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Pinning Plugin Windows


Rod L. Short

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16 hours ago, Rod L. Short said:

On my main studio computer (Dell XPS Tower) when I open a plugin and "Pin" it, it doesn't stay. As soon as I open another plugin, the first one closes. I do have Recycle Plugin Windows unchecked. Pinning does work as it should on my laptop. Any ideas, anyone??

Hold down on Ctrl while bringing plugins to front. It's quicker.

Edited by _Will_
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This is really frustrating. Am I the only one with this issue? Pinning plugin windows is working properly on my main monitor but, will not work on my second monitor. Is there some setting I might be missing? BTW, it does work properly on both monitors in Studio One. So, it pretty much has to be something I'm missing in Cakewalk, right?

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I have some personal workspaces that use a second monitor.  Not 100% sure what pinning plugin windows means. IIRC I have plugins show up based on where they are stored/restored via workspaces even on monitor 2. For me, they are just floating windows; I haven't "pinned" them. I'd be interested in helping if I had some steps that tell me what to do to pin plugins. Not sure I can help, but I'll try.

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6 hours ago, User 905133 said:

Not 100% sure what pinning plugin windows means.

 

It just means that the user 1. has Recycle Plug-In Windows set in Preferences and 2. clicks on the icon in the upper right corner of the plug-in UI that looks like a push-pin.

If you have Recycle Plug-In Windows turned off by default, all your plug-in GUI's are "pinned" to begin with and you have to close them to get rid of them.

This should have the effect of keeping all such "pinned" plug-in UI's open, but the behavior I have observed is that it only does so when the plug-in UI is open over the main window. It doesn't work over floated multidock windows. @Rod L. Short, maybe our issues are the same, and we always drag our floated windows to the second monitor! I'll try it the other way around and see which it is. IIRC, it's that the GUI's will stay open over your Track View, so please try it and we'll see.

 

Edited by Starship Krupa
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Thanks for the explanation @Starship Krupa .  I don't pay attention to the push pins.  I just put my plug-ins where I want and leave them there for the next time I load the project and/or reload a workspace. I am pretty sure it works the same way on my main monitor and monitor 2.  I will try to see what happens if I turn Recycle Plug-In Window back on.  I guess what the OP is saying is that if I do that the two monitors will behave differently from each other. Thanks for helping me to understand what pinning is about.

image.thumb.png.be2c195d40e6d06c9bb2b882bcb8d87c.png

UPDATE: I think I understand.  There are at least four different things: (1) placement of plug-ins, (2) pin status (on or off/pinned or unpinned),  (3) status of the recycle plug-in window box (checked/recycle or unchecked/not recycled), and (4) the difference in the behaviors based on where the plug-ins are. (There might be more variables I haven't found yet with this problem.)  Another possible set of factor (5) where the plug-ins were (a) when the project was stored and/or )b) when the current workspace was saved.

I am not sure, but with your clarification I think the OP is saying that on monitor 2, the behavior of (1), (2), and (3) differs depending on (4) and maybe (5a) and (5b).  I did find that on monitor 2 and recycling off, the pin status of each plug-in makes a difference, though I only tested with 2 plug-ins so far [both pinned, both unpinned, and one of each].

This is the danger of having too many options.  That's why I just put the plug-ins where I want and leave the window recycling off. My plug-ins tend to be different sizes, so with recycling on that seems to refer to the upper left corner of the window position.  This if I have a larger plug-in replace a smaller one, I usually have to move it.  So my preference is just to put them where I want them and slide them around as needed.  When I reboot the project, they return to the stored locations no matter what monitors they were on.

But I can see that if someone is using the same sized plug-ins they might want them to show up in the same place no matter which monitor they are on. I didn't get that from the original set of comments when I read through the thread and am guessing that's what the goal is (not 100% sure, though).

Thanks for helping me to focus on a new-to-me feature--plug-in push pins. 

 

Edited by User 905133
(2) 5a and 5b added; (1)To add an update
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56 minutes ago, Starship Krupa said:

. . .  maybe our issues are the same, and we always drag our floated windows to the second monitor!

Not sure if this is part of the issue, but worth mentioning, just in case: If you were using a Workspace and then moved the floating windows to the second monitor, but the workspace wasn't resaved, depending on the Workspace store/restore options, the next time the project is opened, the plug-ins might be back where they had been before the move.

Again, I am not sure what the final goal is because the workflow has not be laid out.  But if the above quote is part of the workflow, then the implications of a Workspace save and restore might account for whatever it is that is unwanted. 

And if so, then perhaps using Workspaces might solve the issue--regardless of whether or not monitor 2 doesn't respect the status of the push pins in the same was as on the main monitor.

Not sure. Too many options can be dangerous!!!

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41 minutes ago, User 905133 said:

I just put the plug-ins where I want and leave the window recycling off

Funny thing is, at one point I had it working like that too, which is what I was used to before CbB. When I invoke something I like it to hang around until I explicitly banish it.

Then at some point I started playing with the settings and switched video cards and the program went though half a dozen updates and things went sideways and I've never quite taken the time to figure out why it doesn't quite behave the way I want any more.

I also want to be able to set things so that when I Replace Synth, the UI automatically opens, but that is a matter for a Feedback thread....

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I have track view on my main monitor and console view on my 2nd monitor. I like to have plugins opened on the 2nd monitor so I always have my track view visible. As I said earlier, it does work in Studio One so, I have to assume there is something in Cakewalk that prohibits this behavior. If there's a setting somewhere, I don't know where it is. if not, I would love to see if CbB could change it.

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1 hour ago, Rod L. Short said:

I have track view on my main monitor and console view on my 2nd monitor. I like to have plugins opened on the 2nd monitor so I always have my track view visible. As I said earlier, it does work in Studio One so, I have to assume there is something in Cakewalk that prohibits this behavior. If there's a setting somewhere, I don't know where it is. if not, I would love to see if CbB could change it.

One of my workspaces has the track view and a full console in a multi-dock on monitor 2. I totally get that. See the first screenshot below.

Right below it is the exact same project but with a different workspace. The second one has some FX plug-in where I placed them on top of the console. There are other difference as well--on the main monitor. 

I think I now see the issue--it depends on where you open the new plug-in--maybe. See next set of screen shots (next post).

image.thumb.png.3b046992cb30bfd472e9e715043fb990.png

 

image.thumb.png.03c1b89af78a7139796b8f5aeef44022.png

BTW, there's black space in the screenshot (not on the monitor itself) on top of the left side (monitor 2) because I have the two monitors at different resolutions.

Edited by User 905133
to add screen shots of two personal workspaces showing the exact same project
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Is it possible additional plug-ins are just hidden, not closed?  Screen show 1 shows the result of having a full Console on Monitor 2 and then pressing each plug-in from the FX bins one-by-one.  As each plug-in was opened, the one before it seemed to disappear.

image.thumb.png.efbc9fc794705ef8059e4dff7edadad8.png

But when I minimized the full screen console, they were all there!

image.thumb.png.c45fead9274efb29d163dd0c0650cd6e.png

 

On 1/28/2020 at 1:28 AM, Rod L. Short said:

As soon as I open another plugin, the first one closes. I do have Recycle Plugin Windows unchecked. [emphasis added]

To clarify: In my last set of tests, the plug-ins disappeared, but did not close; they were hidden. Is it possible that is what happened in your case? If so, that would seem to be a different issue than recycling the plug-in window on monitor 2.  Still an issue I would think .

Edited by User 905133
to fix a few typos and add a clarification
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4 hours ago, Rod L. Short said:

Yep! They are not closed, just hidden under the console display rather than on top, where they should be! With the pin engaged they should be staying on top! So.... I wonder what can be done to fix that??

Thanks for confirming that! Not sure if its a property of the Multi-Dock, the open plug-in process, or maybe the screen drawing mechanisms.  Clearly multiple plug-ins can be (1) opened and dragged on top of the Multi-Dock and (2) can be saved and restored to be on top. 

I tend to get confused by too many things staring me in the face at once. That's one of the reasons I like Workspaces so much. But those might not fit well with your workflow. Also, having a 1/2 screen console or flipping the console in and out (maximize/minimize) so you can see all the plug ins at once might not be practical.

D (as a shortcut) seems to allow toggling between seeing all the open plug-ins on my test project and having a full screen console. So, I can quickly see them all, maximize the Dock, and then look at the plugins by choosing them one at a time from the FX bins. Not sure this work-around is what you ultimately want.

Test of Monitor 1 v. Monitor 2 and plug-ins: I moved all of the plug-ins onto Monitor 1 (on top of the Track View) then closed them. Then I selected them from the FX Bins on the Console (Monitor 2). Sure enough, although they overlapped based on where I placed them, re-opening a  plug-in did not hide the ones already open . This is what you want on top of the Console on Monitor 2. (Not sure if its a Monitor 2 thing or a Multi-Dock things.  I will switch them, retest, and update this post in about 15-20 minutes. )

UPDATE: It appears to be a Multi-Dock issue, not a Monitor 1 v. Monitor 2 issue. So far, I have only tested this with the Console, but I am assuming that it would be the same for other things selected in the Multi-Dock.

Over the past several months I have thought of making some requested features related to the Multi-Dock based on some drawing bugs. I have not made them because I am undecided (1) if I should ask for multiple panes within the multi dock or (2) if a single, multi-purpose, switchable Multi-Dock is out of date with users now having multiple screens, easily switchable Workspaces, etc.

With the Multi-Dock as it is, I can understand the rational for hiding plug-ins as new ones are re-opened.  It will save some users (depending on their workflows) from having to constantly move plug-ins around and/or close/minimize them to see what's underneath.

However, for your workflow I can understand the need for an "Always on Top" option for re-opening plug-ins on top of the Multi-Dock. I am not sure if that is a trivial or non-trivial change.  Maybe one of the power users or staff knows of such an option or other work-arounds, etc. If you can't find options that jive with your workflow and want to request a feature, maybe this thread will help.

I learned a lot; so thanks for starting thread and to you and Starship Krupa for helping to expand my knowledge base.   I hope my explorations help find a workable solution. 

 

Edited by User 905133
to add an update about the issue seeming to be related to the Multi-Dock and not Monbitor 1 v. Monitor 2.
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2 hours ago, User 905133 said:

It appears to be a Multi-Dock issue, not a Monitor 1 v. Monitor 2 issue. So far, I have only tested this with the Console, but I am assuming that it would be the same for other things selected in the Multi-Dock. [Emphasis added]

Correction to prior assumption: With a full screen Browser in the Multi-Dock, if I select FX from the bins on the tracks, they show up, one-by-one (i.e., not hidden) on top of the Browser.

Possible work-around: Instead of re-opening FX from the console (if that's what you were doing), open them up from the Track View on one monitor with the Console View open on the other monitor.  With this set up, they also re-opened one-by-one (not hidden) on top of the Console.

image.thumb.png.2938da44a098355368c57f4914eff543.png

Edited by User 905133
to replace a screen shot showing the text in a larger font; to add a screen shot
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Good heavens, @User 905133, thank you so much for trying all these permutations and documenting them so well! It's going to take me some time to digest it, but rest assured that your work here is going to be very valuable. I'm acquainted with the people in the cadre that rhymes with "tater beam" and will alert them to this thread.

From my standpoint, as to the way it "should" work, I think that first, whatever Cakewalk window the user has open, be it Track View, Console, Piano Roll, or whatever, minimized, maximized, docked, floating, on a single monitor or multiple monitors, if they have plug-in UI's open and pinned they should never wind up behind a Cakewalk window. Next, pinned plug-ins should stay open until the user closes them.

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