Alcorn Mcbride V+ series, User Manual

Page: 120 / 276

6-2 Advanced WinScript Programming
Introduction
This section is designed to illustrate some advanced techniques of script
programming that we have come to rely upon as the most robust and
straightforward way of utilizing our equipment in shows.
Terms Used
The term “PC or Program Counter” is used to refer to the current event that each
sequence is on. If it is at the top of the sequence, it means that the PC is
pointing to the first event. It could be anywhere between the top of the sequence
and the last event. The PC advances every time the event it is pointing to has
event time equal to (or prior to) the TC, described below. At that time, it
executes the event. The PC can only move forward in the sequence. It will
automatically move to the next event when the last is completed, or it can jump
forward.
The term “TC or Time Counter” is used to refer to the current time in frames
that each sequence is at. The TC always starts at zero when the PC is at the top
of the sequence, meaning that the time is 00:00.00 when each sequence begins
running. The TC increments one frame every time the Show Controller
advances one frame, and does not change based upon the time any event is set
to. Any time that the TC encounters an event that has a time less than or equal
to it, the event is executed on that frame. The TC always moves forward, and
does so as long as the sequence is running. If the event being executed is an
external serial command that takes longer than one frame to execute, the TC
continues to move forward during that time.
Although these techniques apply to all Alcorn McBride Show Controllers, most
of these examples assume that the controller is a V16+, unless indicated
otherwise.
Finally, even though all of the examples in this section are written for
WinScript, the scripting strategy involved is exactly the same for DOS Script.
Most users should be able to reformat these examples for use in any version of
DOS Script or WinScript.