CueServer 2 User's Manual

Release v5.2.0 [September 10, 2024]

Version 5.2.0

Version 5.2.0 is major release that adds over 70 new features to CueServer and CueServer Studio. In addition, over 100 general improvements and bug fixes are included as well. Focus areas surround ease of use, enabling more efficient content generation, general workflow improvements, performance, and reliability. Version 5.2.0 is compatible with all CueServer 2 and CueServer 3 hardware and is recommended for all v5.0.0 and later users.

  • Significant Feature Additions
    • Feature Dark Mode Support
    • Feature Multiple Stage Layouts
    • Feature Selection Filters
    • Feature New Layout Editor Tools
    • Feature Easy Fixture Group Access
    • Feature Add Notes to Resources
    • Feature Improved Color Pickers
    • Feature New Timer Functions
    • Feature 24-Hour Time and International Date Formats
  • Navigator Window
    • New Improved the overall behavior and appearance of the New/Rename Show windows.
    • New Fixed the main window’s title on Windows to show the Application’s version number.
    • Bug No longer allow the creation of a show file that contains the “?” character, which is not valid.
    • Bug Disallow the user from Pasting in a show file name that contains invalid characters.
    • Bug Addressed an issue that occasionally caused the Change Password window to stop functioning.
  • Editor Window
    • New Many resources (such as Cues, Presets, Macros, Groups, Timers, Rules, etc.) now have a Notes field that can be used for user-defined descriptive text. Add this field to a resource by clicking on the Note icon near the top-right of the resource’s property panel.
    • New Various modal Popup Windows throughout the editor have been converted to modeless Popover Windows to improve the user experience.
    • Bug Fixed an issue that could cause the Editor Window to temporarily go “offline” after a short delay after very specific situations where the user switches between editor panels.
    • Bug Addressed an issue that could cause unexpected behavior if different resources are selected by quickly clicking on different rows within the system’s double-click time.
    • Bug Updated the Tab ordering of fields to follow a natural top-left to bottom-right sequence.
    • Bug Fixed a problem that could cause the Editor Window to become unresponsive if a CueServer’s password is set or changed while the Editor Window is open.
  • Live Views
    • Bug Fixed a bug that could cause presses of the Left Arrow key to improperly change views and/or reset the current view unexpectedly.
    • Bug Addressed an issue that occurred in v5.1.3 that would prevent the Stage, Playback, Zones and other live views from loading properly in a separate palette window.
    • Bug Fixed a problem since v5.1.3 that kept the Apply button from highlighting when changes are made in the view.
  • Stage View
    • New Added the ability to create, select, and manage multiple Stage Layouts.
    • New Added a new header ribbon that provides easy access to the currently active playback fader’s controls.
    • New Added multiple canned selection options, including All, Even, Odd, Every Nth, Random, etc.
    • New Added a dedicated popup menu for creating/selecting/managing Groups.
    • New Added a Filter popup menu for targeting a sub-selection from the current selection to make it easy to modify the parameters of sub-groups of fixtures.
    • New Added controls and keyboard shortcuts for advancing the sub-selection filter to the next/previous step.
    • New Controls in the fixture properties panel now have a different appearance if their corresponding channel is released.
    • New Added Pinch-Zoom, Command/Control-Scroll, and right-click Pan functions to the Layout view.
    • New Added Fine/Coarse modes to the HSV color picker.
    • New Improved the HSV color picker to have text fields for Hue, Saturation, and Value parameters.
    • New Automatically add separators between contiguous ranges of group numbers.
    • New Improved the names of several of the View Settings drop down menu items.
    • New The Release button can now clear active effects in the active Playback Fader.
    • New If Fixture objects have names, they now appear in tooltip popups.
    • New Command-Scrolling to zoom the Stage View now zooms in on a location pointed to by the mouse cursor.
    • Bug Repaired the ability of the Color Wheel to adjust a color’s brightness using the outside ring of the wheel.
    • Bug Addressed issues related to Fixture Selection in the Stage Layout view.
    • Bug Object selection is now properly reset after fixture values change.
    • Bug Fixed an issue that was preventing the Stage Layout view from properly following the current playback/layer.
    • Bug Addressed a problem that could display the Live Stage viewer when editing offline shows.
    • Bug Fixed zoom functionality in Layout view.
    • Bug Fixed an issue that caused Cues/Presets to be recorded improperly if the Enter key is used to dismiss the Capture dialog window.
    • Bug Corrected a problem that could cause Channels to not be able to be selected in certain circumstances.
    • Bug Fixed a problem that could occur when a Layout is deleted and switching back to the Stage View.
    • Bug Improved the behavior of switching views for to reduce flicker when re-entering the Stage View.
    • Bug When switching between different Effects, the properties that are shared with the new Effect are now preserved.
    • Bug Addressed a problem where the Record Cue popup window would clear the values in the fields when changing the Cue Number field.
    • Bug Fixed an issue when clicking to deselect all objects while in Stage Layout view that was preventing the Effects panel from appearing.
    • Bug Improved the hit-test area for the Collapse Universe controls in each section of the Channel Grid view to prevent accidental clicks in this area.
    • Bug Fixed a problem when performing a Select All (or other selection types) when viewing a Stage Layout that would cause Fixtures not visible in the current layout to become selected.
    • Bug Fixed an issue that could cause some of a fixture’s channels to not be set when clicking in certain areas of the Color Wheel.
    • Bug Addressed a problem that could occur when viewing a Stage Layout after switching shows.
    • Bug Addressed an issue that could prevent the Fixture Properties panel to not be able to scroll all the way up to reveal the bottom of the control list.
    • Bug The HSV Color picker now allows a single click to set a fixture’s color from the released state.
    • Bug Fixed an issue that could sometimes cause colors to become less “bright” while continuously scrolling through colors in a color wheel.
    • Bug Addressed a problem where the Record Cue dialog would not always use the same next cue number as the Cue List would use.
  • Front-Panel Palette Window
    • Bug Fixed an issue that prevented the Front-Paanel palette window from operating properly if the main Front-Panel panel is already showing.
  • Cue/Preset Editor
    • New Added the ability to create content using any of the available Stage Layouts.
    • New Added multiple canned selection options, including All, Even, Odd, Every Nth, Random, etc.
    • New Added a dedicated popup menu for creating/selecting/managing Groups.
    • New Added a Filter popup menu for targeting a sub-selection from the current selection to make it easy to modify the parameters of sub-groups of fixtures.
    • New Added controls and keyboard shortcuts for advancing the sub-selection filter to the next/previous step.
    • New Changed the label for Previewing the cue/preset from “Live” to “Preview”.
    • New Allow arrow keys to shift to Next/Previous Fixture and/or Channel selection.
    • Bug When previewing a Cue/Preset that contains empty Effect Slots, these slots are cleared when previewing a different cue/preset.
    • Bug Fixed a regression that was preventing a Channel selection from being modifiable by the wheel control.
    • Bug Addressed an issue that could prevent Cues with Effects saved from the Contents panel from executing properly.
    • Bug Fixed an issue where the Cue Editor would attempt to use the current playback’s selection ring color which is not applicable in this context.
    • Bug Fixed a regression where object selection may stop working in certain circumstances after several selections had previously been made.
  • Groups Editor
    • New Newly created Groups now default to Fixture Groups.
  • Macros Editor
    • New Typing the Tab key while editing CueScript advances to the next field. Typing Option/Alt-Tab places a Tab character into the CueScript field.
    • Bug Fixed an issue that prevented the Enter key from causing the panel to Apply changes if the current focus is inside the CueScript field.
  • Stage Layout Editor
    • New Added features to allow multiple layouts to be created, managed and edited.
    • New Added a dedicated popup menu for creating/selecting/managing Fixture Groups.
    • Bug Fixed an issue that prevented the Apply button from becoming disabled after saving the layout.
    • Bug Addressed an issue that could cause the Layout Editor to become stuck in run mode in rare circumstances after viewing a Touchscreen Station.
  • Station Editor
    • New When adding Functions to Buttons/Contacts/Shared Controls, the editor now remembers which target was previously used and uses this as a default when the user chooses a new Function.
    • Bug Fixed a bug that caused unexpected behavior if a new Station is in the process of being created and the user switches to a different editor view before saving the newly created Station.
  • Rule Views
    • New When hovering over any part of a Rule View, all popup controls now appear at once instead of only the specific line the the mouse is over to improve discoverability of available options.
  • Layout Editor
    • New Added various editing tools, including Clone Stamp, Plot, Multi-Drag, and Copy Attributes.
    • New Added a dialog window that appears when dropping multiple Fixture objects onto the screen to specify a starting address for the fixtures.
    • New Changed the default font size for Mystique/Ultra stations to better match the physical station size.
    • New Holding the Shift key while drawing Line objects constrains the drawing to Horizontal, Vertical, or at a 45-degree angle from the starting point.
    • New Dragging an image into a layout canvas now highlights a region near the top of the layout that is used specifically top add the image as a background picture rather than just dropping the image as a separate object.
    • New Added a new UI for switching between multiple layouts.
    • New Added option to Layout inspector to be able to remove a Layout.
    • New When in Edit Mode, Fixture objects now show their fixture numbers.
    • New The Clone Stamp tool now follows the list of patched fixtures when choosing the next available fixture number.
    • New Improved the Plot Tool options dialog to provide more options and better ease of use.
    • New Added Triangle, Hexagon, and Octagon shapes to Fixture representations.
    • New If Fixture objects are added that are not currently patched, their appearance now shows a dashed border.
    • New Improved the behavior of Shift-Click and Option/Alt-Click object selection.
    • New When the Plot Tool is targeting a Line object, an option has been added to specify the Plot direction.
    • New When the Plot Tool is targeting the outline of a Oval or Rectangle, an option as been added to specify the Start Angle of the Plot operation.
    • New The Plot Tool now always uses the next available patched fixture number when placing new fixture objects.
    • New Grid settings are now saved separately with each individual layout (instead of being global).
    • New Objects that execute CueScript now have an option to default to alternate command contexts.
    • New The additive selection mechanism is now reset to allow a fresh selection to be made after a Copy/Paste operation.
    • Bug Creating new Line objects now defaults to a plain style without arrowheads.
    • Bug Fixed a crash that would occur when multiple Image Buttons are selected while the Inspector is visible.
    • Bug Fixed a problem with centering objects when viewed in Run mode.
    • Bug Mystique and Ultra station layouts no longer render their label text in italics.
    • Bug Mystique and Ultra station layout editor now properly hides the PIN, Rotation, and Lasso controls.
    • Bug Plotting objects along a line now extends to the extreme extents of the line.
    • Bug Fixed object highlighting when a drag-and-drop operation’s destination is on top of another object.
    • Bug Repaired an issue that caused a slight shifting of some objects between edit mode and run mode.
    • Bug Fixed an issue that could cause images added while working offline to become corrupted.
    • Bug Fixed a problem with rubber-band selection sometimes selecting fixtures slightly outside of the selection rectangle.
    • Bug Prevent the layout inspector’s headers from scrolling beyond the top of the panel.
    • Bug Addressed a problem that could temporarily cause a selection to not resize in real-time after that object was deselected and re-selected.
    • Bug Improved Undo/Redo mechanics in certain circumstances related to adding/removing images.
    • Bug Fixed an issue with resolving fixture attributes when the fixture number is supplied via a variable.
    • Bug Repaired the Grid Type menu to properly show which Grid type is active.
    • Bug Removed unnecessary Run mode from Stage Layouts.
    • Bug No longer allow users to specify a Playback for Fixture objects in Stage Layouts.
    • Bug Fixed a problem that could cause the bottom of the inspector panel from scrolling all the way up into the visible window.
    • Bug Addressed a potential crash when using the Align tools.
    • Bug Repaired a potential issue that could cause uploaded images to not display properly upon first load.
    • Bug Fixed multiple issues related to alignment guides working with multiple selections.
    • Bug Fixed a problem that could cause the midpoint handle of a Line object to appear offset from the line.
    • Bug Improved the rendering mechanism to improve performance while editing large numbers of objects.
    • Bug An object’s type no longer is displayed as a uneditable field in the inspector.
    • Bug Improved the rubber band selection mechanism.
  • Stage Layouts
    • Bug Addressed an issue that could cause objects placed in the Layout Editor might not appear in the same location in the Stage or Cue/Preset Editor views.
    • Bug Fixed a problem that could corrupt images when uploaded into Stage Layouts.
    • Bug Improved the ability for non-circular Fixture objects to properly show Pan/Tilt representation graphically.
    • Bug Ensure that Stage Layouts use the same centering and alignment mechanisms that Touchscreen Layouts use.
  • Timers
    • New Timers have been improved with a point-and-click Function selector (similar to Button Rules). Users can now choose from lists of various predefined actions and targets with optional parameters instead of only allowing CueScript to provide Timer behaviors.
  • Touchscreen Engine
    • New Variables can now be used in Canvas fields.
    • New Added contextual local variables to layout objects that reference the current object’s properties, such as this.label, this.height, and this.function, etc.
    • New Improved the performance of rendering large numbers of objects.
    • Bug Improved the appearance of the Clock object’s analog face when larger font sizes are used.
    • Bug Fixed an issue with the rendering of images with corner radius on the Safari web browser.
    • Bug Repaired the ability for fixture selection to work properly on devices with touchscreen interaction (as opposed to mouse clicks).
    • Bug Fixed a problem that caused Clock objects to be constrained to 1:1 aspect ratios even when only displaying text in digital modes.
    • Bug Addressed an issue that could cause the text in a Click object to extend beyond its bounding rectangle.
    • Bug Fixed a bug in the Line object that would improperly absorb click events in the bounding box of the line instead of allowing the clicks to interact with objects below the Line.
    • Bug Addressed a rare problem that could cause multiple image assets in a layout from overwriting each other.
    • Bug Users attempting to navigate to in improper Stage View URL are now redirected to the Channel Grid page.
    • Bug Fixed a problem that could cause Slider controls to not properly reflect the selected attribute.
  • Function/Event Editor
    • Bug Fixed a bug that could cause a crash if the user double-clicks in the white space under the list of Functions/Event Handlers.
  • Settings
    • New Added a user preference to choose which Playback is the default for the live command line at the bottom of the Editor Window.
    • Bug Addressed an issue that could cause a crash when leaving the Display editor panel when editing an offline show and a Custom Lock Screen is present.
    • Bug Repaired a regression introduced in v5.1.3 that caused the property controls of Plugins to not be visible.
    • Bug Fixed a regression introduced in v5.1.3 that caused the “Delete Unavailable Ports” button in the Port Settings panel to not be clickable.
    • Bug Fixed an issue that could cause some GDTF profiles from loading if a corrupt GDTF file is present in the Fixture Definitions folder.
    • Bug Improved the display of various GDTF loading errors in Fixture Errors available from the Fixture Patch window.
    • Bug Addressed an issue that could cause the Fixture Patch to appear incorrectly while working offline and the patch extends into Universe 2 or above.
    • Bug Fixed a problem that prevented the Stage View from updating when only the name of a patched fixture is changed.
    • Bug Fixed an issue with the currently installed number of Channels not appearing in the DMX Settings panel on CueServer 3 hardware models.
  • CueScript
    • New Added the REM (Remainder) command for modifying Channels/Fixtures/Groups/Buttons/Stations/Submasters, etc. that are not currently selected. For example, FIXTURE 5 AT FL; REM 50 sets fixture 5 to Full and all other fixtures to 50%.
    • New Added the optional NAME keyword to the RECORD GROUP syntax, allowing newly created Groups to be assigned a name at creation time.
    • New The RELEASE command now clears the current Playback Fader’s Effects when performing a Release All.
    • New Added new \p and \P value substitution escape sequences that inject the binary DMX value as a percentage from 0 to 100 into the string.
    • New Added a new ^ value substitution modifier that causes the bits of the output to be inverted.
    • Bug The LOAD SHOW command now properly handles the case of being given a non-existent show name by returning 0.
  • Fade Engine
    • Bug Addressed an issue that could cause channels to not be set properly when executing multiple cues in quick succession by using CueScript when the Playback is currently running one or more Effects.
    • Bug Fixed a problem that could cause sACN to fail to be transmitted if the LAN B network cable is unplugged during sACN configuration.
  • Show Database
    • Bug Fixed an issue where the port settings of newly created show files are not set properly for CueServer 3 hardware.
    • Bug Newly created shows no longer create web page templates that reference CueServer 2 models from a CueServer 3.
  • Web Server
    • Bug Fixed an issue that was preventing the internal configuration of the built-in Apache web server from being updated properly, which could cause several issues such as SSI variables from not appearing on web pages, unexpected behavior with Insite touchscreens that are password protected, remote LCD Display control not functioning, and other similar issues if the device had been upgraded to v5.1.5 from earlier versions prior to v.5.1.2.
  • Diagnostic Tools
    • New Added RGBW, RGBA, and RGBAW universe preview modes to the sACN Monitor.
    • Bug Fixed a regression in the CueStation Network Monitor window where the Event Type checkboxes would default to “off”, which would cause the initial state of the window to not show any events captured from the network.
  • Time & Date Settings
    • New The Time Settings window now includes user preferences for both the Time and Date regional formats including 24-Hour time, and International formats for displaying dates, which changes how the front-panel LCD, touchscreens, and other expressions of Date and Time are presented throughout CueServer. This feature is available only on CueServer 3 hardware.
    • Bug Fixed an issue that could cause some Time Zones that use more than 3 character abbreviations to not work properly.
  • Network Settings
    • New Added popup help items to the Network Settings window.
    • New Now allow the Gateway address to be part of either LAN, or an external address.
    • New Provide the ability to not specify a Gateway address, which prevents the device from being able to reach the Public Internet.
    • New Improve the behavior of switching between DHCP and Static addressing modes.
  • Hardware
    • Bug Fixed an issue that prevented Serial Port formats that include Parity bits (such as 8E1, 8O1, 7E1, etc.) to not be sent/received properly.
    • Bug Fixed a problem that could cause a rare hardware lockup if a Serial Port is configured to receive Parity Bits and a Parity Receive Error occurs.
    • Bug If a serial format other than 8N1 is being used and then the user switches back to 8N1, the hardware was not properly returning to this configuration until a reboot occurred.
    • Bug Fixed an issue that could cause entered License Codes to not be stored across reboots on the newest CueServer 3 hardware revision.
    • Bug Addressed an issue that could prevent non-volatile variables from properly being restored after a power failure on the latest revision of CueServer 3 hardware.
  • Operating System
    • Bug Addressed an issue that caused the IPv4 network stack to fail to initialize properly if no Gateway address is specified.
  • WebSocket API
    • New Added formatFlags to TimeUpdateMessage.
    • New Added value to CueDataMessage.
    • New Added RequestMacroList, RequestShowList, and RequestDigitalIOList APIs.
  • Licensing
    • Bug Addressed a problem that could cause certain license credentials to not be restored after a reboot.
  • Firmware Updater
    • Bug Fixed an issue that caused the Firmware Update screen on the LCD Display to flicker as the progress bar was being updated.