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Interface Overview

phix consists of several panels arranged in a flexible workspace. This page explains what each area does and how they work together.

The Workspace#

The phix workspace is a grid of panels. You can add, remove, and rearrange panels to build the layout that suits your workflow. Workspace arrangements can be saved as Layouts and recalled instantly.

Core Panels#

Fixture List#

Shows all patched fixtures with their ID, name, type, universe, and DMX address. Use this panel to:

  • See which fixtures are in your show
  • Monitor which fixtures are currently selected
  • Get a quick overview of your patch

Attribute Panel#

Displays the attribute values of currently selected fixtures — dimmer, pan, tilt, color, gobo, and more. Values shown here reflect the programmer (your current live edits) or the active playback output.

Programmer#

The programmer is your editing workspace. When you select fixtures and change their attributes, those values are held in the programmer until you either:

  • Store them (save as a preset or cue)
  • Clear them (discard changes with clear)

The programmer takes priority over all playback. This lets you override what executors are doing to adjust a look live.

Preset Pool#

Shows all stored presets organized by category:

CategoryNumberDescription
Dimmer1Intensity / dimmer values
Position2Pan, tilt
Color3Color (RGB, CMY, color wheel)
Gobo4Gobo wheel selections
Beam5Zoom, iris, shutter, strobe
Shapers6Framing shutters, frost
Focus7Focus
Control8Fixture control attributes
All9All attribute types

Click a preset to apply it to your current selection.

Group Pool#

Shows all stored fixture groups. Click a group to select its fixtures.

Sequence / Cue List#

Shows the cues in the currently viewed sequence. Includes cue numbers, names, fade times, delay times, and the current playback position.

Executor Panel#

Shows executor slots with their assigned sequences. Each executor has:

  • A fader to control output level
  • Go / Back buttons to step forward and backward through cues

Effect Pool#

Shows all stored effects. Apply an effect to the current selection by clicking it.

DMX Monitor#

Shows a live view of the DMX values being output on a selected universe. Useful for debugging.

The Command Line#

The command line at the bottom of the screen (or available in headless mode as a full REPL) is how you issue text commands to phix. It accepts a consistent syntax:

<Action> <Object> <ID> [parameters]

Examples:

Fixture 1 Thru 10      -- select fixtures 1 to 10Group 1                -- select group 1Store Preset 3.1 "Red" -- store a color presetGo 1                   -- trigger executor 1

Type help in the command line to see a list of available commands.

tip

The command line and the GUI are fully equivalent. Anything you can do by clicking you can also do by typing, and vice versa.

Saving and Loading Shows#

phix show files use the .json format. Save your show with:

  • Ctrl+S (quick-save) or
  • save /path/to/myshow.json in the command line

Load a show with:

load /path/to/myshow.json

Enable autosave so you never lose work:

autosave on 5

This saves automatically every 5 minutes.