@johnebaker

Thanks for the explanation. I now understand the concept. One of the custom windows I have is called Effects. I spent some time on this feature and made following observations. As you have described, the "Main navigation" refers to the six tabs in the Media Pool: Import, Effects, Templates, Audio, Store and Magix HUB. So, using your example, if you create a custom window for Effects with the Effects tab open/active and you save the main navigation (by ticking the box), every time you open the Effects custom window, the effects tab is open/active.

By extending this logic to "Sub-navigation" one should be able to customise a window further. Using the Effects example, if you always use a specific effect, let's say "Color", you should be able to create a custom window called; "Color" which, when opened, always displays this effect. The Main navigation tick box saves the "Effects Tab" and the Sub-navigation tick box saves the "Color effect."

Based on my findings, the Main navigation tick box works as designed but the Sub-navigation tick box does not work at all. I suspect a bug has been introduced into this feature at some point.

@Can-Dive

Hi

. . . . "Main navigation" refers to the six tabs in the Media Pool: Import, Effects, Templates, Audio, Store and Magix HUB . . . .

Not quite - the Main navigation refers to the Media Pool dockable window/pane/panel, the effects tabs are in.

. . . . Based on my findings, the Main navigation tick box works as designed . . . . but the Sub-navigation tick box does not work at all. I suspect a bug has been introduced . . . .

The Sub navigation refers to the individual tabs in that pane/panel.

. . . . Using the Effects example, if you always use a specific effect, let's say "Color", you should be able to create a custom window called; "Color" which, when opened, always displays this effect. . . .

This would be an 'sub parameter' of the sub navigation which does not exist.

A contributing factor, which gives the appearance that you can get to a specific effect, is actually the normal behaviour of the program remembering the last used state of the individual tabs.

For example, if the last used effect in the Effects tab is Colour this is remembered, so when you switch back and forth between tabs you get the 'last used' option. this also applies when closing the program and restarting, with the caveat that I have not tested all possible options..

Default layout example of remembered states:

Video clip is as recorded, no editing, so is a little bit long

HTH

John EB

@johnebaker

Not quite - the Main navigation refers to the Media Pool dockable window/pane/panel, the effects tabs are in.

Unfortunately, I'm not following you. What are you trying to save when you Save main navigation (ticking the box) vs not ticking the box?

If I create a custom window without ticking the Save main navigation box, when I open that window, the tab I previously had open will remain open. So for example, say I created a custom window and called it "My view" and I saved My view without ticking the Save Main navigation box. If I was in the Import tab using the Standard mode and I then opened My view, the Import Tab would remain open.

But if I create a custom window called "My Templates" with the Templates tab open and I tick the Save main navigation box, every time I open My Templates, the Templates tab will open even though I may have been previously in the Effects tab. In this instance I did not tick the Save sub-navigation box.

Do you have a different finding?

@Can-Dive

Hi

. . . . Do you have a different finding . . . .

Updated for clarity:

Using your scenarios, for the 3 combinations of the navigation options, I have added the 3rd option Main + Sub navigation:

1. No navigation options - the same as "My view", the current open tab and subsection stays open.
    
2. Main navigation only - "My templates", the My Templates tab opens, the subsection is the last used.
    
3. Main + Sub navigation - "My templates" opens and the subsection, eg Transitions, Collages etc, is selected/open

John EB

@johnebaker

No navigation options - the same as "My view", the current open tab and subsection stays open.

Confirmed

Main navigation only - "My templates", the My Templates tab opens, the subsection is the last used.

Confirmed

Main + Sub navigation - "My templates" opens and the subsection, eg Transitions, Collages etc, is selected/open

When you saved the Sub-navigation, what subsection did you have highlighted/open? I want to try and replicate it.

Thanks🙂

@Can-Dive

Hi

. . . . When you saved the Sub-navigation, what subsection did you have highlighted/open?  . . . .

I tried Transitions, Collages, the video in my comment 4 up from this one, used effects..

Make sure you are in another tab before switching.

John EB

@johnebaker

Still having an issue so I decided to create a video to explain.

@Can-Dive

Hi,

Nice, clear video!

I think that this has always been the case. I just ignored it as I was more interested in just having the window arrangements to my liking, quickly selectable, not even going to a particular tab, as that could change depending on what I'm doing.

I did two arrangements with Templates as the Main Navigation, one with Transitions, Transitions Basic, the other with Image Objects, Test Images. I would expect that sub-navigation would be to Transitions for the first case, Image Objects for the second but these cannot be selected by themselves, there has to be a sub-sub item that gets opened. I went through the pmly files for both and I couldn't find any differences.I don't even see the difference for Transitions in the first case, Image Objects in the second. Maybe you can spot a difference.

The pmly files can be opened with Notepad and are here:

C:\Users\your_user_name\AppData\Roaming\MAGIX\Video_Pro_X16

You can raise a ticket if you want. I would rather Magix fix the PTF and SFACL4 problems first.

With a little editing, you have a nice tutorial. Just say that the Sub-Navigation doesn't work.

John CB

Hi @browj2

Thank you for pointing me to the .pmly files. Your knowledge has been invaluable and I have been able to determine the bug in the system.

As discussed, the "Main-navigation" are the tabs of the Media Pool window; specifically, Import, Effects, Templates, Audio, Store and Magix Hub. As demonstrated in my video, if you are in one of these tabs and "Save Main navigation", when you load your specific workspace the system opens the specific tab.

If you open the .pmly file, at the very bottom, under [Extra] is the code referencing the tab. For example the  Import tab is referenced as a zero:

[Extra]
ExplorerV3_Tab::ActiveExplorerConfig=0

Each tab has a specific number assigned to it;

Import =0
Effects =3
Templates =1
Audio =4
Store =6
Hub =8

Likewise, the Sub-navigation reference is the second line of syntax under the Main-navigation code and they have have specific "key words" associated to the directories or effects etc. For example, if Import is the Main-navigation and Computer is the Sub-navigation the following syntax is applied:

[Extra]
ExplorerV3_Tab::ActiveExplorerConfig=0
ExplorerV3_Tab::ActiveExplorerTab=IDC_EXPLORER_BUTTON_COMPUTER

Therfore, the table of key words under Import is as follows:

Computer =IDC_EXPLORER_BUTTON_COMPUTER
User =IDC_EXPLORER_BUTTON_MYFOLDER
Projects =IDC_BUTTON_MYOWN
My Videos =IDC_BUTTON_OWN_VIDEOS
My Music =IDC_BUTTON_OWN_MUSIC
Slideshow Music =IDC_BUTTON_VSW_MUSIC
My Pictures =IDC_BUTTON_OWN_PICTURES
Recordings =IDC_RECORDS
Magix Hub =IDC_BUTTON_STORYBLOCKS
Downloads =IDC_BUTTON_DOWNLOADS

Note Travel route and Cloud import do not have key words because the first initiates a software program and second accesses files on the internet rather than on the computer. Finally if you create a link to a folder, the system will assign a numerical value starting from zero and ascend in order. So if I have project folders for holidays and birthdays the codes would be as follows:

Christmas 2024 =IDC_USER_BUTTON_00000
Birthday 2025 =IDC_USER_BUTTON_00001
etc.

So under each Tab, I suspect there is a "Sub-navigation reference table" of key words and numbers. The Import tab points to its Sub-navigation reference table but the other tabs have a bug. The syntax for the other tabs point to the Import Sub-navigation reference table rather than their own table. This is the bug.

For example, say you want to create an Effects workspace and always want the Color effect to be active because this is the effect you always use first. Also note that the last directory you were in under the Import tab was My Pictures. The syntax in Color.pmly should be as follows;

[Extra]
ExplorerV3_Tab::ActiveExplorerConfig=3
ExplorerV3_Tab::ActiveExplorerTab=IDC_BUTTON_SM_COLOR_SUB_PAGE

The first line is the number 3 representing the Effects tab
The second line represents the Color effect

But the actual syntax that is recorded in the Color.pmly is

[Extra]
ExplorerV3_Tab::ActiveExplorerConfig=3
ExplorerV3_Tab::ActiveExplorerTab=IDC_BUTTON_OWN_PICTURES

The first line is correct, and the Effects tab is highlighted but the syntax for the second line is pointing to My Pictures which the computer cannot find under the Effects Sub-navigation reference table because My Pictures are located in the Import Sub-navigation reference table. And because it cannot find My Pictures under the Effects tab, it brings back the last Effect that was active.

For some reason, the system is generating the wrong syntax for the Sub-navigation in the .pmly file and when the computer runs through the file, executing the commands, it cannot find the appropriate effect, directory, file etc.

To validate; create a Effects workspace, saving the Color effect as the Sub-navigation item. Select another effect and then apply the Color workspace created. It will not reference the Color effect but the effect you subsequently selected.  Edit the .pmly file and paste the following syntax over the last line in the file and save it. Open the Color workspace and Viola! The Color effect is selected!

ExplorerV3_Tab::ActiveExplorerTab=IDC_BUTTON_SM_COLOR_SUB_PAGE

I'm not sure where these reference tables exist within the program, but they must exist since the Sub-navigation works for the Import tab with specific key words and numbers. If the tables are readable like the .pmly files, then one could find all the Sub-navigation key words and numbers for each tab. You could then manually edit the .pmly file to correct the syntax as a workaround until they fix the system.

Thanks again for pointing out the .pmly files. I could not have been able to work this out without your help.

Cheers,  
 

@Can-Dive

Hi Can-Dive

. . . . I'm not sure where these reference tables exist within the program, but they must exist since the Sub-navigation works for the Import tab with specific key words and numbers. . . . .

I believe they do, but not as you know it.

These, and other declared variables which you cannot see, most likely reside in memory while you are using the program and are saved to the project file (MVP). along with other program variables that relate to the project, eg the last export preset used.

On program close the data in memory is lost.

John EB

@Can-Dive

Hi,

Good work! Did you submit a ticket to Magix?

OT - Now that you've mastered that, perhaps you would like to see at least part of the structure of the database/edl of a Movie in VPX. Put some objects on the timeline on various tracks in Movie A. Add a Movie B and put different objects on the timeline. In each Movie, File, Manage project, Export Movie File, Edit Decision List (Alt+D). You can open each file in NotePad. Note the Movie name, table of objects with an ID, then the EDL table of tracks and objects, one object per line.

I have created a VBA script (thanks to CoPilot) to read the edl file and get the movie name and objects into a database table. Still working on the db. My objective is to have all multimedia files in my db, with links to Projects/Movies. I'll be adding other types of projects - different programs, like BluffTitler, Vasco da Gama, Xara, PaintShop, etc. So, if I make the links, I'll be able to see a if I've used a multimedia file in a project and vice versa.

John CB