Moving the layout actions

[arlo]

The Edit Details page for each layout has a long list of configurable Actions like Send MIDI, Start Tempo, etc. These can be set to trigger on Song Selection, or with a gesture like Two-Fingered Tap. Some of these functions are very popular, but many people don't look for them in the layout settings, or they set them for a layout and then change to a different layout and don't know why the functions stopped working. So I'm thinking of moving them out of the layout level to the app settings level, where they would work consistently regardless of what layout is used.

The current arrangement allows you to set up different sets of functionality for different situations. For example, you might want to start the tempo function automatically in your performance layout but not in your practice layout. Or in my case, I have a layout that auto-plays through the recordings, which I only use while driving to a gig. A new arrangement would require a trip to the settings pages to change things like that, as a trade-off for making all these settings easier to find and understand.

Do you currently use different layouts to toggle the functionality in this way? If there are a small number of common use cases, maybe I can make those settings more easily accessible from the set list view somehow. Otherwise I think it will be worthwhile to make the layouts a more purely visual consideration (a "layout" as it were ) and move their functionality to the app settings.

BTW I think these settings would still not be synced across devices, so you could have different behaviors on different devices, which is how the remote control settings work.

[Mykimus]

I currently use different layout actions in my Performance layout vs. my Rehearsal layout and I do appreciate  the flexibility.

I can see how it could be beneficial for users who don’t know these actions exist, and it wouldn't be the end of the world for me - I would adjust - but unless there is some notable advantages on the development side to moving these out of the individual layout details, I feel this proposed change would be trading long-term advantage (flexibility) for a markedly shorter-term boost (initial discovery of the feature). Just my 2 cents.

[arlo]

I currently use different layout actions in my Performance layout vs. my Rehearsal layout and I do appreciate  the flexibility.

Can you describe what settings you are managing in this way? Maybe there could be a different way to quick-switch those without doing it at the layout level.

[Mykimus]

The primary difference is that I use recordings when I’m wodshedding and do not use them during performances. So I will usually set “Start Recording” to Song Selection for my rehearsal layout and not set that action up for my performance layout. Not a huge deal if that goes away.

[arlo]

I went ahead and merged the layout actions with the remote control actions, which are set at the device level, and renamed that settings page to App Control. So now you can configure foot switch buttons or screen gestures in the same place and these settings will work across layouts. These functions are also described in the same tutorial now, too:

https://www.bandhelper.com/tutorials/app_control.html

While less flexible, I think this will be a good tradeoff for making these functions easier to find and understand.