Front Button Modes
The hardware side of the front button is documented in Front Button. This page covers the Studio side: how to configure it, when to use each mode, and how it interacts with shows and Logic Rules.
Setting the mode
- Open the controller in Studio.
- Configuration tab → System Configuration → Front Button Mode.
- Pick a mode. Save.
The new mode pushes to the controller right away.
The four modes
Stop (default)
A short press stops the currently playing show on this controller and returns to the ambient routine.
This is the safest default. It's an "emergency stop" that anyone can press without doing damage. Useful for installs where staff need a fast way to kill a single controller's show.
Use when: you want a kill button that any operator can use; you want a way for a tour guide to stop a specific controller without affecting others.
Trigger
A short press fires the show you've assigned to the front button.
When you set this mode, Studio surfaces a Show picker where you choose which show to fire. Press the button — the show plays.
Use when: you want demo modes ("press the button to see a sample of every effect"), walkthrough rehearsal cues, or a manual-fire backup for a sensor that's acting up.
Safety Lock
A short press toggles a software lock that prevents new shows from being triggered on the controller. Already-playing shows continue to play to completion.
The status LED indicates the locked state, and Studio shows a lock badge on the controller.
Use when: maintenance windows, daytime hours in a haunt, walk-throughs where you don't want sensors firing scenes.
Hard Lock
A short press toggles a stronger lock: all playback stops immediately and nothing can play until the lock is released. Even Manual Control and Live Preview are blocked.
Use when: electrical work, repairs, construction inside an attraction. Hard Lock turns a controller into a brick until someone explicitly unlocks it.
Interaction with Logic Rules
When the mode is Trigger, the front button shows up as an input in the Logic Rules editor. You can use it as the input to any rule, just like a wired input.
When the mode is anything else, the front button is filtered out of the Logic Rules input picker — you can't accidentally bind a rule to a button that's set to do something else. If you change the mode back to Trigger, any rule that was previously bound to the button will need to be re-wired.
Interaction with Manual Control
The front button doesn't fire Logic Rules during Manual Control — you're driving the channels directly. Pressing the front button while Manual Control is active does the basic mode behavior (Stop, Safety Lock, Hard Lock) but doesn't fire any rules.