Bc2000 (for the BCF2000 & BCR2000)

klorisk wrote:
> File handling is a bit odd (for example: you
> can't import a sysex file directly to a "preset slot", but you can
> import it to a complete setup and then copy it to the preset slot you
> want).

Insofar as BC Manager's preset file handling is "a bit odd", that's largely a reflection of the way the BCF2000 and BCR2000 send/receive presets:

The BCF/BCR first places any preset data it receives in the "temporary preset" (also called "preset 0" in BC Manager). Then, when the BCF/BCR receives a "$store N" command, it copies its temporary preset to memory preset N (1-32).
Similarly, when a memory preset is sent FROM the BCF/BCR, the preset's number is appended to the SyxEx stream via a "$store N" command.

So whereas a preset syx-file can contain more than 1 preset, each of these presets (except the last one) must be followed by a memory preset number.
(Sending a file containing multiple presets WITHOUT preset numbers to the BCF/BCR would be useless: each preset would only go to the temporary preset area, each overwriting the previous!)

So there are several reasons why in BC Manager you can't import a syx file directly to the preset slot you're on:

1. A syx file can contain multiple presets. So for instance what would you like to happen if you're on preset 32 and the file contains 10 presets?

2. BC Manager takes the memory preset numbers specified in a syx file being opened/imported seriously: it puts the presets in the SPECIFIED memory presets.
So you can export a range of presets to a single file, and then when you open/import this file, these presets are restored exactly to their original positions.
Note that any slots for which no data exists in the file are not affected; so in that sense the open/import operations don't necessarily concern a "complete setup".
(See the manual, section 8, for further discussion of the Open and Import operations.)

So all in all I'm not sure whether yet another syx file opening operation would be useful (possibly further confusing the user), but I'm open to suggestions.

   Mark v.d. Berg.

Hey Mark!

Thanks for the response - I hope you don't take any offence in what I said about your wonderful editor! :-) I can completely understand that you implemented it this way now you explained the way the BCR works - I wouldn't know how to do it differently!
The fact that it is possible to import the Sysex preset(s) to a separate, "clean" BCR set is a very good solution, because then your own, "real" BCR set is unaffected and can be updated by copying/pasting from that separate set.

A possible way of implementing the import of ONE single preset onto a specific preset slot could be this: 
1. User selects the preset slot where the preset is to be imported to
2. The user clicks "import preset from Sysex" (new button, or right click on the slot)
3. The user selects the desired file
4. A radio-button list is presented that shows all the presets that are in the file. 
5. The user chooses the one he wants, and that preset gets stored in the Preset slot.

However, I wouldn't go through great lengths to implement this, as the current solution works quite well too, albeit in a little less direct way.

Thanks again for your efforts in creating it in the first place!

--- In bc2000@yahoogroups.com, "markwinvdb" <markwinvdb@...> wrote:

>
> klorisk wrote:
> > File handling is a bit odd (for example: you
> > can't import a sysex file directly to a "preset slot", but you can
> > import it to a complete setup and then copy it to the preset slot you
> > want).
> 
> Insofar as BC Manager's preset file handling is "a bit odd", that's largely a reflection of the way the BCF2000 and BCR2000 send/receive presets:
> 
> The BCF/BCR first places any preset data it receives in the "temporary preset" (also called "preset 0" in BC Manager). Then, when the BCF/BCR receives a "$store N" command, it copies its temporary preset to memory preset N (1-32).
> Similarly, when a memory preset is sent FROM the BCF/BCR, the preset's number is appended to the SyxEx stream via a "$store N" command.
> 
> So whereas a preset syx-file can contain more than 1 preset, each of these presets (except the last one) must be followed by a memory preset number.
> (Sending a file containing multiple presets WITHOUT preset numbers to the BCF/BCR would be useless: each preset would only go to the temporary preset area, each overwriting the previous!)
> 
> So there are several reasons why in BC Manager you can't import a syx file directly to the preset slot you're on:
> 
> 1. A syx file can contain multiple presets. So for instance what would you like to happen if you're on preset 32 and the file contains 10 presets?
> 
> 2. BC Manager takes the memory preset numbers specified in a syx file being opened/imported seriously: it puts the presets in the SPECIFIED memory presets.
> So you can export a range of presets to a single file, and then when you open/import this file, these presets are restored exactly to their original positions.
> Note that any slots for which no data exists in the file are not affected; so in that sense the open/import operations don't necessarily concern a "complete setup".
> (See the manual, section 8, for further discussion of the Open and Import operations.)
> 
> So all in all I'm not sure whether yet another syx file opening operation would be useful (possibly further confusing the user), but I'm open to suggestions.
> 
>    Mark v.d. Berg.

--- In bc2000@yahoogroups.com, "Kloris" <rkeizer@...> wrote:
> A possible way of implementing the import of ONE single preset onto a specific preset slot could be this: 
> 1. User selects the preset slot where the preset is to be imported to
> 2. The user clicks "import preset from Sysex" (new button, or right click on the slot)
> 3. The user selects the desired file
> 4. A radio-button list is presented that shows all the presets that are in the file. 
> 5. The user chooses the one he wants, and that preset gets stored in the Preset slot.
> 
> However, I wouldn't go through great lengths to implement this, as the current solution works quite well too, albeit in a little less direct way.

Thanks very much for the suggestion!

A few thoughts:

In the Preset window, the user can already select multiple presets - so that might suggest an import routine with checkboxes rather than radiobuttons (allowing for the import of more than 1 preset).

Any import routine displaying the file content would have to pre-scan the file (in a kind of buffer); so all in all the whole routine would start to look suspiciously like the existing operation of opening the file in a new window. (I'm not saying that this means it's superfluous, but I do want to keep things simple for the users.)

Maybe I could drop the Import function that's currently in the "B-Controls" window, in favor of this more sophisticated routine.

Anyway, I'll think about it.
It's one of those things that have to grow in my mind.
With several thousand users of the program (or at least downloaders...), I do feel some responsibility for making/keeping things working elegantly.

Mark.