[ANSWERED] Force Stage Preview

JJHP3

Hi All

I've recently noticed that when working on a scene and I choose to see it via Force Stage Preview, it works as expected. When I no longer want to see Stage Preview, and try and uncheck it in the menubar, it asks me about going full screen. I have to do that and Cmd-G to get back to the patch. If I just close the FSP window, I can't get it back as it is already selected in the menubar. I just want to close and open the Forge Stage window as I work on the scene. I don't recall that being difficult before. Thx, John (latest v of Isadora in not in sig.)

Woland

@JJHP3 said:

I just want to close and open the Forge Stage window as I work on the scene.

For your use-case:

Force Stage Preview (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+F) once to create a floating preview window for each Stage.
Alternate between Show/Hide Stages (Cmd/Ctrl+g) to show and hide your floating Stage preview(s).

-- Force Stage Preview --

If you Force Stage Preview (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+F) once, you create a floating preview window for each Stage (rather than sending the content to the assigned displays).
If you Force Stage Preview (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+F) a second time, you send the content for each Stage out to their assigned displays (in your case you've assigned your Stage to your main display).
Forcing Stage preview further times from here will just alternate between 1 and 2 (Floating windows > Assigned displays > Floating windows > Assigned displays > etc.)

-- Show/Hide Stages --

When you Show/Hide Stages (Cmd/Ctrl+g) you alternate between showing and hiding the Stages in their current form (regardless of whether they're floating preview windows or full-size on their assigned displays).

-- Force Stage Preview + Show/Hide Stages --

Force Stage Preview does "un-hide" Stages if they're hidden, but hiding the Stages does not "un-force" the Stage Preview. The Stage preview state stays the same while hidden (floating preview or full-display) which is why it stays checked if it was checked when you hid your Stages.

If you:

Force Stage Preview (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+F) to create a floating preview window for each Stage
Then Hide Stages (Cmd/Ctrl+g), you'll hide the floating preview window
Then Show Stages (Cmd/Ctrl+g), you'll show the floating preview window
Then Hide Stages (Cmd/Ctrl+g), you'll hide the floating preview window again
Then Force Stage Preview (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+F) while the floating preview Stages are hidden, you'll un-hide the Stages and send the Stages out to their assigned displays

If you:

Force Stage Preview (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+F) twice to send the Stages out to their assigned displays
Then Hide Stages (Cmd/Ctrl+g), you'll hide the full-display Stages
Then Show Stages (Cmd/Ctrl+g), you'll show the full-display Stages
Then Hide Stages (Cmd/Ctrl+g), you'll hide the full-display Stages again
Then Force Stage Preview while the full-display Stages are hidden (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+F), you'll un-hide the Stages and create a floating preview window for each Stage

@JJHP3 said:

I don't recall that being difficult before.

The behavior described above is identical in Isadora 2 and Isadora 3.

Best wishes,

Woland

JJHP3

Wow - thanks so much! I have to up my preview game. Really appreciate your time... hope it helps others too. - John

Woland

@jjhp3

To be fair I only learned this through our software testing process. Before I worked for the company and started testing *everything* in the program, I only ever used Force Stage Preview, never Show/Hide Stages.