Update Scrolling Timeline to use isPlaying()

[latenitefilms]

David Brown reports:

I may have discovered something about the failure of the scrolling timeline on my computer. My normal configuration is two monitors, and I’m using the FCPX “Second Display View”. Normally, both monitors are turned on when I start FCPX. I stumbled onto a method of getting the scrolling timeline working when it was failing to do so. This has worked for the last three times I have started up the computer and FCPX.

So, FCPX starts up using both monitors. The scrolling timeline does not work. I turn off the Second Display View in FCPX. I disable and then enable Scrolling Timeline in CommandPost. The scrolling timeline then works. I can then enable the Second Display View again, and the scrolling timeline continues to work.

Note that sometimes when I start up FCPX the second monitor is not turned on. In that case, FCPX automatically disables the Second Display View. Perhaps that’s why the scrolling timeline has been working - but I have not tested it.

One caveat I have is that I haven’t been using FCPX long enough in these last three sessions to conclude that the scrolling timeline continues to work - there have been sessions in the past when it’s been intermittent. Never the less, I thought I would pass this on to you as it certainly seems likely that there is some interaction between using a second display and the scrolling timeline.

Also, in macOS, I have the Mission Control Setting of “Displays Have Separate Spaces” enabled. I have not tested with it disabled.

Lastly, I think the scrolling timeline would be improved if the fixed point was at the skimmer location rather than the playhead. Have you considered that - or a user selectable option?

Let me know if you need any other information, and I’ll keep you posted as I continue working.

Regards,

David

...and afterwards reported:

This morning I did an test of my “Second Display Theory”, but the results don’t support the theory. I kept the second display off when I launched FCPX. I performed the test three times, restarting the computer between each test. In one of the three trials, the Scrolling Timeline did not work. In the other two trials, it did.

However, I noticed something else the effects the Scrolling Timeline, and did some more trials.

With Scrolling Timeline enabled when FCPX was launched, the Scrolling Timeline did not functions. Disabling then Enabling got it going. This was the case in three out of three trials, restarting the computer in between each trial.

With Scrolling Timeline disabled when FCPX was launched, followed by Enabling it, the Scrolling Timeline did work. Again, this was the case in three out of three trials.

As you know, the functioning of the Scrolling Timeline has been intermittent for me, so I don’t consider three tests conclusive. I will conduct a few more trials when I have some free time to do so. But I wanted to let you know about this now, because I probably gave you a red-herring about the Second Display Theory (sorry!).

On a perhaps related issue, there were occasions when switching to another application, doing some work, then back to FCPX, resulted in a non-functing Scrolling Timeline again. This did not always happen after switching apps. In each case, toggling the Scrolling Timeline fixed the problem.

For completeness, I should mention that I did not use FCPX and the Scrolling Timeline for very long after each of my six trials. Given it’s intermittent nature, the results I saw may not the entire cause of the problems I’ve seen. I will be using FCPX for longer periods again, so I will get an idea of what’s going on.

I’ll keep you posted.

David

Error Log:

CommandPost v1.0.0-beta.29

Date Built:                     May  2 2018, 03:04:50
macOS Version:                  10.13.4
CommandPost Locale:             en_US
Current Keyboard Layout:        U.S.
Final Cut Pro Path:             /Applications/Final Cut Pro.app
Final Cut Pro Version:          10.4.2
Final Cut Pro Language:         en
Developer Mode:                 false

2018-05-02 14:20:25: 2018-05-02 14:20:24: -- Loading /Applications/CommandPost.app/Contents/Resources/extensions/cp/init.lua
2018-05-02 14:20:24: -- Loading extension: uielement
2018-05-02 14:20:24: -- Loading extension: window
2018-05-02 14:20:25: 14:20:25     config:     Automatic Script Reloading Enabled
2018-05-02 14:20:25:                  cp:     Loading Plugins...
2018-05-02 14:20:26: 14:20:26    plugins:     Plugin disabled: 'core.preferences.panels.webapp'
2018-05-02 14:20:26:                          Plugin disabled: 'core.webapp'
2018-05-02 14:20:27: 14:20:27 prefsShort:     Caching Default Shortcuts.
2018-05-02 14:20:27:            commands:     Unable to load shortcuts: '/Users/David/Library/Application Support/CommandPost/Shortcuts/Default Shortcuts.cpShortcuts'
2018-05-02 14:20:27:          prefsShort:     Creating new shortcut file: '/Users/David/Library/Application Support/CommandPost/Shortcuts/Default Shortcuts.cpShortcuts'
2018-05-02 14:20:27:            commands:     Saving shortcuts: '/Users/David/Library/Application Support/CommandPost/Shortcuts/Default Shortcuts.cpShortcuts'
2018-05-02 14:20:27:                  cp:     Plugins Loaded.
2018-05-02 14:20:27: -- Done.
2018-05-02 14:22:45: 14:22:45       scan:     ---------------------------------------------------------
2018-05-02 14:22:45:                          FINAL CUT PRO PLUGIN SCANNER:
2018-05-02 14:22:45:                          ---------------------------------------------------------
2018-05-02 14:22:45:                          * Scanning app-bundled plugins:
2018-05-02 14:22:45:                            * scanAppBuiltInPlugins(en): 0.023517
2018-05-02 14:22:45:                            * scanAppEdelEffects(en): 4.9999999999883e-05
2018-05-02 14:22:45:                            * scanAppAudioEffectBundles(en): 0.0016080000000009
2018-05-02 14:22:50: 14:22:50                    * scanAppMotionTemplates(en): 0.742553
2018-05-02 14:22:50:                            * Saving App Plugin Cache.
2018-05-02 14:22:50:                              * scanAppPlugins(en) took: 0.787751
2018-05-02 14:22:50:                           
2018-05-02 14:22:50:                          * Scanning system-installed plugins:
2018-05-02 14:22:50:                            * Saving System Motion Templates to Cache (14 items)
2018-05-02 14:22:50:                            * scanSystemMotionTemplates(en): 0.0061839999999993
2018-05-02 14:22:50:                            * Saved 23 Audio Units to Cache.
2018-05-02 14:22:50:                            * scanSystemAudioUnits(en): 0.0039449999999999
2018-05-02 14:22:50:                              * scanSystemPlugins(en) took: 0.010818
2018-05-02 14:22:50:                           
2018-05-02 14:22:50:                          * Scanning user-installed plugins:
2018-05-02 14:22:50:                            * Saved 20 User Effects Presets to Cache.
2018-05-02 14:22:50:                            * scanUserEffectsPresets(en): 0.021974999999999
2018-05-02 14:22:51: 14:22:51                   * Saving User Motion Tempaltes to Cache (84 items)
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                            * scanUserMotionTemplates(en): 0.126419
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                              * scanUserPlugins(en) took: 0.149153
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                          ---------------------------------------------------------
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                          ---------------------------------------------------------
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                          FINAL CUT PRO PLUGIN SCANNER:
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                          ---------------------------------------------------------
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                          * Scanning app-bundled plugins:
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                            * Loaded App Plugins from Cache: 0.084350000000001
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                              * scanAppPlugins(en) took: 0.084728
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                           
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                          * Scanning system-installed plugins:
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                            * Loading System Motion Templates from Cache (14 items)
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                            * scanSystemMotionTemplates(en): 0.0016009999999991
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                            * Using Audio Units Cache (23 items)
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                            * scanSystemAudioUnits(en): 0.0025700000000004
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                              * scanSystemPlugins(en) took: 0.0048020000000015
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                           
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                          * Scanning user-installed plugins:
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                            * Using User Effects Presets Cache (20 items).
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                            * scanUserEffectsPresets(en): 0.0021430000000002
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                            * Loading User Motion Templates from Cache (84 items)
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                            * scanUserMotionTemplates(en): 0.0096420000000013
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                              * scanUserPlugins(en) took: 0.012433999999999
2018-05-02 14:22:51:                          ---------------------------------------------------------

[latenitefilms]

Here is an update on my mischievous Scrolling Timeline. I used FCPX and CommandPost for several hours, just editing, over the past two days. My last report to you was that the Enabled/Disabled state of the Scrolling Timeline when FCPX was launched seemed to determine if it worked. However, after using it during these editing sessions, I’m sorry to report that it’s not as simple as that. Here is what I experienced. Yesterday, the Scrolling Timeline was initially working. However after using it perhaps 50 times (rough guess), problems stated. The first mode of failure was that after interacting with other parts of FCPX (for example, making an adjustment to an item in the inspector, or skimming clips in the browser), the Scrolling Timeline would not function; toggling it on and off brought it back until I again interacted with different parts of FCPX. But then, after functioning like that for a while, it finally stopped working altogether. I Trashed the Preferences of CommandPost, to no avail.

What was more surprising is that, today, after shutting down the computer yesterday, the Scrolling Timeline has not once worked.

I realize how difficult it is to track this down when you are not seeing it on your computers. However, if there is any other information or tests I can supply, please let me know.

Regards,

David

[latenitefilms]

I'm also seeing some scrolling timeline funkiness on latest develop code.

[latenitefilms]

It seems like something went funky around this commit:

https://github.com/CommandPost/CommandPost/commit/ecc68226a6eceaa88cb2d1e6bd2d6f22b1c0cb0e#diff-52cd1670bc21c9b0b0ada7f6064cd717

I've tried to fault-find, but I'm not having much luck.

Either way, the scrolling timeline seems very unreliable on both my MacBook Pro & our iMac's - whereas previously it worked fine, so something has gone funky at some point.

Will have to leave this to @randomeizer to solve.

[latenitefilms]

@randomeizer - The Scrolling Timeline is broken in latest Beta 30 code on our office iMac's as well.