SongLeader

SongLeader is the primary module of the SwiftTec SongManager suite. It allows the worship/band/group leader full control over the songs to be used by the group for a given session. All the follower modules (used by the other group members) will automatically keep in sync with the leader.

Overview

The initial screen you will see is shown below. It consists of a number of basic areas.

The software is designed to be touchscreen friendly using larger, simple buttons and easy touch areas for song lists and songs. However it works equally well with a mouse and keyboard.

Control Panel

The top row is the control panel for the software which allows easy control of the software. It is divided into 3 sections.

Song Set Management	This section of the control bar allows song sets to be loaded, saved and cleared as well as songs added. New - Clear the current song set Load - Load a song set from a file Save - Save the current song set Save As - Save the current song set in a new file Add Song - Add a song to the end of the list from either the song database or a file Delete Song - Delete the currently selected song
Song Editing	Edit Sequence This button allows the play sequence of the current song to be edited. Click on the sections in the order in which they are to be played. When finished click the save sequence button. The sequence is saved in the SongSet and overrides any default sequence. To restore the default sequence Click on the Edit Sequence button and immediately on the Save Sequence button.
Transpose and Capo	This section allows keys to be changed up or down. When displaying chords the capo position can be moved up or down. The followers will automatically receive transpose updates but NOT capo updates. Note: Both transpose and capo settings are saved in the song set, but only for the leader.
General Controls	This section allows easy access to other functions. Select Profile Selecting this shows a list of profiles which can be applied to the song display area. The actual profile list will vary according to the loaded profiles. A number of profiles are supplied by default. Updates This section consists of a single button which controls whether or not updates are sent to the followers. When green updates are sent to the followers automatically for every change. Press this button to toggle the auto-updates status to manual. In manual mode you must press the enter key to send out a status change to the followers. Hint: As a leader it can be useful to click through songs when trying to decide what song to sing next. Turning off auto-updates temporarily can save a lot of updates on the follower screens. Mode Clicking on the Mode button toggles between 2 operation modes: Song mode - This is the default mode when selection operations (via space bar and arrow keys) operate on whole songs only, e.g space = goto next song Block mode - This mode causes selection operations to apply to song blocks (verses, chorus, etc). E.g. space = goto next block in the sequence Clear Text Clicking on this button clears the text from the screen. Pressing Esc from the keyboard performs this function. Pressing Esc a second time causes a blackout (see below). Blackout Clicking on this button blacks out the screen. Pressing Esc twice or pressing F12 from the keyboard performs this function

Song List

The song list will have 1 button for each song loaded in the set. Click on a song button to display the song in the song display area. If automatic updates are on followers will be informed of the song change.

Song Display

The song display shows the currently selected song or will be blank. When a song is selected it will be displayed so that it fits entirely within the screen size if possible. This is acheived using a combination of font size reduction and the use of multiple display columns.

If you click on a section of a song it will be highlighted on the leader and all follower screens. This can be useful if you want to perform an unscheduled repeat of a section. The highlight fades away after a short delay.

Followers

The number of followers is limited by the licence you purchased when you bought the software. For example, if you purchased a 5-user SongLeader licence this means that 5 followers can connect to the leader. Any followers trying to use more than the licenced limit will be shown a message indicating that there are no licences available. As soon as a follower relinquishes a licence by exiting the program one of the waiting followers will be granted a licence.