Custom Symbol List

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rbryson
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Custom Symbol List

Post by rbryson »

I would love to be able to create a custom symbol list limited to the inventory in my theatre. It would make suing that list so much more efficient. Is there a way to do this? Something like copying symbols from existing manufacturers inventories as shown and putting them in the custom list.

(And - what is the “blank” symbol list for?)

rbryson
Rhett Bryson
Department of Theatre Arts
Furman University
Greenville, SC 29613
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Post by admin »

When LXFree creates a new plot, the selection of symbols available as the "key" is essentially the entire available library. This is complete, but awkward to find a specific fixture. Fortunately, LXFree can store and use custom key files containing only the desired set of symbols. Several key files containing smaller subsets are included with LXFree. These manufacturer specific keys appear in the popup menu in the Symbol palette.

When LXFree starts up, it searches for key files stored in both the user and system Library/Application Support/lx/keys directories and lists them in the popup menu in the Symbols tab of the Inspector. When a new key is selected from the popup, LXFree first removes any key entries from the current key that are not in use. LXFree then adds the entries from the selected file.

The key can be rearranged and symbols renamed using the Symbols report. Once a key has been customized, it can be stored as a key file for use with other plots. This is done using the Save Key item in the popup menu. (The custom file must be in one of the two library directories to be found by LXFree when it starts up).

The use of the "Zero(empty)" key file is that selecting it has the effect of removing all unused entries from the current key without adding any. This results in only the symbols currently in use in the plot remaining in the key.

Key entries are saved with a plot. So, it is not necessary to create a custom key file to have a custom key.
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