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This topic explains how to generate keys and containers in the sequence and how to edit them, i.e. select, move and change them. If you are new to Pandoras Box, please check the introductory chapter "Sequence" for the general explanation how to navigate in the Sequence tab and what is meant when talking about a Site, Container, Key etc.
At the end, there is also an explanation of teh advanced technique that toggles the key mode.

The shortcut [Ctrl + Z] will undo steps of sequence editing, except for Toggle Key mode and active values.

Creating Containers

Before working in the Sequence tab, we first need to have media files available in the Project tab. These are our sources. Please open the Assets tab (or Thumbnails tab) and drag them there. More information can be found in the linked chapters.

Next, we need some Layers in the Device Tree. These are our "outputs" to which the sources can be assigned to. Please follow the instructions from the chapter "Device Tree" as the steps vary between a stand-alone and Master-Client setup and also depend on whether the Clients are started or not. Include the Site to the Preview (right-click menu) and toggle it open (double-click) to see the Layers in the Device Tree and the according tracks in the Sequence.

To add containers to your timeline / sequence, simply drag a media file from the Project tab onto a layer track in the Sequence tab. This results in a container that holds the information to load this file (when the Nowpointer hits the container) and to display it with an Opacity value of 255 which is 100%. When having a look in the Preview, you should see that the media file is there whenever the Nowpointer is "in" the container and not there, if the Nowpointer is outside.

As an alternative to the above workflow, you can also work with active values. Select another layer and double-click on a media file in the Project tab. Note that the Layer and Site are highlighted in red, which indicates that there are "unstored" active values. In the Preview you should see the media file right away because active values overwrite the current values from the sequence.

Now, we want to store the active values to the timeline, which will result in a second container where each active value is stored as a parameter key. Position the Nowpointer and click the first button in the Sequence Button Bar above the timeline or use the shortcut [Ctrl + Alt + S]. See the last chapter for other ways to call the "Store active" command(s).

Now, we got two containers created in two different ways but with the same result. As said above, containers include stored layer information. Each parameter change is stored with a so called key at a certain time that holds the parameter value. The key for the "Media" parameter is special because there can only be one (main) media per container. The "Opacity" key is a regular key. Double-click the container to toggle it open and display the included parameter tracks with their keys.

On the level of "Layer 2" you see the clip summary container which also visible when the container is collapsed to one line. Below that, there are the clip container and the keys of different parameters. Most of the parameters are integrated in sub folders, like "Position". To toggle them open, click on the arrow key in front of the folder's name or just double-click on the folder in the Device Tree or the according track in the Sequence tab. The chapter Site, Layer and Parameter Structure shows how to toggle the visibility of parameters. Later, we will add some keys and edit them, but first we will have a look how to shift Containers or their Clip borders on the left and right edge.

How to Add, Select and Edit Keys

Following the two workflows we have seen above when creating containers, Keys too, can be added and changed in two ways.

Firstly, simply right-click in the desired parameter track, e.g. next to the existing Opacity key. This creates a new key.
To change its value, right-click it again to access its parameter handle. Left-click into the number field and drag it up or down to change the value. Or, double-click the numbers and enter a new value.
You can also select a key with a left click and change its value in the key inspector tab. Once, the value is changed you will notice that the line that connects two keys adopts to the new value. The line shows the parameter value behavior over time.

The second way to create keys is to work with active values. Open the Device Controls tab and move the Opacity fader. Note that it turns red to indicate the active value state. Now, back in the Sequence tab, place the Nowpointer somewhere between the clip borders and store the value as explained above. If you place the Nowpointer outside, a new Clip would be created but without any media. By the way, a key is overwritten when you store a new active value at its time. For more advanced users: The tab Active Values gives an overview of all current active values. And the Layer Inspector includes the option to exclude a Layer from the "Store Active" command.

Most operators work with both workflows depending on the situation. Storing active values values makes most sense when storing many parameters at once, e.g. when working also with position, scale, effect parameters etc. When changing a value from an existing key the first way is probably faster.

To replace the content of a clip container without active values, drag and drop the new content from the project tab onto the clip. If the new clip has a different length, you may adopt the clip container to the new media duration. Right-click onto the clip summary container and choose "Adopt Main Media" or click the according button in the Sequence Button Bar.

To select a single key, just click on it or drag a window across it. To select multiple keys, drag a window across the region of keys.
Once selected, the keys may be moved (left click and drag selection), copied ([Ctrl + C]) and pasted ([Ctrl + V]) within the same layer or device. To copy a key within the container borders drag it whilst holding [Ctrl].

To copy a selection of keys from one device to another, use [Ctrl + C] to copy and [Ctrl + Shift + V] to paste to a new selection of devices.
Please note: If copying parameters from one device to a different device, only those parameters which are shared by both devices can be copied.

With the shortcut [Ctrl + right or left arrow], the Nowpointer jumps from key to key (including the clip borders).

More information for advanced users: In the image, the line shows, that we created a linear fade out. In case you would like to change the type of a key, e.g. to a Bezier key, select it (or multiple ones), look at the key inspector tab and change the "Curve Type". The Curve Editor allows even more fine-tuned value editing and opens when a parameter name is double-clicked in the Device Tree. The linked topic also shows how the different curve types behave.
Last, if you are interest in working with "Key Presets", the chapter "Presets" explains how to do this.

How to Add, Select and Edit Cues

Cues can be used as markers in the timeline or to perform actions like pausing the timeline (for some time) or jumping to another time or cue. To add a Cue, you can either right-click in the time bar to open the context menu and choose "Add Cue Here" which will add a Play Cue at the time where you clicked. On the other hand, "Add Cue at Current time" adds a Cue to the Nowpointer's time. The Cue is automatically selected and its properties are displayed in the Inspector tab where the type (see below) can be changed if needed. Alternatively you can place the Nowpointer at a certain time and choose one of the Cue buttons in the Sequence Button Bar.

In the Cue Inspector, you can select whether the cue is locked against moving. Locked cues look a bit darker than the other cues (see picture).

The Play Cue does not change the sequence playback mode, it can be understood as a simple marker. PB can be controlled externally, e.g. via DMX or Widget Designer, and mostly there are commands that tell the Sequence to jump to a certain Cue number. The Pause Cue pauses the timeline if the Nowpointer hits it whilst the Stop Cue stops and resets the timeline to 0:00:00. The Wait Cue pauses the Nowpointer for a certain time, which is displayed above the Device Tree. The Jump Cue sends the Nowpointer to a certain timecode and can also be programmed with an interval. Even more information can be found in the Cue Inspector.

To select a single Cue, simply click on it. To select another one, hold the [Ctrl] or [Shift] key and click it. To select both, cues and keys hold down the [Alt] key whilst drawing a selection box as seen in the left image. With the shortcut [Ctrl + Alt + right or left arrow], the Nowpointer jumps from cue to cue. The tab "Cues" gives an overview of all Cues and allows fast changes.

How to Select and Move Containers

Clip containers can be positioned horizontally as well as vertically by selecting the summary clip container and moving it with the mouse. Moving the mouse left and right will change the container's time. You will notice a small pop-up informing you about the relative time, the container has been shifted.
Since version 6.1.3 it is easier and more intuitive to drag containers and key frames precisely to another element on the timeline. If you drag one or several containers or key frames in the Sequence tab, you will notice that they snap to cues and to the borders of other containers. When moving multiple containers, the container you clicked on to drag the selection, is the only one that will snap to other elements. Key frames can also snap to other key frames within the same container. Hence, you can align containers and keys much faster without positioning the Nowpointer first (which was always "magnetic"). You can snap to the beginning or end of all containers, might they be on other Layers or Sites. You can only snap to elements in Layers that are shown and not hidden.
Whenever a snapping target is active, you will see a white dashed vertical line and arrows which indicate the snapping partners, e.g. the beginning of your dragged container and the end of another container.
Zooming in and out could help finding the required snap target faster. To disable snapping temporarily, hold the [Shift] and [Alt] key whilst dragging. To disable it permanently, go to Configuration tab > User > Sequence  and uncheck "Snap Containers".

Moving the mouse up and down results in shifting the container(s) to another layer. The container changes the color to warn if it is another layer type and parameters will be discarded. If you want to make sure that the container stays on the same layer, press [Shift] whilst dragging the container. To copy the container, press [Ctrl] instead of [Shift].

Just like cues, containers can also be locked against moving in the container inspector. Containers then get a lock symbol next to the thumbnail .

Clip containers can be stretched in time by selecting the clip container borders and moving them with the mouse. Again, a pop-up displays the relative time and you can snap to cues and to the borders of other containers. You can also select the container and change its value in the clip summary inspector tab.

Select all Containers/Keys/Cues

To make it easier to select containers, cues, and keys on the timeline, there are two new options:

-"Select All (From Here to Current Time)": This selects everything between where you clicked in the timeline and the nowpointer's position.

-"Select All (From Here)": This selects everything between where you clicked in the timeline and the end of the timeline.

There is also a shortcut to select all Cues, Keys and Containers appearing directly after the nowpointer "Ctrl + End".

Container Groups

To simplify the editing of multiple containers on the timeline, they can also be grouped. The grouping works like a permanent multi-selection. The containers belonging to a group are marked with an orange frame when selected. If only the container boundary of a group member is selected, only the corresponding boundaries of the other containers are selected and can be edited.

To create a group, you have to select several containers, no matter what kind, and then combine them as a group via context menu . A group can be dissolved in the same way. For both actions, the shortcut "Crtl + G" works. If a container is to be added to a group later, the existing group must first be dissolved. After dissolving, the former group members are still selected in a multi-selection (blue frame). At this point, you can add more containers to the multi-selection and create a group again.

By selecting a member of the group, all group containers are selected and can be moved or edited in the Inspector. When moving the group, the correlations between the containers are preserved. To change the relationship between containers, you must click a container a second time. This single container is selected and has an orange frame to further indicate the group membership. In this state, the position or length of the container can be changed. These changes are then applied to the group for this container.

Groups can be selected for copying, but then only the containers are copied. The copies of the containers do not belong to a group then.

Groups are saved in the project file.

Advanced Technique: Toggle Key Mode

If you want a parameter value to be applied for the whole sequence or many Containers at once and not to be set up for each single clip, you can take it out of the "clip orientated" key mode. Simply right-click on the parameter in the Device Tree and choose "Toggle Key Mode". This command cannot be undone! Confirm with "OK" and the clip boarders are no longer effective for this parameter.

You can toggle the parameter back to the clip orientated key mode at any time. In that case Pandoras Box will add new keys at any clip border.

The next chapter explains the advanced technique that changes how default parameter values for all parameters in a Sequence are defined.