With the help of the dialog Add Device, so-called Device Definition Files (DDFs) can be added to a project, allowing the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) in DMXControl 3 to know which Devices are addressed on which DMX channels and which functions they provide. Without the appropriate DDFs for the devices to be controlled, DMXControl 3 can only operate with limited functionality.
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Overview
The Add Device dialog is always required when devices need to be added for the first time in a new, empty project, or when additional devices need to be included in an existing project. This is where the initial patch of required devices to their respective DMX addresses takes place.
The different icons before a DDF clearly show where the respective DDF comes from. Furthermore, all DDFs used in the current project are grouped into a common folder, should you need additional devices of the same type in the same DMX mode. For frequently used devices, the Favorites folder is available.
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Changes to DMX addresses for devices that are already integrated into the project should not be made in the Add Device dialog but rather through the properties of the respective device or via the Patching dialog. |
Important Features
Add Additional DDFs
| DMXControl 3 comes with only a small selection of DDFs, meaning that due to the large number of available devices, DDFs for your own devices are often missing. To use custom-created DDFs or DDFs manually downloaded from the DDFLibrary in DMXControl 3, you need to place them in the directory accessed via the "Own DDFs" link in the Start menu (see Figure 2).
However, this directory can also be accessed via the Windows Explorer at the path "C:\Users\{USERNAME}\AppData\Roaming\DMXControl Projects e.V\DMXControl\", where "{USERNAME}" refers to the name of the current user of the PC. As a shortcut, you can also reach this directory by entering "%AppData%\Roaming\DMXControl Projects e.V\DMXControl\" in the address bar of Windows Explorer. You then save the The directory "UserDevices" can also be used to store DDFs that you are currently creating and testing their functionality. Whether modifying newly created DDFs or adding additional ones: the contents of the Add Device dialog are updated with each reopening. Therefore, DMXControl 3 can remain open during this process. |
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Types of DDFs
The Add Device dialog gives access to three types of DDFs, which are stored in different directories and treated with different priorities when adding additional devices to an existing project.
| Category | Icon | Description | Location | Priority |
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| Project-DDF | 
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Includes all DDFs required for the proper functioning of the current project | "{PROJECT-ZIP}\LibDevices"
"{PROJECT-ZIP}\UserDevices" |
Highest priority in the current project, not present in new projects |
| User-DDFs | 
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User-created DDFs | "{APPDATA}\DMXControl Projects e.V\DMXControl\Kernel\UserDevices\" | Medium priority in the current project, highest priority in new projects |
| Lib-DDFs | 
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Standard DDFs delivered by the installer | "{PROGRAM_DIRECTORY}\Kernel\LibDevices\" | Lowest priority in the current project, medium priority in new projects |
| DDFs downloaded via the DDF Library | "{APPDATA}\DMXControl Projects e.V\DMXControl\Kernel\LibDevices\" |
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The meaning of the directories {PROGRAM_DIRECTORY}, {APPDATA} and {PROJECT-ZIP} in the context of DMXControl 3 is described in the article DDF Introduction. |
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All DDFs delivered by the installer and placed in the directory "{PROGRAM_DIRECTORY}\Kernel\LibDevices\" are completely overwritten with each update or reinstallation. Please use the "UserDevices" directory for your own DDFs, which can be accessed via the "Own DDFs" link in the Start menu of Windows. |
Controls
The Add Device dialog is split into two parts. On the left side, there is a list of all DDFs, grouped by Favorites, Project-DDFs (for an existing project), and all available DDFs. All DDFs are listed according to their respective manufacturers and, if available, the corresponding DMX modes. When a DDF is selected, some device properties are displayed at the bottom. On the right side of the window, you define the name, number, and start address for the new device.
Scope and Structure of the List
DMXControl 3 distinguishes between three types of DDFs:
- DDFs for a specific device from a specific manufacturer with a specific DDF mode
- DDFs for a specific device, but without a clear manufacturer association
- Generic DDFs without reference to a specific device or manufacturer
Device-Specific DDFs
DDFs created for a specific device with a specific DMX mode from a specific manufacturer are categorized accordingly and can be found by those search terms. Generally, the respective DDF includes all the functions of the device that could be controlled by DMXControl 3 at the time of creation.
DDFs Without Specific Manufacturer
Many devices on the market have an unclear or no defined manufacturer. To keep the list of available DDFs structured, these DDFs are collected in a common folder.
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DDFs for devices without a clearly identifiable manufacturer can be found in the list under the folder Various. |
General DDFs
DMXControl 3 also includes a number of general or generic DDFs that are not created for a specific device. These include:
- Simple dimmers
- Switches
- DDFs for LEDs in various forms such as RGB, RGBW, with or without dimmer, strobe channel, etc.
Typical examples include dimmer packs or LED strips. For each controllable output, you add the corresponding DDF to the project, such as
- 4 times the simple dimmer (for example, in 8-bit resolution) for a 4-channel dimmer pack
- 170 times the RGB DDF for an LED strip, where the 170 pixels can be individually controlled
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All available general/generic DDFs can be found in the list under the folder Generic. |
Usage
Open Device Manager
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| Figure 4: Opening the Device Manager. |
To add devices, open the Add Device dialog. This can be done in three ways:
- via the menu entry « Add Device » in the context menu of the Device folder in the Project Explorer, or
- using the [Add Device] button in the Project Explorer menu bar, or
- via the context menu in the Stage View
Add Devices
To add one or more devices, select the correct DDF or search for it using the search function. Once the desired device is selected, you can enter the quantity and adjust the name if needed. In the DMX settings area, define the start address (DMX start address) for the first device and whether a certain number of DMX channels should be left between devices (DMX space). The third part assigns the devices to a Device Group. If you want to add more than one device, this setting becomes active, and DMXControl suggests creating a new device group. You can change this name or select an existing device group from the dropdown to which the new devices should be added. By clicking the [Add] button, DMXControl 3 applies the previously set information. Afterward, you can directly add more devices. Once all devices are selected, click on the [Close] button.
Favorites
The folder Favorites collects all devices that are regularly used for new projects. You can decide which devices are listed there. To add a specific device, search for it in the list and select « Add to favorites » from the context menu. Devices that are already in the Favorites folder can be removed by selecting « Remove from favorites » in the context menu.
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It should be noted that the favorites list is stored locally on the PC, meaning it will vary when using a different PC. |
Faulty DDFs
Two types of errors may occur when adding DDFs:
- There is an error in the logic of the DDF. The affected part of the XML code in the DDF will be displayed in a separate window as soon as you click on [Add] to add the device to the current project.
- A new entry titled "Corrupted DDFs" appears in the directory tree. Here, there is a serious error in the XML code, which needs to be checked externally, for example, with Notepad++[1] and the XML-Tools plugin[2].
Links and References
Links
- ↑ Notepad++ is a free text and source code editor. For more information, visit the official website: https://notepad-plus-plus.org/
- ↑ Installation guide for the XML-Tools plugin using the integrated plugin manager in Notepad++: https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/topic/16983/xml-tools/2
Video Tutorials
On our YouTube-Kanal, you can find the following videos on this topic.