Library Item Port Config

The Library Item Port Config is where you will do most of your library item editing (Pro feature). This pane is where you will configure the ports of your library item, which are the connection points for your gear item.

Layout

The pane is mostly a table layout with each row representing a port on the gear item. There is a small header toolbar that allows you to copy ports which will display the number of ports currently in the clipboard.

There is also a Expand button that will expand the pane to full screen. This is useful when you have a lot of ports and need more space to see them all. This button will change to a Collapse button when the pane is in full screen mode.

You can paste ports by clicking the Paste From Clipboard button and add a new port by clicking the Add Port button, both of which are found at the bottom right of the pane.

Port Rows

Each row in the pane represents a port on the gear item. The columns in the pane are the options for each port.

The first two columns are:

• Selection: This is a checkbox that allows you to select ports for copy and paste operations.
• Label: This is the name of the port. This will be auto generated based on the port options, but you can change it to whatever you like. When auto generated, it will automatically number the ports based on the Quantity option.

Tip

When you enter a custom label, all ports will use it as is. For example, having 4 ports with a label of “DMX” will result in all 4 ports being named “DMX”.

If you would like to use a custom label while keeping the auto generated numbering, you can add “\d” to the label. For example, “DMX \d” will result in “DMX 1”, “DMX 2”, etc.

The next set of columns are the port options:

• Category: The category of the port (Network, Audio, Lighting, etc.). Supports Multi-Mode.
• Connector: The type of the port (RJ45, XLR5, BNC, etc.). Supports Multi-Mode.
• Fiber Type: The type of fiber if the Connector is set to Fiber (OpticalCon Duo Single Mode, HMA-J 2-Channel Multi Mode, etc.). Supports Multi-Mode.
• Direction: The physical direction of the port (Input, Output, Bidirectional). This is the physical direction of the pins on the port, if that port can be reversed on a piece of gear. For example, XLRs can be both male and female on the same piece of gear, where most other ports are only ever one physical type (RJ45, BNC, etc.). Most gear will be Bidirectional.
• Signal: The signal type that is sent or received on the port (SDI, sACN, MIDI, etc.). Supports Multi-Mode.
• Signal Flow: The direction the signal is traveling (Input, Output, Bidirectional). This is not the physical direction of the pins on the port, just the flow of data. For example, an SDI BNC port will physically both be the same port direction on the two connecting devices, but the signal flow usually only goes one way. Supports Multi-Mode.
• Speed: On applicable port configurations, you may have a speed setting (For network ports, you may have 1Gbps, 10Gbps, etc.). Supports Multi-Mode.
• Quantity: The number of ports of this type on the gear.
• Sort: Custom sort order for the starting port. By default, it will be 1 for the first port, but you can override this to have the ports start from a different number. For example, switches that have shared ports, so two ports may share port number 24.

Note

Multi-Mode means that the port can have multiple values for this property. There will be a value that the port will default to, but you can change it to any of the other values. This is useful for gear that may have the option to send different signals from the same port.

Note

Multi-Mode only applies when Full Edit Mode is disabled. When Full Edit Mode is enabled, you can set any value for any property on the port (Pro feature).

Finally, you can delete a port by clicking the Delete button on the right side of the row.

Adding Ports

You can add a new port by clicking the Add Port button at the bottom right of the pane. A new generic port will be added.

Copying and Pasting Ports

You can copy ports by selecting the ports you want to copy using the checkboxes on the left side of the row. Once you have selected the ports you want to copy, click the Copy button at the top right of the pane or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C or Cmd+C on Mac.

To paste, click the Paste From Clipboard button at the bottom right of the pane or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+V or Cmd+V on Mac. This will paste the ports you have copied int the current gear item.

You can use this feature to paste ports back into the same gear item, or into a different gear item.

Note

Copying ports will replace the previous ports in the clipboard and is not additive. You can view the number of ports in the clipboard by looking at the number next to the Copy button, which will also highlight in green.

Note

To clear the ports in the clipboard, select no ports and click the Copy button.

Duplicate Port Warning

You can not have two ports that have the same options. This is because of the port groupings as defined in Port Groups.

If you try to add a port that is a duplicate of an existing port, or you change a port option that would cause it to be a duplicate, both rows will be highlighted in red and a warning will be displayed informing you that the port is a duplicate.

Tip

If you are struggling to find a way to not have a duplicate port, then there is a good chance we should add a new gear category to support your use case. Please reach out to us so we can look at adding either a new category or another option to support your gear.