGraphicLayer,site,count' command on a dummy button.

It would be grand if there was a WDP command interface style macro engine built directly into PB. One that did not require WD to be running. If I could open up a command line tab and just type commands like this directly into it it would save alot of time when performing repetitive tasks in PB, and, if commands could be embedded in sequence keyframes it would provide a powerful series of programming options to complex shows.

Thanks!

flo
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Re: Macro Engine with Command Line Tab

Postby JustynR » Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:29 pm

A command line in WD would be great too.

I do the same thing as Florian does, I always have a button on every page that I use just to execute script - initiate a Variable, Change a label name/colour and so on...

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Re: Macro Engine with Command Line Tab

Postby malkuth23 » Sun Nov 25, 2012 4:20 pm

I second both these requests!

To have a WD tab would be great. Even if it was an 'extension' and required a WD dongle to run.

Command line in WD could save time as well. I generally use the macro tool and then click the run button. But if there could just be command line on the bottom of the screen it would be even better.

It might also help people if there was a way to add variables in the variables tool.
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Re: Macro Engine with Command Line Tab

Postby florian » Sun Nov 25, 2012 5:31 pm

I feel pretty strongly about having a command line in PB that does not require additional licensing or software. Many of the WDP commands I'd want to see implemented are just wrappers for identical PBautomation features (ie: AutoSetParam, AutoMoveSequenceToCue, etc. ). I think that the Widget Designer made a good proving ground for developing a scripting language that interacts with PBautomation, but the scripting interface should exist in the manager as a standalone feature.

I know there's alot of hyperbole in the wishlist forum, but I think this is one of the last major features in which the PB Programming environment lags behind other industry tools. The widgetdevice takes steps towards institutionalizing the approach of looping control through an external component, this works well 90% of the time, but it really bites when there is a fault. I'd prefer to not need to balance show control features on feedback loops that needlessly straddle the system's network resources, especially since these are often already under significant load.
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Re: Macro Engine with Command Line Tab

Postby Markus Zeppenfeld » Mon Nov 26, 2012 12:43 pm

Hey guys,

let me drop some lines on that:

- WD commands / SDK commands within the timeline controlling itself is already on the list. You are right, that it is a huge detour to remote the widget to remote Pandoras Box in order to start a second timeline or whatever you wanna do.

- A complete command-line sounds pretty nice and useful within Pandoras Box, but will imply a huge change on Pandoras Box as well on the strategy to separate the render engine from all logic programming. But I still love the idea of implementing the Widget via a tab.
Tools like adding layers have to be within Pandoras Box definitely. This is right. I assume, you all know the "Add Layers To PB" button within the tools of WD where you can easily add more than one layer at a time!?

- The other idea I love is the command line within the Widget Designer. Nevertheless, using the macro tool is the better way for having more commands in a row, like a loop, to recall them from time to time. Building a button is most of the time too complicated for just changing one value.

I will set everything on the wishlist.

Thanks for your comments!
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