The Programmer
The live layer you work in.
The programmer is where you work. Every value you set in the Functions panel and every effect you start goes into it. It is a live layer that sits on top of your scenes and the timeline.
It sits above the scenes
Because the programmer sits above the scenes, its values win. You can grab any fixture and take manual control at any moment, even while a scene runs.
It can also be the reason that a scene you just stored doesn't seem to play. Your live values are still sitting on top of it. Clear the programmer and the scene appears.
Storing
Storing a step captures whatever the programmer currently holds, values and effects.
Clearing the programmer
Clear programmer empties the programmeron the first click by default, and then clears the fixture selection. This can be changed in the Settings.
Sneak out fades the programmer's values down to what the layers below would render and clears it afterwards. Use it during a show to get rid of a look without a sudden jump.
Disable selected in the Tricks window releases only the selected fixtures and leaves the rest of the programmer alone.
Blind Edit
Blind Edit keeps the programmer and the timeline preview out of the output. You can prepare a look, or fix a scene, without any of it being rendered.