Improvements

🗒️ Console formatting improvements
🐜 Console and Action debuggers show milliseconds in timestamps
⚡ Flash a specific Media Master firmware version
⏯️ Auto-start waits for all plugins to start
✅ "Connection required" option for masters
🕐 Alerts have timestamps (e.g. License key warning)
⚡ Numerous UI rendering optimisations
⚡ Under-the-hood performance improvements
📋 Duplicate option for RFID items, Text Hints, Audio Cues, Masters, MIDI devices
⚡ OSC performance improvements
⚡ More accurate timing for behaviour actions when project contains a lot of computation

Zigbee improvements

💡 Support new Zigbee devices
💡 Zigbee reliability and performance improvements
💡 Allow Zigbee adapters to be relocated between COGS host and Media Masters
💡 Update channel when Zigbee state is changed on device
💡 Allow setting transition time option for Zigbee devices

Custom code improvements

↕️ Custom values editor is full height
🤓 toJSON and fromJSON operators for custom code
👩🏼‍💻 Display lists/objects on Custom Value scene dashboard widgets
🟢 Add device connected flag to custom code
👩🏼‍💻 Truncate custom code previews

Plugin improvements

💾 Plugins can store data to project (Documentation)

Fixes

🔧 Fix crash when deleting scene dashboard item
🔧 Fix console crash
🔧 Do not create a zigbee directory until an adapter is paired
🔧 Scene computed values that reference scene always refer to the same scene
🔧 Fix crash on splash screen when closing
🔧 Allow COGS to continue loading in case of saved license key from newer COGS
🔧 Fix loading COGS on macOS Mojave (with COGS Remote via internet)
🔧 Do not show the diagnostics button for Zigbee patches
🔧 Do not check for expression errors within Computed Value data
🔧 Text inputs no longer accept empty spaces
🔧 Fix COGS UI opening fullscreen on top of paired display content
🔧 Fix loading custom content/plugins in project folders with (, ), *, etc
🔧 Fix scheduled delay for behaviour with same name in different scenes
🔧 Improve app not closing sometimes
🔧 Remove COGS Remote tunnel from https://account.cogs.show/ when not available

Fixes

• 🔧 Fix rare crash with motor channel buttons

Fixes

• 🔧 Rollback recent change for parallel streaming on Media Masters due to an issue causing video playback to freeze in some situations.

Fixes

• 🔧 Fix project not loading on Windows machines without Microsoft Visual C++ (MSVC) runtime installed

New features

• 🔃 Set layer order of video/images/hints/timer on a Media Master
• ☑️ States Match in When, If/Then/Otherwise, or Loop conditions can check any rather than all values
• 🐞 Action logging tool: Debug menu -> Debugging tools
• 📉 System diagnostics in Debug menu
• 📈 Media Master diagnostics - requires firmware 4.10+
• 🎵 If/Then/Otherwise and Loop conditions can check if audio or video is playing
• ⛔ Set a servo channel min/max
• 💾 Saved positions for servo channels
• 🕹️ Servos appear in Overrides
• ⌨️ Keyboard number input for servo positions

Improvements

• 🔢 Port numbers for Digital Masters and Sensor Masters are simpler, matching the physical ports:
  • Digital Masters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... becomes 1A 1B 1C 1D 2A 2B 2C 2D ...
  • Sensor Masters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... becomes 1A 1B 2A 2B 3A 3B 4A 4B ...
• 🔃 Allow re-ordering:
  • RFID items
  • DMX states
• 👩🏼‍💻 "Custom values" are now called "Computed values"
• 🔍 Added search to:
  • Console
  • Text hints
  • Audio cues
  • Variables
  • DMX states
  • DMX effects
  • Computed values
  • Checklist
• 🔍 Button to clear search when there are no results
• 💡 Option to add all "named addresses" to a DMX state
• 🗒️ Add notes to Behaviours and Masters
• 👆🏼 Notes are shown in tooltips for Start/Finish Scene actions, Start/Stop Behaviour actions, and Media Master actions
• ✏️ Options for variables can be renamed
• ⌨️ F1/F2/F3 keyboard shortcut to switch between Connect/Build/Run
• ✏️ Number entry for slider inputs on smart lightbulb brightness
• ↕️ Inactive scenes dashboard can be scrolled
• 🔗 Link to jump between channel and Master diagnostics
• ➕ Add an Or/If section below an existing Or/If in an If/Then/Otherwise action
• ♾️ COGS Lite works offline indefinitely
• ❓ Confirmation prompt when closing COGS while a show is running
• 🔄 Change which value is updated in an Update Values action
• ✂️ Trailing spaces are not saved when naming something
• 🗒️ Console performance and usability improvements
• 💡 DMX "Add state" and "Add effect" buttons stay at the top of the list
• ⏯️ More reliable streaming of multiple parallel to Media Masters (Requires Media Master firmware 4.10+)
• ➕ Lots of small UI improvements

Remote Access improvements

• 🧠 Remember current view when reconnecting
• ♻️ Refresh when COGS has been updated or a new project opened
• 🌐 Improved reliability of COGS Remote over internet

Remote Access changes

• 🌏 URL now has /cogs rather than /ui

Custom code improvements

• 👩🏼‍💻 abs transform for absolute value of a number (Check the docs for more info)

Fixes

• 🔧 Copy notes when duplicating a scene
• 🔧 Your current selection is remembered when switching between most views
• 🔧 Show a warning when another COGS instance is running
• 🔧 Added missing Custom Value dashboard widget warnings
• 🔧 Show warnings for custom Media Masters where appropriate
• 🔧 Hide outdated license key warnings
• 🔧 Update States Match when RFID item name changed
• 🔧 Zigbee adapter or MIDI device not connected doesn't show up as an error
• 🔧 Cancel delays for deleted scenes and behaviours
• 🔧 Reset media playing states when Media Master disconnects
• 🔧 Fixed Media Master firmware update layout
• 🔧 Fixed confusing wording for optional scenes
• 🔧 Fixed plugin states linked to a value not loaded from project
• 🔧 Fixed styles in DMX Start Effect action
• 🔧 Fixed sending overcurrent reset message to DC Master
• 🔧 Fixed scenes scrolling when a scene is renamed
• 🔧 Improved text formatting in scene dashboard custom values
• 🔧 Fixed OSC stability in case of an error
• 🔧 Improve orange dashboard button text contrast

🎉 COGS 5 is here! 🎉

New features

• 🎨 A brand new design: COGS is prettier and easier to use than ever
• 🚥 Scene dashboards are super-charged with simpler widgets, more flexibility and colours
• 💡 Use Zigbee-powered home automation devices such as smart bulbs, plugs and switches
• 🎹 Use MIDI input and output devices such as musical keyboards or drum pads
• 💻 Send TCP messages to devices on the network
• 📣 Send UDP messages to devices on the network
• ▶️ Powerful "Start Scene When" triggers replace scene "dependencies"
• 🔍 Zoom in/out for COGS project window
• 🥞 Option to stack two, three or four scenes on top of each other
• 👀 Option to set default run view when show starts

Improvements

• 🏎️ Lots of performance optimisations
• ⏯️ Show status controls are also available in Build and Connect modes
• 📦 "Browse Plugins" button is always accessible
• 👉🏼 Button to test a single behaviour or actions from if/then/otherwise blocks
• 👉🏼 Option to test a single action
• ⏭️ "Skip" button can be disabled on any scene
• ♾️ Option to hide timer on scenes
• ⤵️ Buttons to reset channel value to default or copy default value from current value
• 📈 Support Digital Output channels in the Sensor Master diagnostic view
• 🗒️ Limit Console messages to the last 500 for performance

Now available to all

• 🎮 Remotely access COGS over a local network or internet

Fixes

• 🔧 Fix custom plugins state lost when pressing "Undo"
• 🔧 Media Master screen options are no longer hidden for Media Masters with firmware older than v4.7

Fixed

• 🔧 Duplicating DMX states and effects now correctly copies the channels
• 🔧 Duplicating a Value now creates a better new name for the copied Value
• 🔧 Update Values action no longer includes options for a disabled external plugin

Fixes

• 🔧 Available channels are consistent with available plugins

Fixes

• 🔧 Fix app updates for production (non beta) builds

New features

• 🎮 Access COGS from another computer on the network
• 🎚️ Brand new Settings menu
• 🆘 Find help and documentation quickly from the ? button
• 🚪 Start with the "Escape Room Demo" project when creating a new project
• 🔢 Create multiple channels at once
• 🔍 Search your Overrides
• ✋🏼 Actions can be moved in and out of If/Then/Otherwise or Loop actions 🙏🏼 🙏🏼 🙏🏼
• 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Select multiple channels to duplicate or remove
• ♻️ Scenes can be restarted after they are finished or cancelled

Improvements

• 🚀 A big overhaul under-the-hood so COGS can run much faster
• ℹ️ A more intuitive menu for adding channels
• 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Allow actions to be duplicated "here" or "at end"
• ➕ Button to add actions in between others
• ❎ Cancel the show if all scenes are cancelled
• 📈 See all sensor master inputs in realtime in the device Diagnostics view
• 📝 Example show notes for a new project
• 🔢 Smarter naming when duplicating numbered items
• 🌐 Scene dashboards can include Show variables
• 🔍 Search results are sorted by relevance in channels, media, etc.
• 〰️ Grouped Sensor Master ports in Devices view
• 💅🏼 Neater timer plugin panel
• ♻️ Allow loops with fixed number of iterations with no delay
• 👩🏼‍💻 Do not show "loop with no delay" error when using custom code for delay value
• 🙈 Hide Media Master screen options for connected Android/iOS devices
• 📋 Duplicate option for DMX states, effects and effect steps

Custom Code improvements

• ⚡ Show a live result of custom code in the editor
• 👩🏼‍💻 Access any scene with scenes["SCENE NAME"] (More info: https://docs.cogs.show/custom-code/#expression-context)
• 🕐 Added timer.duration and timer.remaining (More info: https://docs.cogs.show/custom-code/#expression-context)
• 💅🏼 Custom code font rendering improvements

Custom Plugin improvements

• 💄 External plugins can now use custom icons
• 🌐 External plugins can now open links in the browser
• Prefer loading cogs-plugin-manifest.js over cogs-plugin-manifest.json (More info: https://docs.cogs.show/plugins/custom/)

Fixes

• 🔧 Allow custom Media Master content from sub-folders
• 🔧 Create any missing folders when loading a project
• 🔧 Prevent scenes from growing and changing width in Live view
• 🔧 Fix UI glitch on If/Then/Otherwise action
• 🔧 Plugin actions are only shown for enabled plugins
• 🔧 Fix pre-show Notes empty when loading project
• 🔧 Black background for Media Master simulator
• 🔧 Fixed issue where Media Masters "Paired with Display" couldn't select the audio output
• 🔧 Fix timer changing after undo
• 🔧 Fixes for timer syncing
• 🔧 Allow importing multiple media files from Import button
• 🔧 Fix plugin states reset by undo
• 🔧 Fix show variable widget value in a scene
• 🔧 Fix "Start on login" on Windows opening old COGS version
• 🔧 Fix Linux app updates
• 🔧 Fix app settings not saved when project closed
• 🔧 Show errors on loop action
• 🔧 Fix for Set Variable widget on scene dashboards referencing show variables
• 🔧 Fix for showing COGS license correctly in Settings page

Bonus content

• 🌎 Try COGS on the web at https://demo.cogs.show/

Fixes

• 🐛 Ensure serial number for machine running COGS can always be accessed, even on slow Windows machines
• 🔉 Make sure the correct audio output is used on a Media Master when audio is played immediately after COGS launches
• ❌ Show manifest errors for custom media master content

Fixes

• 🔧 Fix for serial number falling back to MAC address too early
• 🔧 Fix custom plugins not receiving updates

What’s New

• 🪣 Update Channels and Update Variables actions have now been merged into an Update Values action
• 📋 Option to duplicate a variable
• 💅🏼 Tidy up of the Media Master settings page
• ⏩ Option to partially preload all videos on a Media Master so they start playing faster
• 👬🏼 OSC messages can be sent to multiple hosts
• ⚠️ Show firewall warning on Windows when no remote Masters are connected
• 📱 Support for iOS and Android Media Master clients
• ☁️ Media Master firmware OTA upgrade (Requires firmware v4.7 and above)
• 🎨 New splash screen layout

Improvements

• 📓 Show notes are shown when the project is first opened
• 👋🏼 Example show notes for new projects
• 🏇🏼 Performance improvements in “Setup” view
• 🎨 Use purple as default background colour for Media Master
• 💬 Allow numbers and booleans to be sent as text hints

Improvements for Custom Media Master and Plugin Developers

• 🔘 Custom channels are no more! Instead, custom Media Masters and Plugins have “state” that can be update directly from an Update Values action
• ➡️ Custom Media Master and Plugin states can be set to a variable, channel, or other device state.
• 📺 Custom Media Masters content now require a cogs-plugin-manifest.json file to determine what state and events can be set. State can be set by COGS, the custom content, or both. Learn more
• ⚠️ Custom Media Master and Plugins will warn you of configuration errors.
• 🧩 Plugin icon and description are not required

Custom Code Improvements

• 🕐 now() gives you a UTC timestamp in milliseconds. Works great with the Google Sheets Plugin.
• 👩🏼‍💻 Scene values can reference any other scene value in custom code

Fixes

• 🔧 Fixed some issues with COGS getting stuck when starting and closing
• 🔧 Picking a value for a channel or value does not allow you to select one of the wrong type
• 🔧 “Default value” option does not require a minimum or maximum to be set
• 🔧 Starting a behaviour A with just a delay from behaviour B made behaviour B pause incorrectly
• 🔧 show.time_elapsed was often 0 even the show was running
• 🔧 Audio Output option missing for non-custom Media Masters using firmware v4.6
• 🔧 “Stop Behaviour” actions are updated when a behaviour is renamed
• 🔧 Allow decimal channel speeds for servos
• 🔧 Fix crash when searching for comma/space in icon selector
• 🔧 Fix video preview fit
• 🔧 Fix custom code with brackets updated incorrectly when upgrading a project
• 🔧 Show Media Master audio output errors
• 🔧 PC serial number workaround for $(DEFAULT_STRING) and FEFEFEFE-FEFE-FEFE-FEFE-FEFEFEFEFEFE
• 🔧 Fix “stop all” for custom content with video/audio/images
• 🔧 Plugin action errors are shown as project errors
• 🔧 Fix characters encoding problem on splash screen
• 🔧 Show project error when sending device event with invalid option value
• 🔧 Fix app hanging when closing if internet connection is not stable
• 🔧 Audio fixes for looping clips and pausing clips with a fade out

Improvements

• ↔️ OSC commands can be sent to multiple hosts on the same port by separating host addresses with a comma. This can be used for sending OSC commands to a backup system, for example.

New features

• 🔊 Select between HDMI, 3.5mm and USB audio output on Media Masters. (Requires Media Master v4.6. Contact us to update.)
• 🎲 Pick a random value when updating a channel or variable
• ❔ COGS help and tutorials are available from the application menu
• 📋 Add option to duplicate a channel

Improvements

• 🍎 COGS for Apple Silicon has arrived! It runs much faster than the previous (Intel) version on M1/M2 chips. Download here.
• ⚡ Performance improvements in "Setup" mode
• 🕐 Time of Day plugin for triggering action at a certain time of day
• 🌍 HTTP plugin for sending HTTP requests to a server

Fixes

• 🔧 Fix error when creating a new project
• 💬 Hints will show new lines on Media Masters

Custom code changes

• 👩🏼‍💻Variables, channels, and events are now "User Values"
• 👩🏼‍💻channel has been renamed to channels
• 👩🏼‍💻box has been renamed to devices
• 👩🏼‍💻 New randomValue function
• 👩🏼‍💻Fixed error when using filter expressions e.g. array[.key == true]

Custom code in your project will be automatically updated.
Learn more

Custom screen developer changes

• New RTSP streaming API for video feeds (Library version 1.4+)
  • Javascript
  • React

Plugin developer changes

• 🧩 Plugins can send events to COGS (e.g. Time of Day plugin)
• 🧩 Plugins can show/hide a window
• 🧩 Plugin developers can open dev tools

New features

• 🪄 Menu option to start COGS at login
• 👉🏼 Menu option to skip COGS app updates
• 👂🏼 Listen for incoming OSC messages with the OSC Message Received behaviour trigger
• 🧩 COGS now supports plugins which work just like custom Media Master content.
  Currently we have two plugins which can be downloaded from https://docs.cogs.show/plugins
  • 💡 Set a "scene" on a Philips Hue gateway with a COGS action
  • 🔲 Insert a row into a Google Sheet with a COGS action
    Contact us for help with plugins or if you want to make your own.

Improvements

• ⬆️ COGS app updates:
  • COGS continues loading if app update not accepted in one minute
  • Shows progress bar when downloading
  • Installs as soon as it's downloaded
• ⬆️ Project upgrades: (When your project is incompatible with a new COGS version)
  • Prompt to confirm you want to upgrade your project
  • Create a backup file in the backups folder
• 💅🏼 macOS installer looks nicer
• ❔ Show error when a channel is patched to a custom port that does not exist
• 💾 Prevent project file corruption if the project fails to save
• 💅🏼 New icon for DMX
• 📜 Previous COGS releases are available at https://docs.cogs.show/releases

Fixes

• 💻 More stable serial numbers. Fixes a handful of installations drifting between licenses
• 🔊 Audio/video files with ? in the name play correctly
• 🔧 Certain names for Media Masters were causing potential local audio problems.
• 🔧 Fixed incorrect value type when custom Media Master event type changed

Fixes

• 🔧 Do not preload videos on Media Masters.
  • This fixes a crash on Media Masters when the project contains a lot of videos and runs out of memory.
  • Note that videos will take a fraction of a second longer to start playing, just as with COGS v4.6.X.

New features

• 🔊 Re-designed Media panel including: thumbnails, what's playing now, preview with loop, import button
• ⏭️ New option to “Delay until finished/stopped” when playing audio or video files
• 👀 When COGS is open it will prevent your system from going to sleep which can interrupt a game. When the show is in progress it will also prevent your display from turning off.
• ❔ Help icon in custom code boxes to take you straight to docs
• 🖥️ Use a screen connected to your computer instead of a Media Master
• 🪄 Option to automatically start your show when COGS launches
• 🔁 Option to automatically restart your show when it ends
• 🟢 A Media Master now indicates when it is initialising with a flashing green light in COGS

Other updates

• 🧠 The selected “Output” is remembered when navigating away from the Media setup panel
• 🎞️ Videos are now more intelligently cached on a Media Master meaning they will start playing faster.
• ❕ New “Toggle value” option for any True/False style channels or variables. This will update to be the opposite of whatever the current value is.
• 🎨 You can now pick from many more icons for your dashboard buttons by searching for a keyword
• 🎲 New random() function allows you to set channels or variables to random values. Currently this is only possible in “Custom values” and requires some custom code but soon will be possible straight from the standard dropdown. See docs here: https://docs.cogs.show/custom-code/
• 🧑🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏼 When duplicating a scene, scene references within its actions will be updated to reference the new scene name.
• ➰ Default Loop condition is now “Until Stopped”
• 📂 Improved how directory names are rendered when picking assets

Fixes

• 🔧 Alignment of overlay when dragging files into the Media panel was wrong when the list had been scrolled
• 🔧 There was an issue rendering Media filenames that started with a number
• 🔧 Issue where sometimes an audio clip wouldn’t stop playing
• 🔧 Issue where actions referencing custom Media Master events could lose their data when making changes to that Media
• 🔧 Fixed a crash that could happen when RFID reader widgets on a dashboard were linked to channels of the wrong type.
• 🚀 This update features a number of big performance improvements that will make complicated project packs run more smoothly.

New

• 🖌️ Show background image on Media Master
• 💬 Show text tints on Media Master.
• ⌛ Show timer on Media Master
• 💬 Behaviours can be triggered by a text hint
• 🅰️ Select custom font and placement for Media Master timer and text hints

Fixed

• 🔧 Fix loading fonts with special characters
• 🔧 Hide value on send client event if the type is 'None'
• 🔧 DMX editor layout fixes

Improved

• Removed some redunant data from project packs
• Custom code can use undefined

New

• 🎫 Warn when COGS licence has expired in account info window

Fixes

• 🔧 Updated signing certificate for Windows
• 🔧 Various minor fixes

New features

• New "Image" actions allow you to show and hide images on Media Masters connected to screens. Images always appear on top, so can be layered on top of videos.
• "Setup" and "Dashboard" tabs are now available whilst a show is in progress. This allows you to quickly iterate and edit behaviours whilst creating your show.
• Buttons in the show dashboard can now be enabled before the show starts, allowing things like custom reset behaviours.
• You can now open multiple Simulator windows at once
• Video stop/pause/set volume actions no longer take a file path as only one video can be playing at a time anyway
• Audio Stop All action now takes a target you can stop all audio on a specific Media Master
• You can now see the last sent hint when using the Text Hints plugin
• UI improvements in the Text Hints section
• Sending text hints now adds a message to the Console
• New show lifecycle events available when building custom Media Master content
• Improved interface for setting custom client events and referring to them in behaviours
• It is now faster when pressing "Test Show"
• OSC can now be temporarily disabled to prevent outgoing messages until it's enabled again
• OSC message input box is now wider making it easy to type long messages
• Improved error checking in States Match behaviours when using Scene Variables
• Improved display for audio clip paths in Audio actions so you can see what has been selected when the clip paths are long
• When developing custom content, the Chrome dev tools will open when opening a simulator allowing you to more easily debug and set the screen resolution etc
• New projects create a client_content folder
• Set a sensible default output for image/video actions
• Don't create backup files when migrating for release version
• Pre-show behaviours UI tweak

Improvements

• Motor Channels:
  • New Motor Channels default to full speed
  • Motor Channels now have a "acceleration time" option for smoothly changing speed
  • Motor Channels have a "stop behaviour" which can be set to "freewheel" or "brake"
• Audio/video Media Masters will hide the mouse cursor (in case you're using touch screens)
• A number of performance improvements for projects with high-frequency updates.

Fixes

• Fixed RFID antenna gain not being saved to the project pack
• A behaviour with a Delay action inside two nested action blocks (e.g. a Loop within an If) is now "stoppable" from other behaviours
• If the hardware serial number changes, the COGS license verification now recovers rather than getting stuck at the "Validating" stage
• Fix for Media Masters not always receiving correct media messages

First public release!