Patch Editor

This topic includes:

Introduction

The Patch Editor is an extremely useful tool to quickly address and connect RDM devices [mainly lighting fixtures], that is setting their DMX start address. It considerably speeds up the configuration and setup times of your lighting project.

▪Go to the menu Devices > Patch Editor...
[Keyboard shortcut: F3]

Overview

The following is a general overview. The workflows on how to work with this tool are described below.

	Represents the device numbering as index and is especially useful for referencing devices in the list or seeing the total number of found devices.
Grip	Left Mouse Click + Hold + Drag & Drop - Indicates that you can change the order of devices by dragging & dropping the corresponding lines in the list. The order determines the addressing order when using the automatic patching process. Learn more below.
Include	Allows you to choose which devices to include in the automatic patching process. Learn more below. Devices that report back a DMX footprint of 0, will be automatically excluded. You can include them manually again.
Mark	Colorizes the corresponding line of the list in green to label it for easy referencing, especially in long lists.
Network	Shows the network adapter, and its network IP address in particular, to which the RDM device is connected. [This information refers to »Art-Net.]
Interface IP Address	Shows the IP address of the hardware interface to which the RDM device is connected. [This information refers to »Art-Net.]
Unique ID	Represents a unique identifier of the RDM device. It is shown as HEX [without 0x] and using a colon [:] as separator. The first part is the ESTA ID of the manufacturer and the second part is a number, which can be freely defined by the manufacturer.
Sub-Device ID	Shows the sub-device ID for RDM devices that have one. For all others, the value is 0.
Identify	Can be edited. Allows you to choose/activate the built-in identification mode of the RDM device if available from the device. This usually means that the device will fully flash in white.
Device Label	Can be edited. Shows the currently set name or description of the RDM device.
DMX Personality	Can be edited. Shows the currently set DMX personality of the RDM device. This can also be referred to as operation mode of the RDM device.
DMX Footprint	Shows the number of DMX channels a device uses; and as such requires for individual control. Depends on the currently set DMX personality. Devices that report back a DMX footprint of 0, will be automatically excluded. You can include them manually again.
DMX Start Address	Can be edited. Shows the currently set DMX start address of the RDM device. [Learn more »Glossary]
Status	Shows the current status of the patching process regarding this device. - A green checkmark indicates that the currently set DMX start address is logical and valid. - An orange triangle indicates that there is an issue. Refer to the displayed status message for more information.
Total DMX Footprint	Shows how many channels are currently occupied by the devices in the list. - Amounts of channels that exceed the defined limited of 512 of the DMX standard will be highlighted in orange.
Last DMX Channel	Shows the last occupied channel of the currently selected DMX universe. - If the channels of the last RDM device exceed the defined limited of 512 of the DMX standard, the number will be highlighted in orange.

Please note: This list cannot be sorted by clicking on one of the column headers. The order of list entries defines the order devices are addressed when activating automatic addressing. The order of items needs to be set completely intentionally by you.

File

▪Close - Closes the window of the Patch Editor.

Preferences

▪Address Devices Automatically - Enables and activates the automatic patching process. Learn more below. Is disabled by default to not re-address devices unintentionally. It will also automatically be deactivated again after closing the Patch Editor.
[Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + R]

▪Identify Selected Devices Automatically - Automatically sets the Identify parameter to On in case one or more devices are selected in the list. [The parameter is set to Off for all devices that are not selected; or upon deselection.]

Devices

▪Address Devices Continuously (Set:DmxStartAddress) - Recalculates the DMX addresses for all currently shown RDM devices and sets the new addresses [by sending the corresponding request to the devices].
[Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + R]
- As such you can trigger the automatic patching process once for the currently shown devices.

▪Identify All Devices (Set:IdentifyDevice) - Sets the Identify parameter to On for all devices.
[Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F7]

▪Stop Identifying All Devices (Set:IdentifyDevice) - Sets the Identify parameter to Off for all devices.
[Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + F7]

Toolbar

	Address Devices Automatically - Enables and activates the automatic patching process. Learn more below. - Is disabled by default to not re-address devices unintentionally. - It will also automatically be deactivated again after closing the Patch Editor or when changing the view by selecting a different DMX Universe or a different Interface. - [Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + R]
	Identify Selected Devices Automatically - Automatically sets the Identify parameter to On in case one or more devices are selected in the list. - [The parameter is set to Off for all devices that are not selected; or upon deselection.] - is enabled by default.
	Address Devices Continuously (Set:DmxStartAddress) - Recalculates the DMX addresses for all currently shown RDM devices and sets the new addresses [by sending the corresponding request to the devices]. - As such you can trigger the automatic patching process once for the currently shown devices. - [Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + R]
	Identify All Devices (Set:IdentifyDevice) - Sets the Identify parameter to On for all devices. - [Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F7]
	Stop Identifying All Devices (Set:IdentifyDevice) - Sets the Identify parameter to Off for all devices. - [Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + F7]
First DMX Address For Automatic Addressing	Defines the first DMX address to use when addressing devices in the automatic patching process. As such, it defines the DMX start address of the first device in the list. - Is only available when having Patch DMX Start Addresses Continuously enabled.
DMX Universe	Defines which DMX universe is currently shown; and as such shows all devices that are assigned to this universe. Pay attention to this setting! It has a profound effect on how the Patch Editor works and how it shows the current status. For example, if Universe is set to 1 and Interface is set to All, the Patch Editor is likely to display status messages for issues, which may not be an issue at all. Make sure to switch to a single interface in order to check or use Previous / Next to check all interfaces and universes one by one.
Interface	Shows all interfaces that have RDM devices connected for the currently selected DMX Universe. As such, it allows you to narrow the list of shown RDM devices to specific hardware interfaces. If available, the Interface Short Name is added after the IP address in brackets for reference. Pay attention to this setting! It has a profound effect on how the Patch Editor works and how it shows the current status. For example, if Universe is set to 1 and Interface is set to All, the Patch Editor is likely to display status messages for issues, which may not be an issue at all. Make sure to switch to a single interface in order to check or use Previous / Next to check all interfaces and universes one by one.
	Previous / Next - Provide buttons for quick navigation. - If All is selected for Interface: Skips through the DMX universes. - If a specific device is selected for Interface: Skips through the available interfaces of the currently selected universe first, and then to the next or previous universe, where it iterates through the interfaces again; before going to the next or previous universe.

Context-Menu And Keyboard Navigation

▪Right Mouse Click - Perform a click with your right mouse button on an entry.

Edit	Allows you to change the entry [if it can be edited]. [Keyboard shortcut: F2]
Identify Devices (Set:IdentifyDevice)	Sets the Identify parameter to On for all currently selected devices. [Keyboard shortcut: F7]
Stop Identifying Devices (Set:IdentifyDevice)	Stops the identification mode for all currently selected devices. [Keyboard shortcut: Shift + F7]
Move To The Top	Sends the currently selected item to the very top of the list in order to place it first. You can easily rearrange the list by using the keyboard. Select a list entry first and then use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + W.
Move Up	Moves the currently selected item one place up in the list. You can easily rearrange the list by using the keyboard. Select a list entry first and then use the keyboard shortcut: W.
Move Down	Moves the currently selected item one place down in the list. You can easily rearrange the list by using the keyboard. Select a list entry first and then use the keyboard shortcut: S.
Move To The Bottom	Sends the currently selected item to the very bottom of the list in order to place it last. You can easily rearrange the list by using the keyboard. Select a list entry first and then use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + S.

Editing And Changing Values

It is recommended to set the correct Universe and Interface first or use Previous / Next accordingly [as described above].

Overview

▪In specific cases, the edit icon [that is, a pen] shows that the respective information/column can be edited by you.

Single Edits

▪Left Mouse Click + Hold - Allows you to select a single cell.

▪Left Mouse Double-Click - Perform a double-click with your left mouse button on a value in order to edit it.

▪Keyboard shortcut: F2

▪Confirm with Enter [or click outside of the currently active cell with the mouse]. Abort any changes with Escape.

	You may be presented with different choices for the specific parameter.
	You may be able to directly enter numbers or text as input.

Multi-Edits

▪Ctrl + Left Mouse Click or Shift + Left Mouse Click + Select First List Entry + Select Last List Entry - Allows you to select multiple items in the list.

▪Ctrl + A - Selects all devices in the list.

▪F2 - Activates the edit mode for multiple devices at once. Select multiple devices first.

▪Confirm with Enter [or click outside of the currently active cell with the mouse]. Abort any changes with Escape.

Valid Values And Limits

The valid values for each parameter are defined by the RDM device and its set of features [such as DMX Personality], the RDM standard [such as Identify], or a different standard [such as DMX Start Address for DMX512].

Visual Feedback For Edits

The software will show you if any changes you have made are set successfully or not. This status is shown for a couple of seconds after each change.

	Green - The RDM device reported back that the changes were successfully set.
	Yellow - The request is currently pending.
	Red - The RDM device could not successfully set the new value or the request timed out. Learn more »Missing Responses From RDM Devices

Automatic Workflow

You can use the Patch Editor to quickly set the DMX addresses for RDM devices [lighting fixtures]. As such, a workflow could look like described below.
Please note the available settings as described above as well as the individual characteristics of each project.

1] Set up the First DMX Address For Automatic Addressing.

2] Choose the DMX Universe you wish to work in.

3] Change Interface > All to the first interface.

4] Activate Address Devices Automatically [via keyboard shortcut, the menu, or the toolbar]. MADRIX RADAR will automatically address each RDM device according to the order in the list and their equivalent DMX footprint.

5] Select each device in the list while having Identify Selected Devices Automatically activated. The corresponding fixture will light up on the installation.
6] If a fixture is not addressed correctly, use drag & drop in the list to correct the order of devices. MADRIX RADAR will automatically re-address all subsequent RDM devices.
7] Select a device to set its identify mode to On and double-check the order of devices and their addresses again.

8] - Quickly navigate through universes and hardware interfaces using the navigation buttons and repeat the above steps for each universe/hardware interface.

Semi-Automatic Workflow

You can manually set up the DMX addresses of an RDM device. As such, a workflow could look like described below.
It is recommended to set the correct Universe and Interface first or use Previous / Next accordingly [as described above].

1] Select a device in the list while having Identify Selected Devices Automatically activated. The corresponding fixture will light up on the installation.

2] Manually enter the correct DMX Start Address in the corresponding column of the list.

3] Proceed accordingly with the next RDM devices.

4] - Quickly navigate through universes and hardware interfaces using the navigation buttons and repeat the above steps for each universe/hardware interface.

Troubleshooting

▪The Patch Editor will only show devices if their display is covered by a valid MADRIX RADAR license. Learn more »License System

▪Please note that if a device reports back a DMX footprint of 0, automatic patching will not work in this case.

▪RDM does not support changing the assignment of the DMX universe of a device.

Customization

MADRIX RADAR allows you to choose which columns are presented in this view. You can decide which columns are hidden or shown.

▪Right Mouse Click - Perform a click with your right mouse button anywhere on the header of the list.

	Shown - A checkmark means that columns are shown.
	Hidden - No checkmark means that columns are hidden.
Grid	Shows or hides the Grid column.
Include	Shows or hides the Include column.
Mark	Shows or hides the Mark column.
Network	Shows or hides the Network column.
Interface IP Address	Shows or hides the Interface IP Address column.
Unique ID	Shows or hides the Unique ID column.
Sub-Device ID	Shows or hides the Sub-Device ID column.
Identify	Shows or hides the Identify column.
Device Label	Shows or hides the Device Label column.
DMX Personality	Shows or hides the DMX Personality column.
DMX Footprint	Shows or hides the DMX Footprint column.
DMX Start Address	Shows or hides the DMX Start Address column.
Status	Shows or hides the Status column.