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The Active Values tab in Pandoras Box gives you an overview of all Layers and parameters with active values.

The Active Values tab is not part of any default View. To open it, please click on "Tabs" in the Toolbar and choose "Active Values" or use the shortcut [Ctrl + D]. Even if it was already open and simply overlaid by another tab, it is now the visible tab within the pane.

What Is an Active Value?

In Pandoras Box device parameter values are designed to have different states: active and normal.

Changing a parameter in the Device Tree or Device Control tab for example, highlights it in red (everywhere in the user interface) and marks it as an active values. Active values stay active until they are stored to a Preset or in a Sequence, as explained in the chapter "Programming on the Timeline". Alternatively, you can discard the active state with the commands "Clear" or "Reset". For example, if you change the parameter "Opacity" to 125, you can either store "125" as a Preset or as a key in the Sequence. Or, you can clear it, which means that "Opacity" is not active anymore, but holds "125". Lastly, you can reset it, which means that "Opacity" is not active and holds the default value "255".

Now, there are two common ways to work and program in Pandoras Box. The first workflow is to store an active value as a key in the Sequence. If you store several keys over a time span and play the Sequence, you will see how the parameter changes according to the stored values. However, if you now create an active value again, you will see that it overrides the stored values. This is the purpose of active values! The active state indicates a change you have not stored yet and all values that have previously been stored in the timeline will be ignored until you store or reset the active value. As soon as there is no active value anymore, Pandoras Box automatically calls the values from the (playing) Sequence again. There are different commands to "store" in the Sequence. You can either store a single active parameter, all active values from one or several Layer(s) or Site(s), or you can simple store ALL active values. Any store operation is always based on the active values.

Another common workflow is, to "ignore" the Sequence and possibility to store values but to work with active values only. Any time you would like to change your parameters and Layers, you simply change the active values. You can do this manually, by calling Presets, or by remote controlling Pandoras Box via a lighting console, Widget Designer or another device or program.

All "Store Active" Button and Context menus should be with respect to the sequence filters so that active values can only be stored on the sequence they are assigned.
All active values that cannot be saved because they are only visible in other sequences remain active. To store them, you have to change to the sequence where they belong to.

In both workflows active values are very important for programming and this explains why you might need a dedicated tab to see all active values.

In case you are working in a Multi-User scenario: The tab displays local and remote active values without distinction whilst the Device Tree or Sequence show remote active values colored in beige / yellow. Any store command will store only local active values. Remote active values can be turned into local ones with the command "Take over Activity" from the right-click menu from the respective parameter, Layer or Site.

The Active Values Tab

The Active Values tab gives an overview of all current active values. In case you run a store operation all listed values will be stored and the list is cleared. To see all active values of the selected devices only, check the option "Show Selected Only" at the bottom of the tab. This might be especially helpful if you would like to work with the "Store active (Selected Devices)" command. In case the list is not cleared after calling the store command, check the following: - Is the check box "Include in Store Active" in the Layer Inspector deactivated? - Are you remote controlling Pandoras Box, i.e. constantly receiving (new) values from a lighting desk, Widget Designer etc.? - Are the values remote active values as you work in a Multi-User environment?

You can apply changes to a parameter value directly in the tab. You can either left-click and drag the value in one move. Or you can left-click it once to open the parameter box and then click the value in the box to edit it, e.g. double-click it and enter a new value with the keyboard or use the +/- icons.

To open the context menu of a value, simply right-click it. The first line simply tells you the parameter name, the value belongs to. The commands are explained in the chapter "Context Menus" in the paragraph "The Context Menu of a Parameter". In other words, all the commands you can see in this tab can also be called within the Device Tree. In addition you can find the most important commands in the Sequence Button Bar.