Custom Action: Prevent UI Refresh Checkbox

[X-Raym]

When using complex custom actions ivolving moving items or moving the cursor several times, we can see the display changing very fast.

Actually, to avoid that, when I use a complex custom actions, I add PreventUIRefresh with two scripts, at the end and at the bottom of the action.
Scripts (EEL): Prevent UI Refresh for Custom Actions

Maybe we could have a simple checkbox "PreventUIRefresh" below Consolidates Undo Point ?

It would be very useful, way more handy than adding these scripts manually in each custom actons. There is rare cases for which no ui refresh is needed in a complex macro.

Thanks for listening !

[vanhaze]

Wow, this is great ; very welcome to me ; i hate those screen redraws .. haha.

Thanx X-Raym !

I will use your script in my intensive scripts and meanwhile dreaming of this functionality built in Reaper by Devs .. :0)

[Lokasenna]

Lovely idea. +1

[mpl]

Custom action is text with action IDs so anyway we need native actions which will be added into custom action in kb.ini by clicking suggested option check.

[X-Raym]

Because pf the new PreventUIRefresh preventing error system introduced recently, the trick that involves using my PreventUIRefresh trick doesn't work anymore.
This anti-bug system is really nice and save me a lot of time in scripting, but we really need a way to be able to prevent UI refresh for custom actions.

An other good reason to have a checkbox for this on the Create custom action window.

[Triode]

Yes absolutely.

There are a number of my custom actions (and some single SWS actions) that create jittery graphics.

A tickbox that simplifies the UI refresh to the start and end of a custom action would help reaper feel way smoother to use.

[vanhaze]

↑↑↑↑ This !

[X-Raym]

Actually, I wonder in what circumstance we would not need this. Maybe it should be global, for all custom actions ?

[onemillionmangos]

yes please implement this. one of my most frequent shortcuts desperately needs this (increase to maximum waveform gain which is 40x duplicate waveform gain actions in a row because there is no appropriate action for this otherwise).

[X-Raym]

The implementation of this function is up to cockos :P

Meanwhile, if you need to have a serie of actions without UI refresh, you can create a simple scripts that start and ends with the choosen action, and have call to this actions inbetween.

I made a template for you.
ReaScripts-Templates/X-Raym_Custom actions with UI refresh prevention.lua at master · ReaTeam/ReaScripts-Templates

[EpicSounds]

need this today. when a cycle action makes a selection the screen flashes are very annoying and you can't help but think the whole thing would run faster without updating the GUI for each loop.

[Lokasenna]

X-Raym, could you do it with two scripts?

1:
- PreventUIRefresh(1)
- defer loop checking some ExtState's value
- when the ExtState returns 1, PreventUIRefresh(-1), set the ExtState to 0 again

2:
- Set the ExtState to 1

Then you just build your custom action like so:

Script 1
Action stuff
Action stuff
Action stuff
Script 2

I don't know how the PreventUIRefresh error checking you mentioned works, but it seems to me like this should work - the original script is running the entire time, so if the error checking is looking for scripts exiting it won't get caught.

[X-Raym]

@Lokasenna
No need for defer script,

having Main_OnCommand inside to PreventUIRefresh is enough

ReaScripts-Templates/X-Raym_Custom actions with UI refresh prevention.lua at master · ReaTeam/ReaScripts-Templates

But it is not really a plug and play solution accessible to everyone.

[Lokasenna]

That's what I meant - using two separate actions makes it easy for people to use in their custom actions without making them fiddle with Lua.

Anyway, I tried it and it doesn't seem to work. Even with the initial script setting PreventUIRefresh(1) I can still see the individual actions happening. Oh well.

[X-Raym]

@Lokasenna
Inddeed, that is the point : this trick (having them in two separate actions) use to work and it works nicely.
In REAPER 5.1 (approx) a bug fix has been introduced to prevent orhelins PreventUIRefresh in scripts.
It is a very nice geature because in Lua, we used to break the UI refresh very often.
But now, we need a new way to add prevent UI refresh for custom action.

[hscottaudio]

Bumping this.

This feature is sorely needed!

Would greatly help to make reaper look and feel more 'solid'

Seeing the UI go mental as I navigate with my custom actions makes reaper feel less solid than it really is.

It's mainly a psychological thing (as-well as performance I hope) and is essential to making custom actions feel less clunky and also therefore turning reaper into a more attractive product to potential new users.

Cheers!

H

[amagalma]

+1000000

[BirdBird]

Is this still not possible?

[Buy One]

It gets my vote as well

[nofish]

SWS cycle actions can now be used as a workaround.
From the SWS v2.12.0 pre-release changelog:

Cycle actions:
Optimize execution performance of cycle actions (they can now be used as a faster and flicker-free alternative to custom actions)

[X-Raym]

Thanks nofish for the trick !

[Phazma]

Originally Posted by nofish

SWS cycle actions can now be used as a workaround.
From the SWS v2.12.0 pre-release changelog:

I am using a cycle action to switch toolbars but it still flickers. Am I doing something wrong or is this impossible to do without flicker?

This is the cycle action I am using:



And this is how it looks like (Licecap is not best to show this due too low framerate but it should still be clear what is happening):

[AZpercussion]

Yes, I don't see a reason for haven't prevent UI refresh by default for all actions. Maybe it could switch off during record to smooth display recording.

[Delucci]

Well I was looking for something like this and stumbled in people saying about Cycle Actions doing the job, worked like a charm!
Thanks so much for that.

[Buy One]

Originally Posted by Phazma

I am using a cycle action to switch toolbars but it still flickers. Am I doing something wrong or is this impossible to do without flicker?

The cycle action editor has Prevent UI refresh checkbox? Doesn't it work?

[Phazma]

Originally Posted by Buy One

The cycle action editor has Prevent UI refresh checkbox? Doesn't it work?

That checkbox doesn't work for this particular case. But the culprit seems not to be SWS but Reaper. I was told so by nofish when posting the same issue here: https://forum.cockos.com/showthread....99#post2450099

[Buy One]

Originally Posted by Phazma

That checkbox doesn't work for this particular case. But the culprit seems not to be SWS but Reaper. I was told so by nofish when posting the same issue here: https://forum.cockos.com/showthread....99#post2450099

Ah, i see