Recent Improvements to BUFMC as of Version 140116

Below is a brief description of some newer features:

Icons:
Version 140116 adds a new progress bar during boot while icons are loaded into memory. Loading icons takes some time, so this bar provides confidence that the boot process is proceeding. Boot speed is improved by loading only those device icons that are assigned. If and when the ENG mode is used to assign a new icon to a device, the remaining icons are loaded into memory (indicated by a progress bar) so all icons are displayed.
The BMPSmore folder is no longer needed, although icons in that folder will be used if the folder exists.

Info Screen (INFO button – next to SWAP at bottom)
The Info Screen is a spreadsheet-like representation of device configuration. It allows quick viewing of device names and router connections in a two-dimensional format, making it easy to view and/or edit configuration data. Cells of data can be selected and copied into the Window’s clipboard for use in BUFMC or other applications. When ENG mode is enabled, you can paste cell data from the clipboard into the BUFMC configuration database, but be careful as there is no undo function (if you change your mind, quit the program, don’t save, and launch BUFMC again to go back to the last saved configuration). A range of assignments of one or more router level inputs/outputs can be copied then pasted into different level(s) and/or sources/dests. This greatly speeds and simplifies the initial configuration process and major changes such as adding a new router matrix frame.

The info screen is useful for quickly finding where a device appears. Devices are listed alphabetically by name, so are easy to find – just select one and exit the screen (click outside the cells) and the SOURCES side shows the first group in which the selected device appears (selected and ready to route). Also, you can sort by any level’s inputs or outputs by clicking in the heading of interest. It also clearly indicates double- or multiple-assignments (which are allowed, but may not be intended) by highlighting the cells of other than the first occurrence of an I/O assignment.

Full-time Salvo Buttons
For applications where certain salvos are used often, a new area of the screen can be configured with instant salvo-execute buttons. To enable this feature, enable ENG (ENG, 4444 ENTER), hit the LEVELS button, hit the SALVOS COLUMNS button. You will see an empty frame to the left of the SOURCES frame. When you click in this frame (with ENG still enabled), then click on any of the displayed salvo filenames, a button with that salvo filename appears. While ENG is disabled, hitting one of these buttons instantly runs the salvo.

Destination Based Routing
Normally to make a route, you first select a source, then select the destination to which you want it routed. If you double-click the source, it latches on (shown by a black frame around it). This keeps the source selected after a route to allow the same source to be routed to multiple destinations. You click the source when done to deselect it. Destination based routing now allows you to select the destination first, and you can optionally select more than one destination, then select the source you want routed into the selected destination(s). You can also latch the dest(s) on (the same way you latch a source), which allows successive routes of different sources as you click through them. Like a latched source, deselect latched dest(s) by clicking on a selected one.

Blind Routing
Sometimes it is desirable to find particular picture content on a monitor by routing a succession of different sources to it. It is (literally) a pain to keep looking back-and-forth between the monitor and the BUFMC screen. Blind routing allows successive sources to be routed without looking. First select and latch the destination (double-click), then route the first source with a double-click. Each double-click routes the source under the cursor, then automatically moves the cursor to the next source in the group (without looking). When done, deselect the dest.