Graphics

A fix for any of these MOS problems would really help our production:

- Can't cut, copy or paste text (or numerical settings) in the MOS. Must type everything over, even from field to field within the same scene!

- Copying a graphic to another story doesn't break the UPDATE link to the first story, resulting in "surprise" changes to previously viewed graphics;

- On the other hand, failing to press UPDATE before saving a story doesn't produce a prompt and results in much work done by producers for nothing.

- Boards built using Xpression scenes that have been modified may look fine in the MOS preview but not in the Xpression sequencer, even though the project in Blue Box and Xpression are identical. This means recycling archived boards can be dangerous.

- To update an image via the MOS it must be renamed or the old image will persist even though it doesn't exist anymore. You can see the revised image in the file icon, but when you select it nothing happens.

- Can't click directly on an object to open the controls ("+") tab. Need to click on the one below it, then return to it.

- Can't change the browse view like in windows so that you see the most recently modified images first, or even just a list instead of icons so you can browse by name

- Can't tab from text field to text field in the MOS if there are template link controls in between.

- Texture scalers are inverted (bringing X or Y down makes it bigger) compared to regular scalers.

- No alpha control available in template links, just visibility on or off.

- Spell-check would be nice!

Thanks for getting back to me on these. Hopefully they have been resolved in previous upgrades, or will be in future ones.

- Copy/Paste of text between fields should work fine (I just tried it in my iNews system with no issues). What newsroom system are you using?

- I don't quite understand what you are describing for updating images in MOS and the image must be renamed?

- You can change the browser to use the Windows Explorer browser instead, so that you can change to a list view or sort the files etc. This is a preference in the plugin configuration

- Clicking on the + button works fine for me..not quite sure what you mean by you must click on the one below it.

- Tab key is cycling between all the published fields in the MOS plugin for me.

- If you really want to control Alpha, you can just publish a hidden text object and use Visual Logic to attach it to an objects alpha value.

- Spell check is available.. You just need to choose the dictionary language to use in the Plugin configuration

#XPression

We're on using V5.7 Build 3064. We copy and paste without problems and we can tab between fields. We've only had problems with the euro symbol not work but figured out it was the chosen font didn't have the symbol in it. We haven't had any problems copying keys from one story to another.

Yes, you can make changes but unless you hit Apply, they are not taken and there is no warning if you close the plugin that the changes were not applied.

The replacement of the image, yes, if you call an image the same name, doesn't update any graphic with the same name. It caches the graphics and doesn't EVER relook at them again, even in a reboot. You have to clear the cache for the new graphic to be seen. Our workaround is to have the operators clear the cache in the morning before any show starts and the engineers have it a part of their bi-weekly maintenance schedule.

To clear the cache: Tools > Advance > Flush > Texture Cache

We found that we HAD to have a language selected in the plugin's spell check, otherwise the graphic wouldn't always appear correct AND we CANNOT allow iNEWS to spell check the key, otherwise again, the words could be changed.

I did test out a v5.9 build that the MOS plugin had many problems. We did not upgrade to it for this and other reasons. Maybe it's the build you have that is causing the other issues?

#XPression

Thank you both for your replies. We now have spell-check thanks to both of you!

Brian :

- We are using Autocue (QNews).

- Lesley describes my graphics problem well, I think - she says the MOS caches the graphics and never refers to the original again, even if you start building the scene from scratch! The MOS will continue to load the old logo when I pop in the file, even though it has been overwritten and the old logo does not exist on my drive! The same thing happens when I update a datalink (text or Excel) file, which is worse because I can't just rename it.

- I will try the alpha control workaround you suggested, but I have to learn what VIsual Logic is first.

- I was just told that my version of the MOS is outdated and was a beta version. I will be updating soon and report back on the status of these bugs. Thanks again for your help.

Leslie:

- Clearing the cache sounds like what I need to do, but it doesn't work to reset the MOS. Maybe because our Xpression and our MOS don't work from the same drives?

- It sounds like your version of the MOS is better than ours. What newsroom system do you use?

- Thanks for the warning about 5.9. I will report back once we are successfully upgraded.

#XPression