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Open and closed status
How Q&A decides whether the form is accepting questions.
Open and closed status
At any moment, Q&A is either open or closed. The submit form is only active when Q&A is open. The decision follows a clear precedence — override first, automatic flags second.
The decision tree
-
No active event in the room → the form is hidden with "Q&A starting soon". This isn't technically "closed" — the room just isn't running an event yet.
-
Override = Closed → Q&A is closed, regardless of what cues or shows are doing.
-
Override = Open → Q&A is open, regardless of what cues or shows are doing.
-
Override = Auto (the default) → Q&A opens automatically when:
- The active cue is a Q&A cue (cue type "Q&A"), or
- The active show is marked as a Q&A show
If neither is true, Q&A is closed.
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| No event running | Hidden ("Q&A starting soon") |
| Override = Closed | Closed |
| Override = Open | Open |
| Auto + active cue is Q&A type | Open |
| Auto + active show is a Q&A show | Open |
| Auto + neither applies | Closed |
The override
The override is set from the moderator panel in director view — three buttons in the Q&A panel header: Auto, Open, Closed. Only Directors, Associate Directors, and Owners can change it; Q&A Moderators see the current state but cannot modify it.
Tip
Automatic via cue and show
When the override is on Auto, two things can trigger Q&A to open:
A Q&A cue becoming active — the "Q&A" built-in cue type (amber). When the director advances to a Q&A cue, Q&A opens automatically. When that cue advances away, Q&A closes — unless a Q&A show is also active.
A Q&A show becoming active — any show with the "Q&A show" toggle enabled. Q&A opens when the show starts and closes when it ends.
The two conditions are OR'd: either one is enough to open Q&A. If you have a Q&A show active and a Q&A cue active at the same time, Q&A is open. When both end, it closes.
Note
See Q&A shows and Q&A cues for how to set these up.