Preferences File Documentation

XStudio application settings are stored in a file named XStudio.ini, a Windows ini file. The settings are maintained automatically. However, should you for some reason need to make manual changes to XStudio settings, you can open the settings file using Notepad or some other editor that works with standard text files or is especially used for Windows ini files.

The following information documents XStudio ini file sections and parameters (Key/Value pairs). Refer to the Ini File Structure section for information on ini file structures in general. Sections and property names are listed alphabetically but typically will not appear in the file in the order listed.

[AdminUI] Section

Property	Description
FormState	Automation Setup dialog form state.
Height	Height of the Automation Setup dialog.
Left	The left side position of the Automation Setup dialog.
MonitorNum	The target monitor number on which the Automation Setup dialog is displayed.
Top	The top position of the Automation Setup dialog.
Width	The width of the Automation Setup dialog.

[AudioPrefs] Section

Property	Description
AutoSegue	The state of the [Auto] button when XStudio is exited. When restarted, the state at exit is restored but may be overridden based on other saved settings.
Deck2LogEnable	Determines at startup whether Deck 2 uses the log or audio clipboard as a playback source.
Deck3LogEnable	Determines at startup whether Deck 3 uses the log or audio clipboard as a playback source.
Deck4LogEnable	Determines at startup whether Deck 4 uses the log or audio clipboard as a playback source.
PlayThruDirectives	Determines whether XStudio will play through Directives on a log or stop automatic sequencing when a Directive is encountered. This setting may be overridden based on other saved settings.
QueueWidth	The display width, in pixels, of the audio clipboard.
ShowDayTabs	Determines whether the Today and Tomorrow tabs are visible to enable toggling between the log for today's date and the log for tomorrow's date.
ShowDeck2	Determines whether playback deck 2 is visible.
ShowDeck3	Determines whether playback deck 3 is visible.
ShowDeck4	Determines whether playback deck 4 is visible.
ShowQueue2	Determines whether the audio clipboard is visible.
WrapLog	Determines whether or not XStudio will replay the current log if the end of the log is reached. This setting is overridden based on the current operating mode.

[Bxxx] Sections

These sections contain configuration information for hot buttons. There is a section for each button, with the xxx indicating the button number.

Property	Description
ActionID	The id number of an action if the button is assigned to execute an Action.
ActionType	If a button is assigned to execute an Action, determines whether the type of action is an XStudio Action or a DCS/Maestro function.
BGColor	The button's displayed background color.
Caption	The text that appears on the button.
CartNo	The text of the cart number to play or function name to execute.
FGColor	The button's text color.
IsFunction	Determines whether the button is a playback assignment or Action execution.
PlayChannel	If the button is assigned to play an audio cart, designates the playback channel.

[BLF] Section

This section contains information regarding the opening and saving of binary log files. Binary versions of the on-air log can be opened and saved to disk in the Automation Setup | Log Data area. See the topic covering the Log Status Dialog for additional information.

Property	Description
LastOpenFolder	Stores the last folder location from which a binary log file was opened.
LastSaveFolder	Stores the last folder location to which a binary log file was saved.

[Cart Masks] Section

This section contains the specifics on defined Cart Categories, which are used in displayed log colors and for filtering cart numbers (audio files).

Property	Description
Count	The number of defined cart categories
BkColorxx	The background color that will used on the log for carts matching the category.
Colorxx	The text color that will be used on the log for carts matching the category.
Masksxx	A comma-separated list of cart masks that comprise the category.
Namexx	The user-assigned name of the category. The name is used to identify the category when displayed in drop-down lists.

[ClockDlg] Section

This section contains settings associated with the XStudio clock dialog, including size, position and colors.

Property	Description
BGColor	The background color for the clock.
Left	The left side position of the clock on-screen.
MilTime	Determines whether the time is displayed as military time (24-hour clock) or standard AM/PM time (12-hour clock).
MonitorNum	The monitor number on which the clock was last displayed.
ShowClock	If True, the clock is displayed on-screen.
TextColor	The text color for the time display.
TextSize	The font size of the displayed time.
Top	The top position of the clock on-screen.

[Colors] Section

This section contains settings for the background and text colors of non-audio log items and display font settings for the log. Also included are display colors for inventory list items for expired and future-dated carts. These properties are maintained in Preferences | User Interface.

Property	Description
DirectiveBG	Background color of Directive log items.
DirectiveFG	Text color of Directive log items.
ExpBG	Background color of expired carts in inventory lists.
ExpFG	Text color of expired carts in inventory lists.
FutBG	Background color of future-dated carts in inventory lists.
FutFG	Text color of future-dated carts in inventory lists.
LogFontBold	If True, all text on the log is displayed as bold.
LogFontName	The name of the font used in the log display.
LogFontSize	The log text size.
LogNoteBG	Background color of Log Note log items.
LogNoteFG	Text color of Log Note log items.
ProbCartBG	Background color of "problem cart" log items - items missing or out-of-date.
ProbCartBold	If True, all "problem carts" are displayed in bold text.
ProbCartFG	Text color of "problem cart" log items - items missing or out-of-date.
ProgTitleBG	Background color of Program Title log items.
ProgTitleFG	Text color of Log Note log items.

[CountDownClock01] Section

This section contains settings associated with the XStudio intro countdown timer dialog, including position and behavior.

Property	Description
Enabled	If True, the intro countdown clock is used where applicable.
HideInactive	If True, the intro countdown clock is displayed only when in use, actively counting down an intro time. All other times, it is hidden.
Left	The left side position of the intro countdown clock on-screen.
MonitorNum	The monitor number on which the intro countdown clock was last displayed.
TextSize	The font size of the displayed countdown time.
Top	The top position of the countdown clock on-screen.
wasVisible	If True, the intro countdown timer was visible when XStudio was last closed and will be restored that way when XStudio is next started.

[Database] Section

This section contains database parameters, including whether the database is local or remote and access properties. These properties are maintained in Preferences | General.

Property	Description
AllowRemoteConnections	If True, a local database can be administered remotely.
ClientDataCompression	If the database is remote, this value determines the level of data compression used when communicating with the remote database server.
DefRemSrvrPassword	The password, if required, used to login to a remote database server.
DefRemSrvrUserName	The user name, if required, used to login to a remote database server.
DefRemoteServer	The name and IP address of the default remote server, if applicable.
LocalServerName	A user-assigned name to the local database server within XStudio. It is used to identify a XStudio installation.
UseRemoteServer	If True, XStudio will attempt to connect to a remote database server at startup, beginning with the default server designated in this section.

[DBServerList] Section

If multiple remote database servers are defined, this section contains a list of the defined servers. These properties are maintained via Database Server List Maintenance.

Property	Description
RemSrvrPassword_xx	The remote server password, if required.
RemSrvrUserName_xx	The remote server user name, if required.
RemoteServer_xx	The remote server name and IP address.
ServerCount	The count of defined remote servers.

[ExternalControl] Section

This section contains properties associated with the external control port. See the section on setting up External Control Port properties for additional information.

Property	Description
BaudRate	The COM port baud rate for the external control port.
COMPort	The COM port number used for external control.
Enabled	If True, the external control COM port is opened and available for use by Tasks that send data via this port.

[FileViewDlg] Section

A number of text file viewing dialogs use the properties in this section. Examples include the application event log, source traffic log viewer and current system properties viewer. The properties control how searches are executed within the viewer.

Property	Description
CaseSensitive	If True, searches are case-sensitive.
GlobalSearch	If True, searches are global instead of beginning from the current cursor position.
SearchBackwards	If True, searches work backwards from the current cursor position.
SearchStr	The last text used for a search.
ShowSearch	If True, the viewer's built-in search controls are displayed.

[General] Section

This section contains general XStudio settings and properties, including registration information.

Property	Description
AudioSwitcher	The unique ID number of XStudio's assigned audio switcher. The value is zero if a switcher is not assigned.
AudioSwitcherName	The user-entered audio switcher description.
AutoSegueAutoEnable	If True, when a user starts playing audio from the log on channel 1, the [Auto] button (auto-segue button) will automatically be enabled if the user had temporarily disabled auto-segue for some reason.
DefaultMode	The default XStudio operating mode, expressed as a number.
DefaultStation	The name of the default station, if defined.
DefaultStationGUID	The unique ID of the default station, if defined.
EmergencyActionID	The unique ID number of an Action that will be used in Emergency mode as a response to triggering the "emergency relay" in XStudio, which is a part of the remote start interface. The value is zero if an Action is not assigned.
EmergencyActionName	The user-entered name of the defined emergency Action.
EventLogDetail	The default level of detail that will be kept in the XStudio application event log, expressed as a number.
LengthCheck	When validating a log, this value determines the allowable variance between the logged length and the actual length of an audio cart.
Licensed To	The name of the person or business to whom XStudio is licensed.
LoadLogAtStartup	If True, XStudio will attempt to load the today-dated log for the defined default station.
PlayLogOnStart	If True, XStudio will begin playing the log after starting up, beginning with the element closest to current time. This setting is ignored if the startup operating mode is Satellite.
Registration	The registration key for XStudio.
SecEnb	If True, users must enter a password to access and change property settings in Preferences.
SecPwd	If security is enabled for access to Preferences, this value is the password in encrypted form.
StartupActionID	The unique ID of the Action to be performed at system startup, if assigned. The value is zero if an Action is not assigned.
StartupActionName	The user-assigned name of the Action that is performed at startup, if assigned.

[HotButtonDialog]

This section contains settings for the XStudio Cart Wall and hot buttons, including default button colors and default playback deck.

Property	Description
ButtonFile	The current default button configuration file. This file will be loaded at program startup, if applicable.
Default_Btn_BG_Color	The default hot button background color.
Default_Btn_FG_Color	The default hot button foreground (text) color.
Default_Deck	The default playback deck for hot buttons. This value is used whenever a button is being set up and was previously not configured.
Enabled	If True, the Cart Wall dialog is initialized at system startup and is displayed or hidden based on user preference.
Height	The height of the XStudio Cart Wall window.
Last_Btn_BG_Color	The last background color used when configuring a hot button, if different from the default background color.
Last_Btn_FG_Color	The last foreground (text) color used when configuring a hot button, if different from the default foreground color.
LastFolder	The last folder used to open a hot button configuration file.
Left	The left-edge position of the Cart Wall window.
MonitorNum	The monitor number on which the Cart Wall dialog is displayed. This value is saved when XStudio is closed and restored the next time it is launched.
Top	The top-edge position of the Cart Wall window.
wasVisible	If True, the Cart Wall was visible when XStudio was last closed and will be restored that way when XStudio is next started.
Width	The width (in pixels) of the Cart Wall window.

[HotButtonMRU]

This section contains a list of the most-recently-used hot button configuration files.

Property	Description
Count	The count of recently-used button files contained in this section.
MRUxx	The fully-qualified path and file name of a recently-used hot button configuration file.

[LogSearchDlg] Section

This section controls default or last-used properties for searching the log.

Property	Description
Type	The last search type performed (cart number or description), expressed as a number.

[LogSearchMRU] Section

This section contains property settings for the search dialog used when reviewing log snapshots.

Property	Description
BackwardSearch	If True, searches will proceed backwards from the current log item.
Count	The count of the number of most-recently-used search items.
FieldIdx	The field index of the column most recently searched.
LookFor	The current search text
STxx	Recently used search text.
SearchAnywhere	If True, the searched text can be anywhere in the field. If False, a match is looked for only at the beginning of the field.

[MainTableColMap] and [TomorrowTableColMap] Sections

These sections contain the display column order and widths for the current and next-day logs. See the topic on Changing Log Appearance for more information.

Property	Description
Count	The number of columns displayed on the log.
CCxx	The caption for the column
CHxx	If True, the column is hidden from the user's view.
CNxx	The unique column ID, which identifies the what is displayed in the column.
CWxx	The width of the column, in pixels.

[MainUI] Section

This section contains properties that control the size, location and appearance of the XStudio main display.

Property	Description
CopyLogDescToTitle	If True, the contents of the Description field of non-music items on the log are copied to the Title field in order to enable hiding the standard Description field.
Height	The height of the XStudio main display.
HoursFontSize	The font size of the contents of the Hour Totals list on the main display.
HoursSplit	The location of the splitter between the Hour Totals/Hot Buttons controls and the log. This value determines the width of the controls.
InvDblClick	If True, [Double-Click] on an inventory list item causes immediate playback.
InvSortCol	The index of the field last used for sorting the inventory list.
InvView	The name of the last-used inventory view.
Left	The left-edge position of the main display.
MainSplit	The location of the splitter between the log and inventory list. This setting determines the relative size of each control.
MonitorNum	The monitor number on which XStudio is to run. This value is saved when XStudio is closed and restored the next time it is launched.
NBLeftPage	This value represents whether the Hour Totals or Hot Buttons are selected and visible to the user.
ShowCartStatus	If True, out-of-date and missing carts are highlighted on the log.
ShowInventory	If True, the inventory list is visible. If False, the list is hidden.
ShowSpotTimes	Determines the type of spot (cart) time value that is displayed. See the section on changing the log appearance for details.
ShowToolBar	If True, the main display tool bar is displayed. If False, it is hidden.
State	The state of the main display when last closed (normal, maximized).
Top	The top-edge position of the main display.
Width	The width (in pixels) of the main display.

[MusicData] Section

This section contains information relating to music database import and export. See the topic on Music Data for more information.

Property	Description
LastCMRExportFolder	The last folder used to export music data (song title & artist) in dcsTools Generic Format (*.CMR).
LastCSVExportFolder	The last folder used to export music data (song title & artist) in comma-separated values (*.CSV) format.
LastImpFolder	The last folder used to import music data.
LastImpType	The last music data import type.

[OpenDlg] Section

This section contains properties relating to Open Log dialog.

Property	Description
EnableDoubleClick	If True, [Double-Click] on a calendar date opens the log for that date, if present.

[Params] Section

This section contains system parameters and properties relating to audio file handling and inventory generation. These properties are maintained in Preferences | Audio Properties.

Property	Description
AppLogMaxDays	The number of days to retain XStudio daily application event logs.
CopyCMInvFileTo	A copy of the locally-generated XStudio inventory file is made to this location, if present.
DCSAudioDir	The primary folder location of audio files.
DCSAudioDir2	The optional secondary (or backup) location of audio files.
DefSiteNames	A comma-separated list of node names used in identifying cart (audio file) distribution.
EnforceCartDates	If True, XStudio will not play out-of-date audio.
FileScanInterval	The interval, in seconds, between checks XStudio makes to see if there have been audio file changes when the primary audio folder is a network drive.
GenLocalInv	If True, XStudio generates and maintains its own audio inventory list.
InvCopyNodes	A comma-separated list of node numbers to include when making a copy of the local inventory to another location.
LazyScan	If True, scanning of inventory information is slowed down to prevent "swamping" the system on lower-performance hardware.
LazyScanInterval	If Lazy Scan is enabled, the amount of wait time between file operations, in milliseconds.
LocalInvNodes	A comma-separated list of node numbers to be included when generating an inventory list for use within XStudio. This has the effect of reducing the items displayed to the end-user.
OutPutDevName	The Windows device name of the primary playback channel (1) for Deck 1.
OutPutDevName2	The Windows device name of playback channel 2 (Deck 2).
OutPutDevName3	The Windows device name of playback channel 3 (Deck 3).
OutPutDevName4	The Windows device name of playback channel 4 (Deck 4).
OutPutDevice	The Windows device number of the primary playback channel (channel 1) for Deck 1.
OutPutDevice2	The Windows device number for playback channel 2 (Deck 2).
OutPutDevice3	The Windows device number for playback channel 3 (Deck 3).
OutPutDevice4	The Windows device number for playback channel 4 (Deck 4).

[RemoteStart] Section

This section contains properties that control the XStudio remote start functionality. These properties are maintained in Preferences | Audio Properties.

Property	Description
Enabled	If True, remote starts are enabled for playback decks and the emergency action relay. The the Remote Start Interface topic for details on setting up the hardware for remote starts.
RSBtn4Usage	Stores the assignment of Button 4 of the Remote Start Interface. 0 = Emergency Relay, 1 = Remote Start for Deck 4.
RSDebounce	Duration, in milliseconds, that will be used in determining whether to process a remote start button-press. Prevents "double-firing".
RSInterval	The remote start polling frequency, in milliseconds.
SuppressRemoteStart	When True, if the playback deck for which the remote start was pressed is already playing audio and the deck playback source is the log, the remote start will be suppressed (ignored). Valid for Live Mode only.

[Stations] Section

This section contains information for Stations defined for program execution in XStudio. Station information is maintained in Preferences | Stations.

Property	Description
Count	The number of defined stations.
InvFile_xx	If an external audio inventory file is used for a station, this entry contains the fully-qualified path and file name.
LogPath_xx	The folder location of program logs for the defined station.
StnGUID_xx	The unique ID of the defined station.
StnID_xx	The call letters of the defined station.
StnName_xx	The user-assigned station name. The name is presented in selection lists where a station needs to be selected.
StnNo_xx	The program log station number for the defined station. Typically would be a value like "S1".
UseInv_xx	If True, an external inventory file is used for the XStudio inventory display. This property is automatically overridden if the Generate and Use Local Inventory property is set True.

[SwitcherStatusDlg] Section

This section contains properties that control whether or not the audio switcher status window is displayed and if so, it's on-screen location.

Property	Description
Left	The left-edge location of the audio switcher dialog.
MonitorNum	The monitor on which the audio switcher dialog was last displayed.
ShowAtStart	If True, the audio switcher status window is displayed when XStudio starts.
Top	The top-edge location of the audio switcher dialog.

[TCPIP] Section

This section contains properties used in communicating with the XEngine audio engine. These properties are maintained in Preferences | Audio Properties.

Property	Description
EventLogging	If True, a separate event log is generated and maintained for communications activities between XStudio and XEngine.
IPAddress	The IP address of the audio engine (XEngine). If located on the same PC as XStudio, the address is 127.0.0.1.
ListenPort	The TCP/IP port is used for control and response communications with the audio server engine (XEngine).
UserName	A user-assigned name that identifies XStudio to the host audio engine.
XfrPort	A TCP/IP port reserved for transferring file data between XStudio and XEngine and is not presently used. It is for future expansion.

[ValidateCCCLog] Section

This section contains general properties for Log Validation.

Property	Description
Height	The height of the Log Validation window.
Width	The width of the Log Validation window.

[ValidateColumns.xxxxx] Sections

These sections contain column widths for each of the Log Validation "views".

Property	Description
1..8	The width of the numbered column.

[xsInv.xxxxx] Sections

These sections contain the column widths for each of the main display inventory "views".

Property	Description
0..6	The width of the numbered column.

[xsLogGridExport] Section

This section contains properties about performed logs exported from the Log Status dialog.

Property	Description
ExcelExpandGroups	Determines whether or log data exported to the Excel format includes hidden grouped information.
ExcelSaveAll	Determines whether all or just selected log records are exported to Excel format.
HTMLExpandGroups	Determines whether or log data exported to the HTML format includes hidden grouped information.
HTMLSaveAll	Determines whether all or just selected log records are exported to HTML format.
LastExcelFile	The path and file name of the last file exported to the Excel format.
LastHTMLFile	The path and file name of the last file exported to the HTML format.
LastTextFile	The path and file name of the last file exported to the Text format.
LastXMLFile	The path and file name of the last file exported to the XML format.
TextExpandGroups	Determines whether or log data exported to the Text format includes hidden grouped information.
TextSaveAll	Determines whether all or just selected log records are exported to Text format.
XMLExpandGroups	Determines whether or log data exported to the XML format includes hidden grouped information.
XMLSaveAll	Determines whether all or just selected log records are exported to XML format.

Ini File Structure Information

For those who might be unfamiliar with the INI file origins and structure, this sections covers some basics of what INI files are and how they are constructed.

Note: Portions from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Definition

An initialization file, or INI file, is a configuration file that contains configuration data for Microsoft Windows based applications.

Starting with Windows 95, the INI file format was superseded but not entirely replaced by a registry database in Microsoft operating systems. Recently, XML became a popular choice for encoding configuration, as well as other kinds of data for many applications, but INI format is still in widespread use.

Although made popular by Windows, INI files can be used on any system thanks to its flexibility. It allows a program to store configuration data, which can then be easily parsed and changed.

File Format

A typical INI file might look like this:

[Section1]

; some comment on section1

var1=abc

var2=451

[Section2]

; another comment

var1=123

var2=dfg

Format Elements

The elements of the INI file format:

•	Sections: Section declarations start with '[' and end with ']' as in [Section1] and [Section2] above.

•	Parameters: The "var1 = abc" above is an example of a parameter. Parameters are made up of a key ('var1'), equals sign ('='), and a value ('abc'). For this reason, they are also known as key/value pairs or simply items.

•	Comments: All the lines starting with a semicolon (';') are assumed to be comments, and are ignored.