Track Tag Add With Macro

[Aquashii]

Hi! I have upgraded to V2 of scoring tools and I'm currently integrating it into my template.

Is it possible to add a selected tag automatically using a macro?

I can use the edit tag macro but that only brings up the list of tags to add or edit. Is it possible to select a specific tag to add to a track with a macro shortcut?

Thanks!

Tony

 

[Lukas]

Hi Tony,

that's an interesting question. "Add Tags to Selected Tracks" is one of the few commands in Scoring Tools that currently can't be automated via macros. I actually considered this when implementing it but came to the conclusion that adding tags is more of a "one-time" process and usually easier to do by multi-selecting tracks and applying the tags to all selected tracks.

It wouldn't be very difficult to add this capability in an update, though. Could you elaborate on your use case so I can better understand what the benefit would be? How would you use this feature through macros?

 

[Aquashii]

Hi Tony,

that's an interesting question. "Add Tags to Selected Tracks" is one of the few commands in Scoring Tools that currently can't be automated via macros. I actually considered this when implementing it but came to the conclusion that adding tags is more of a "one-time" process and usually easier to do by multi-selecting tracks and applying the tags to all selected tracks.

It wouldn't be very difficult to add this capability in an update, though. Could you elaborate on your use case so I can better understand what the benefit would be? How would you use this feature through macros?

Ah that would be awesome! I made a quick video before reaching out to you to show you. Hopefuly it makes sense!

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[Lukas]

Thanks for the video! That makes total sense. I’ll add it in the next update.

 

[Aquashii]

Ah that's awesome news, thank you!

 

[Lukas]

@Aquashii Could you try the attached version? You should be able to use the "Edit Tags for Selected Tracks" in your macro now.

Let me know if it works or if you see any issues.

 

[Aquashii]

Hey @Lukas thanks for the rapid update! I tried it and for some reason it's not working. I recorded a quick video to show you what is happening.

If there is anything I can do to help, any reports etc from my system that may help, please let me know.

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[Lukas]

This was a tricky one. I assume you had a Folder Track selected in the arrangement in your test. There were some little points I missed when adding the feature. For future videos, it would be good to be able to see the whole screen Also, are you using Studio One Pro 7 or version 6?

Please try this new version. In the macro, use the new "Set Tags for Selected Tracks" command that should now appear in the list. (I think this is a cleaner solution than using the "Edit Tags for Selected Tracks" command in a macro.)

 

[Aquashii]

@Lukas it works! . Thanks mate. I made a (none shaky) video for you showing the use case. Also another suggestion for a tweak but not sure it's possible.

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[Lukas]

Thanks for the non-shaky video

So what you suggest is something like a global list of tags that are available even in empty songs (or at least without existing tracks that have these tags assigned)?

Did I understand it correctly that you would use this primarily for setting tracks to tracks rather than filtering? Or in other words: If there was a global list of tags, would it be sufficient if they appear in the "Edit Tags" window (along with the correct categories)? I wouldn't see much sense if they appeared in the "Filter Tracks by Tags" window as well, because why would you filter by tags that actually aren't used in the song yet?

Does this make sense? If yes, I have some ideas to add this feature.

 

[Aquashii]

Thanks for the non-shaky video

I colour graded it and everything for ya!

Ok I had to read that a few times lol

But YES totally! I actually naturaly feel that the tags should be available in the 'Edit Tags' window. That extra step of pressing 'Add' tag was confusing at first because I was intuitively feeling like the list should appear in the edit tags window.

So yes if we had the ability to add a list of tags prior to assigning them to tracks and they stay as list in a global setting that would be perfect in the edit window. And if we use that tag it then populates the 'Filter Tracks By Tags' window.

 

[Lukas]

Okay - as suggested, here's the new Global Tags feature (WIP)

In the "Add Tag" dialog, there's now a new "Edit Global Tags" button. When clicked, it creates and opens a new .txt file in the user data folder. In this text file, you can add tags that you want to be available globally - meaning they'll appear in all songs, including new empty ones. These tags will then show up in the Edit Tags → Add Tag list, alongside the tags from the current song.

Note that this is new functionality, so there might still be some bugs. If you find any, please let me know here!
I've only tested this on Windows so far. On Windows, it will open Notepad by default - I assume on macOS it will open TextEdit.

 

[Aquashii]

Hey Lukas! It works really well thank you I'm on a mac so I can confirm that there are no bugs as far as my system goes and once the list is saved in the text file it is available in empty projects!

This is my OCD brain sharing this so please ignore if it doesn't work or is a daft idea...

I'm just wondering. Is there a technical reason why, that when you press the edit tags it pops up the first window which has no tags visable but when you press the 'add tag' button it pops up a second window with the list on?

Intuitively each time I go to edit the tag it feels like the full list of tags should be on the first 'Edit Tags' window as a list. It's caught me out a few times thinking, 'oh I don't have any tags', then the penny drops when I press the 'add tag' button then the list opens in a seperate window.

If it was all on one window I feel like it would be way more intuitive. Because when you press the 'add tag' button it kind of duplicates the same function available 'new tag' button but in a new window. I feel like if the list was instantly available in the first 'Edit Tags' window and also had the 'edit category' and 'edit global tags' button on the first page it would feel more intuitive.

Maybe a split box with the track tags above and the list of available tags below with 'add', and 'remove' under the top track list tags and then 'Create Tag' 'Edit Category' and 'Edit Global Tags' underneath the global list of tags?

I hope that makes sense!?

 

[Lukas]

Thanks for the feedback! Glad to hear it works as it should

I'm just wondering. Is there a technical reason why, that when you press the edit tags it pops up the first window which has no tags visable but when you press the 'add tag' button it pops up a second window with the list on?

I know what you mean. The logic is this: the "Edit Tags" window shows all tags that are currently assigned to the selected track(s). So if no tags have been assigned yet, the list will be empty. If you want to add tags to a track, you can click on "Add Tags" which lets you choose from the list of all available tags.

I understand that if you're always starting with tracks that have no tags assigned, this can feel like an unnecessary extra step. A split window - with the currently assigned tags on the left and all available tags on the right - would definitely be a nice improvement for the future.

For the first iteration of this new Track Tags feature, I wanted to keep the editor as sleek and "not overwhelming" as possible for anyone just getting started with the concept of track tags. The plan is to add more features to the second window (which already is something like a "Tag Organizer" window), so it will eventually include a variety of editing options. Some users also work with large orchestral templates containing 50-100 tags. That's why I decided to keep the two windows separate for now to maintain a simple interface.

But I'll definitely take this as a suggestion for the future! Appreciate the feedback and the (color-graded) videos

 

[Aquashii]

Ahhh.. You have plans! I look forward to seeing them come to fruition Makes total sense.

Thanks again for all your help. If you ever need any feedback or a color grade to brighten your day I will gladly help. I love geeking out on templates and workflow