Important concepts, Channel, Syntax structure – ETC Eos v1.3 User Manual
Page 18: Channel syntax structure
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Eos Operations Manual
Important Concepts
Before using Eos, you should read and familiarize yourself with the concepts defined below. These
concepts are important for understanding both how Eos functions as well as how you, as a
programmer, will interact with Eos to produce a successful show.
You will find that understanding these terms and concepts will improve your efficiency with Eos.
Channel
Eos treats fixtures and channels as one and the same. Unlike former ETC consoles where
a fixture occupied one channel for each parameter, Eos assigns each fixture a single
channel number. Individual parameters are then associated with that channel as additional
lines of channel information.
Syntax Structure
Most instructions can be entered into Eos through the command line. When entering data
into the console, the Eos command line expects instructions to be entered in a specific
structure, or syntax.
Generally speaking, the order of syntax can be described as:
•
What are you trying to affect? (Channel, group)
•
What do you want it to do? (Change intensity, focus, pan/tilt)
•
What value do you want? (Intensity at full, Iris at 50)
Naturally other commands will be used in the course of programming your show, but most
other functions are modifiers of these three basic steps: modifying the channel(s) you are
are working with, determining what parameters of those channels you are impacting, and
what value you want them to assume. When working with record targets, the syntax is
similar.
Enter
Since the command line can receive multiple edits and instructions at once, it is necessary
to let Eos know when you have completed your instruction in the command line. This is
done with the “Enter” key.
There are some commands which are self-terminating, and therefore do not require “Enter”
to be pressed. Some (but not all) of these commands are:
•
Out
•
+%
•
-%
•
Level
•
Actions from the direct selects
N o t e :
Not all actions on Eos must be entered from the command line, although many will
result in a command line instruction. Other actions bypass the command line
entirely.