G4 external buttons use
maxifox
Posts: 209
Hello, all
Can anyone give an advice what is the best approach in using of external buttons on G4 TPs? For what do you use them: navigation inside the pages, "qick" links, volume control..?
I understand dependancy on the project needs and difference arised between wall-mounted and wireless panels, but what are the general ideas?
Can anyone give an advice what is the best approach in using of external buttons on G4 TPs? For what do you use them: navigation inside the pages, "qick" links, volume control..?
I understand dependancy on the project needs and difference arised between wall-mounted and wireless panels, but what are the general ideas?
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I usually use the buttons for common fuctions such as volume control, channel up/down control, system on/off. Mostly for convienance to the user instead of having to locate the page.
If the panel is near the main entrance then maybe use them for system off , basic lighting controls, alarm system on or even a call for a sub-routine that will turn the lights on in different rooms, maybe the TV, stereo, etc if your client will be out after dark to help prevent B&E's.
Funny thing, several of my customers do not like the hardware buttons, and want those functions duplicated on the screens (which kind of defeats the purpose). I generally have to label the left buttons with text on the side of the screen too. Although after using the things for a while it becomes second nature, they often get confused in the beginning which is which.
Actually, for G4 panels, the external button configurations do not have to be just global. The functionality of individual buttons can be overridden on a page-by-page basis. This makes it easy, for instance, on an MVP panel to have the left-side buttons controlling global functions like volume and/or lighting, but have the right-hand left/right/up/down/select buttons change based upon the current device page so they can control the proper device without the need to do page tracking or a similar trick in NetLinx code.
To accomplish this, with the desired page open, choose Page->Show External Controls (or press CTRL+B). Then select the desired button(s) to override for this specific page. Then simply change the general 'Override Global Settings' property from 'no' to 'yes'. You will then be able to change the button's configuration and it will apply only when the panel is displaying that page.
On the wireless panels, I use the left buttons for channel and volume, and the right buttons for device menu navigations.
But, the most important thing to remember is that regarding issues such as this, there is not necessarily a right way and a wrong way. There may be 50 different ways to do it and have it function properly, but you need to talk with the person(s) using the panel and find out which way makes the most sense to them.
Jeff
I do this all the time, but as I recall, it's problematic.
If you do this, it works. But if you the copy that page, then the external buttons get really screwed up. For example, right now with my panel file, I have no global settings for the top two left buttons on the MVP-8400 (they're all set by page). However, if I look at properties for a page, it says that I haven't override the global settings for the page. That's not right ...
I thought/hoped this would be fixed in TPDesign4 v2.4, but that does not appear to be the case (unless I need to do something to my panel file, anyway, to "fix" this up).
Anyone have further information on this issue/bug?
There is, unfortunately, no easy way to fix existing files with external control problems. But, we do believe that we have addressed all outstanding issues when creating new external control configurations.
My suggestion is to try setting all overriden external controls to use the global settings, and then re-override and set up their functionality again.
Does anybody have a suggestion?
If you select yes to override global settings you can do the following:
From the programming tab, select 0-setup port as the Channel Port.
Click the down arrow on the Channel Code property and at the very bottom of the drop down click on Advanced Codes The drop down will refresh with several new options and one of them is Computer Control. Inside of Computer Control are your mouse and scrolling options.
Is this what you?re looking for?
Joe
Thanks for your suggestion, but I'm afraid that is not exactely what I am looking for. Let me try and clarify it:
Depending on the selected source, I want those buttons to perform a different task. So if the DSS is selected, I want to use the pad to the right to navigate the guide menu (button channel will trigger an event in code which will in turn send IR or RS232 data to the DSS box). If the PC is selected, I want to use the same pad to control the mouse movements (mouse movements, not cusor selections, etc) within G4CC.
This requires that the mouse movement functions are selected from code, not hard-coded in the panel. A scenario where the functions control the mouse and send a channel code at the same time might work as well, as long as G4CC can be disabled while DSS etc. is selected.
Are you saying that Computer Control and DSS control will be on the same TP page? If they are, then I'm afraid I don't have an answer. I've never seen a commad to allow the functions you are looking for via code. Doesn't mean there isn't one, I just don't know what it is.
Do you have the option to create a seperate page for Computer Control and DSS? If you do. then you can assign whatever functions you want at design time for each page.
Sorry I couldn't have been more help.
Joe
Never noticed those buttons could have a different function depending on the page shown inside. This opens up a lot of options!
Thanks again,
Joe
Dave,
I have been down the road with Tech Support regarding sending (and receiving) channel events for setup codes. There are actually (at least) two ways to see the actual numeric channel code associated with a setup function:
1. Assign the setup function to a button and then change the port without changing the channel and the channel will change from the named function to its numeric equivalent (which is most likely meaningless on the newly selected port).
2. A second (and easier) way is to refer to the Excel worksheet that AMX provides as part of the TPDesign 4 installation package. In the Common Files\AMXShare\G4SupportFiles\PPFs directory, there is a file called SetupCodes.xls which documents all of the codes supported on all of the G4 panels. Pretty handy little document.
I talked to Tech Support about trying to use the setup codes to turn Modero docking station LEDs off and on but was told that not only are the channels not reported in CHANNEL_EVENTS, you can not DO_PUSH() to activate them. I believe I tested and verified this with a CHANNEL_EVENT and they were correct. It would be nice if these behaved the same as other channels but my understanding is that they do not so I don't think that is an option in the G4 control case noted earlier in the thread.
Reese
Ah well, it was a thought