Common Tasks

Start an Existing Session from an Interface

My interface already has a session set up at it. How do I start it?

1. First, make sure that the one of the windows for the interface is the current top-most window.
2. If the Inspector panel for the interface is not yet open, open it by choosing Show Inspector from the Windows menu.
3. Click on the Sessions tab in the Inspector to show the sessions (if any) that are associated with this interface.
4. Find the session of interest from the list of sessions.
5. If the session state is Unarchived or Archived, the session cannot be run directly—however, it can be replayed using the Time Control feature.
6. If the session state is Awaiting Creation, select Create from the Open menu.
7. If the session state is Waiting for Configuration, select Open Session Configurator from the Configure menu.
8. If the session state is Ready to Start, press the blue triangle button.

Create and Run a New Session From an Interface

How do I start up a session associated with an interface?

When a session is created and attached to an interface, the setup (and optionally configuration) data for that session are stored in the interface document so that it can be recreated when needed.

1. First, make sure that the interface is the current top-most interface.
2. If the Inspector panel for the interface is not yet open, open it by choosing Show Inspector from the Options menu.
3. Click on the Sessions tab in the Inspector to show the sessions (if any) that are associated with this interface.
4. Click on the New Managed Session button in the bottom of the Inspector window.
5. In the new form that has appeared in the Inspector, set up your session by first choosing the source type and the configurator that will be used.
6. Press on the Open menu, optionally change the default name, then select the Create item.
7. If necessary, use the Configure menu to run the session's configurator.
8. Click the blue start button to start the session running.

Run a New Session Independent of any Interface

How do a start up a session without associating it with any interface?

Sessions can be created independent of any interface; their setup and configuration are not stored with any interface document, and they cease to exist when the Data Center shuts down (the Local Data Center shuts down when VisualCommander shuts down).

1. If the Data window is not yet open, open it by choosing Data from the Window menu.
2. Click on the Sessions tab to show the currently running or available sessions.
3. Click on the "+" button in the lower left of the window to bring up the session creation sheet.
4. In the session creation sheet, give the new session a name and select the desired source type and configurator.
5. Click Accept.
6. In the Data window, the new session will appear in the session list and will display its current status. When the session is selected from the list, an action button will appear to the bottom right of the list depending on the session's status, allowing you to configure and run it as appropriate.

Delete an Archived Session

How do I delete an archived session and discard its data?

Archived sessions can be deleted from either the Inspector or Data window. Using the Data Window:

1. If the Data window is not yet open, open it by choosing Data from the Window menu.
2. Click on the Sessions tab to show the currently running or available sessions.
3. Select the archived session that you'd like to remove.
4. Click the "-" button to delete the archive.

Using the Inspector panel:

1. If the Inspector is not yet open, open it by choosing Show Inspector from the Window menu.
2. Click on the Sessions tab, and select the correct session. The state should be Archived or Unarchived.
3. Using the Close menu, selected either Remove or Close then Remove, whichever us available.

This action cannot be undone.