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How to - Create a Dance

This page explains how to create a dance for use within the 'Call From Screen' section of CSDS.

  1. From the CSDS main menu, select 'Dance' followed by 'New'.

    A dialog box entitled 'New Dance' appears prompting for the name of the dance file and other information.
     
  2. Enter Dance Information

    Enter a short name for File (up to 8 characters), enter any other information you'd like, then press the 'OK' button to close the dialog box, saving changes.

    Fields
    • File
    • Description
    • Date
    • Location
    • Group/Club
    • Quick list
    • Tip timer
    • Break timer
    • Level
    Buttons
    • Help
    • Copy Header Info
    • OK
    • Cancel
     
  3. If a 'Level' was selected, the Options dialog box appears

    Checkboxes
    • Add Sight Call
    • Add List
    • Use Template
     
  4. Edit Dance window

    Enter a dance name within the 'Dance name' field (e.g., Plus - Pismos N Taws). The dance name will be displayed in the window title when you're calling the dance.

    The 'Edit Dance' screen consists of the following components
    1. The Dance name (up to 50 characters) should be a description of the dance. The description can contain the level, location, club name, date, or any other pertinent information.
    2. The Dance file (upper R-H corner) is the file in which the information for the dance is saved. This field can not be edited.
    3. The Not used tab allows you to specify the sequences that will appear in the dance.
    4. The Used tab is the location where the program automatically places sequences that have been called (i.e., used). When calling a dance, typically you would call the sequence, then press the 'U'-key to 'use' the sequence. The program then moves the sequence from the main frame into the 'Used sequences' frame. The Used tab contains a list of the sequences that were used at the dance. This information is needed later if you wish to to use the Dates Database to keep track of where each sequence was called.
    5. The Documents tab allows you to specify up to three documents to be displayed along with the dance.
    6. The Date filter tab allows you to automatically remove sequences from the dance that were called at specified prior dances.
    7. The Seq filter tab allows you to automatically remove sequences from the dance that match other filtering criteria.
    8. The Help button displays this help page.
    9. The Show seq databases button displays an informational grid containing a list of all the sequence databases available to the program. In this grid dialog box, a 'View' button allows you to view the text of any sequence. In this manner, you can search for specific sequences to be included in the dance.
    10. The Close button exits the 'Edit Dance' screen. If you have made any changes to the dance, you will be asked if you want to save those changes.

    The Not used tab is where you define which sequences go into which piles (i.e., frames). Each frame can have a name (such as 'New', 'Old', 'Easy', 'Hard', 'Flowing', 'Singing calls', 'Asymmetric', 'Opening biggies', 'Workshop', etc.). In the 'sequences' text boxes, enter a list of sequences that you want to appear in the frame. (this sequence list must be in a specific format -- see the 'Important Notes' below)

    In the screen shot shown above, the two frame names are 'Singing calls' and 'Stir the bucket'.

    The following has been entered in the first sequence box:

    PLS
       -
    WPLSCS
       20-300,444
    This means that the first frame will contain all from sequence database PLS; and sequences 20 through 300 and 444 from sequence database WPLSCS.

    To specify all sequences within a given database, use a '-' for the sequence range. For example,
    PLQ
       -
    would add all sequences within the PLQ sequence database.

    Important Notes:
    • Sequence database names must start in column #1;
    • Lists of sequence numbers may start in any column other than column #1.

    If you do not know the range of sequence numbers (i.e., record indices) or the names of sequence databases, click on the Show seq databases button at the bottom of the screen.
     
  5.  
  6. Up to three documents may be specified to be associated with the dance. Each document will be displayed in a separate frame. In general, the document can be almost any standard document type such as text files (.TXT), Microsoft Word documents (.DOC), Adobe files (.PDF), HTML files (.HTML), Rich Text Files (.RTF), or Microsoft Excel files (.XLT).

    The Documents tab is shown above. There are three sections, one for each of the three documents.

    For each document that you wish to associate with the dance, give it a name, and specify the location of the document file.

    The Clear button clears the contents of the associated 'Name' and 'File' text boxes.

    The Browse... button allows you to search your computer for the name of the file.

    The View button invokes the default viewer for the document so you can see the contents of the document. The default viewer is usually what is used to display the document in the 'Call from Screen' section of CSDS.

    The Add list of calls button creates a new document containing a selected list of calls, and automatically fills in an appropriate 'Name' and 'File' box with that information.

    The New List button allows you to create a new list of calls.

    The Edit List button allows you to edit an existing list of calls.
     
  7.  
  8. If you are using the Dates Database to track of where individual sequences have been called, you may filter (automatically remove) sets of sequences from the dance.

    The Date filter tab is shown above.

    The grid allows you to select dates to be excluded from the dance. The grid can be sorted by date or location.

    The following buttons are available:
    • Set all selects all dates.
    • Clear all de-selects all dates.
    • Reset resets the selection status of all dates to their original status.
    • Invert inverts the status of all dates (i.e., selected dates are de-selected, and de-selected dates are selected).
    • Edit a Date allows you to edit a date within the Dates Database. You can edit the date, location, group/club name and/or the list of sequences associated with the date.
     
  9. Sequences can also be automatically removed from the dance if there is something 'wrong' with them.

    The Seq filter tab is shown above.

    The sequence filter allows you to specify types of sequences to be removed from the dance.
     
  10. When you have finished defining the dance, click the Close button near the bottom of the form.

    An exit confirmation message box will appear.

    • To save the dance and exit, select 'Yes'.
    • To exit without saving changes, select 'No'.
    • To continue editing the dance, select 'Cancel'.
     
  11.  
  12. The program will then create the dance. If you have filtered on sequences, an in-progress bar will appear showing how far the program has progressed in creating the dance.

    If the dance has not been properly specified (e.g., you specified a bad range of sequence numbers for a database, or perhaps, a document file does not exist), an error message will be output. Correct the problem then click the Close button again.

    After the dance has been created, a dialog box appears showing what the contents of the dance.

    Click 'OK' to close the box.
     
  13. You are now ready for the 'Call From Screen' section of CSDS.

last modified: 10-March-2024   Unique ID: 475

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