Trigger XY Pad preset via button

[fooschnickens]

I have a project I'm working on right now for an upcoming rental and ran into a usage scenario that may prove useful for designing their show and future shows.

Is it possible to assign a button to trigger a preset within the XY Pad widget? I have multiple working areas that will be used throughout the show (on stage, crowd, wall effects, etc) and because of that I also have a bunch of XY pads cluttering up my VC. The widgets don't need to be visible since everything is already defined via the efx function and the widget itself. Ideally I would just hide the widgets off screen or maybe in a frame page somewhere.

I know I can accomplish this with an external controller or keyboard shortcuts, but my booth space is at a premium so I don't have the luxury of time to practice what keys trigger which function, or space to set up a larger monitor to see everything. I will need access to all these different working areas on a moment's notice, and trying to scroll between them via frame pages is not really an option.

So, possible? Pipe dream?

[siegmund]

Hey,

since the presets support external input, you also can use the loopback plugin to achieve what you want: http://www.qlcplus.org/docs/loopbackplugin.html

If you want further help, please share your workspace file.

Regards,
siegmund

[fooschnickens]

Ah right, I never really messed around with loopback options because the documentation is rather... sparse.

I've gotten as far defining the loopback in/out, but I'm hung up on what to do next with the external settings for the buttons and widgets. This is about as far into it as I got last time. I understand conceptually how the process works, but I just don't know how to make it work within the program. Pretty sure all I need is a nudge in the right direction to fill in the last couple blanks and I should be good to go from here out.

I've attached a sample workspace with the widgets and buttons set up and named accordingly.

[GGGss]

Aha I see ...

Well you have to be able to output something to the loopback-output and attach the loopback-input to the control.

I have changed your project and you find it attached.

Steps to take:
* make 2 dummy fixtures in Universe 2 fi. a dimmer on U2.ch1 and U2.ch2
* make 2 dummy-cues with those fixtures and set it's sending value to 255.
* have these cue's set in the buttons below the XY's
* now have the Universe 2 to output to loopback 1
* the same has to be done so that universe 1 gets it input from loopback1

* Crowd XY - preset : it has to be configured so this preset is called by input loopback1 - channel 1 (tricky thing is to manually enter 1)
* Stage XY - preset : preset has to be called by loopback1 - channel 2 (enter 2 manually)

I took the liberty to change the behaviour of the knobs to 'flash' - easier to watch what happens...

and maybe to understand it better this symbolic
flash-buton -> sends 255 to loopback 1.ch1 (via cue on dummy_U2.Lpb1) -> get inputted to Universe 1 and coupled to the preset-knob in the Crowd-XY

Easy? Not exactly but I tend to think in telephony-terms. Extension 1 in areacode 2 calls to switchboard with message 'deliver 255 to areacode 1 coming from ext.1' - the switchboard in areacode 2 delivers message to areacode 1. Extension XY-Crowd is listening to messages coming from areacode2-ext.1 and get the message with payload 255.
In this analogy you have to change the underlined words Extension = channel, areacode = Universe and messageboard with loopback

If you have additional questions: - Shoot
Regards,
Fred
[edit: typo's]

[fooschnickens]

The wheels are turning now! Thanks for that. I'm very much a visual/kinetic learner, so seeing everything laid out made it clear as day and your play-by-play explanation of the process should help me emulate it for the remainder of my pads from here out.