Exporting to Finale Generic CSV

Overview

The Finale Generic CSV format is a general purpose export format for a show that can be used as the basis for custom reports or translated into a firing script for just about any firing system available. This export format contains all the information to generate an inventory report or pick list, loading report, break time report, firing script, or even custom shell labels. The term "CSV" stands for "comma separated values", and means simply that it is a text file that can be read into Access or Excel, or even a text editor.

Understanding the Finale Generic CSV Format

In the Finale Generic CSV format, each row corresponds to a group of similar devices ignited by the same ignition event. Dissimilar groups of devices ignited by the same ignition event are split over multiple rows. Thus, it may take multiple rows to represent a single shot, or even a single chain. The rows are sorted in by ignition time (as opposed to effect time).

"Similar devices" have the same device delay, same launch position, same inventory item number, same name, category, prefire, caliber, track, and if they are part of a chain the same chain identifier. Similar devices do not necessarily have the same mortar angle, however. Devices shot in a "W" or "V", for example, will appear on the same row, and their angles will appear in a list in the angle field of that row, along with an ASCII art representation of what the angle looks like, such as "\\|//".

Referring to the chain identifier you can collect all the information pertinent to each chain if you need a representation of chains as individual entities. For example, from Finale Generic CSV you can easily construct a chain building report that details the required assembly of fuse delays for the chains, or an inventory report that counts whole chains as items instead of their individual devices. The chain identifier field also enables you to calculate the precise number of ematches required for the show based on the Finale Generic CSV information.

The Fields in Each Row

Each row contains the following fields. The three formatted time fields near the end contain asterisks in their names to indicate their information can be derived from other fields in the row.

• Ignition-Event Count ("Shot Number") The ordinal count of electrical impulses to a pin or set of pins wired together, starting with one. Simultaneous pins not wired together represent separate events. For example, a front consisting of 5 launch positions with five independent modules firing at the same time would have five ignition-events, 1 through 5; the same front with 5 piggy-backed modules wired to fire together would have a single event, representing a single signal sent to all five modules.
• Cue Identifier The number of the cue marker on the timeline in the editor, if any. Since using cue markers is optional, this field is often blank.
• Ignition Seconds ("Shot Time") The exact time at which the pin is energized to ignite the ematches (i.e., the ignition event), in seconds with two digits after the decimal point. This information is repeated later in the row as "Ignition Time*" in a different format that is more human readable, as a convenience.
• Number Of Devices The total number of devices represented by the row. A single row may represent multiple independent devices launching at the same time, or multiple devices that are part of the same chain. A single chain, however, may require multiple rows to represent it if the devices in the chain are different effects or have different angles.
• Unused1 Reserved for future use.
• Unused2 Reserved for future use.
• Chain Identifier An identifier used to associate the devices of a chain if they are split across multiple rows. Rows that are part of the same chain have the same chain identifier. Rows that are not part of a chain have a blank value in this field. A single row is never part of more than one chain.
• Unused3 Reserved for future use.
• Device Delay The delay from the ignition event to the ignition of the specific device, in seconds with two digits after the decimal point. For chains, the device delay is the delay from the ignition of the chain to the ignition of the specific device in the chain. For multiple devices ematched to the same module/pin with delays, the device delay is zero for the earliest of the devices, and is the respective delay for each of the others.
• Prefire Delay The prefire in seconds, with two digits after the decimal point.
• Item Name The name of the inventory item.
• Caliber The nominal device caliber, as defined for the inventory item, which also serves as the default internal diameter of the required mortar tube if no explicit Mortar Caliber is provided (see below). Some inventory items, such as fountains, do not have a caliber, so their caliber will appear as "NA" for not applicable. The format of the caliber can be in inches, meters, or arbitrary text.
• Category One of several pre-defined categories of fireworks: Shells, Comets, Mines, Fountains, Candles, or Cakes. Chains of shells are listed in the Shells category. Lance work and other ground items are listed with Fountains.
• Angles An ASCII art representation of the angles of the devices on this shot, made with backslash, vertical line, and forward slash characters, followed by the decimal degree angles of the devices ordered left to right, separated with spaces, with negative angles meaning left aiming. If the angle or angles are all straight up, the decimal degree representation is elided, for ease of reading.
• Position Name The name of the launch position from which the shot is fired.
• Position Distance (m) The distance in meters from the audience of the launch position from which the shot is fired.
• Module Type The textual description of the module, such as SM-32 or ATF M156, as entered by the user in the "Edit Position Properties" window.
• Module Address The module number, in the same format as entered by the user in the "Edit Position Properties" window. The empty string is a valid value, as are numbers in hexadecimal, like $11.
• Slat Address The slat number or letter, in the same format as entered by the user in the "Edit Position Properties" window. In addition to numbers and letters, the empty string is a valid value, as are numbers in hexadecimal, like $11.
• Pin Address The pin number or letter, in the same format as entered by the user in the "Edit Position Properties" window. In addition to numbers and letters, hexadecimal (e.g., $11) is a valid format. However empty string is not possible as a pin address.
• Unused4 Reserved for future use.
• Notes The combined notes attached to all of the devices on the shot.
• Product ID A custom identifier of an inventory item. This value can be in any format, and is guaranteed by Finale to be unique for products in Master Inventory. It is typically used to hold the display company's part number representing this item. If present, this identifier will be included on printed product labels.
• Mfg And Mfg ID The manufacturer name and part number combined, as in "Lidu / LD7005". This value can be in any format, and is not guaranteed by Finale to be unique. If present, this value will also be included on printed product labels.
• Unique ID An identifier string assigned by Finale to identify this product uniquely across all inventories. Unlike Mfg IDs or Item Names, which are not guaranteed to be unique, the Unique ID can be used as a key to compare products for equality.
• Location Primary Optional name of the storage location from which the item is pulled to be boxed for the show, e.g., Magazine-A7.
• Location Secondary Optional additional description of storage location, e.g., Bin-53.
• Ignition Time* The exact time at which the pin is energized to ignite the ematches, in MM:SS.HH format. (The asterisk indicates this value could be derived from other values in the row.)
• Device Ignition Time* In MM:SS.HH format, the exact time at which the devices represented by this row are ignited, which is typically the same as the ignition time, but not always. Chains with delays will yield multiple rows for the individual devices with different device delays. (The device ignition time is just the ignition time plus the device delay.)
• Effect Time* The time of the device's visual impact, in MM:SS.HH format. (The device ignition time plus prefire delay is the effect time.)
• Mortar Caliber The internal diameter of the required mortar tube, or empty string to indicate the nominal device caliber should be used. Small caliber items and candles are often sleeved in larger diameter mortars. This field, in combination with the Caliber field (above), allow both calibers to be represented.
• Track Identifier A short string of characters identifying the track that the effects are assigned to, or empty string if they are not assigned to any track. Some firing systems, such as the Cobra-18R2, use tracks to identify multiple, triggered sequences contained in a single script, and use the track identifiers to indicate the trigger buttons on the controller. The track identifier can also be used merely as an editing tool or for other custom purposes.