What Can Be Merged
Three columns take merges. In the scene schedule, LOCATIONS and NOTES. In the cast table, SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS. Five scenes at the same house need the address once, and three performers going to the same fitting need one instruction. Stand-in and background REMARKS cannot be merged.
Selecting the Cells
Click the first cell. Shift-click the last one to take in everything between. Ctrl-click (Cmd-click on a Mac) adds or drops a single cell. In LOCATIONS and NOTES you can also drag the small blue square at the bottom right of the selection down the column. Once two or more are selected, a bar appears reading N cells selected.
Merging and Unmerging
Right-click the selection.
| Column | Merge | Unmerge |
|---|---|---|
| LOCATIONS, NOTES | Merge N Cells, or Merge cells on the selection bar | Right-click the merged cell, then Unmerge Cells |
| SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS | Merge Cells | Right-click the merged cell, then Unmerge |
What Happens to the Text
Nothing is thrown away. The merged cell holds the text of every cell in the group, top to bottom, one per line. Empty cells add nothing, and text repeated in several rows appears once. Tidy the result by double-clicking the merged cell. After that the group behaves as one cell. Unmerge splits the rows again, and each row keeps the text the merged cell had when you merged. Edits made while merged stay in the top row only.
On the Page
A merged cell spans its rows and sits centred in them. The printed call sheet and the PDF show it exactly as the screen does. A banner row inside a merged LOCATIONS group, such as LUNCH or a company move, runs under the merged cell and does not break it. The advance schedule shows the next day's merged locations too, read from that day's own call sheet. You cannot merge in the advance schedule.
Moving Rows Around a Merge
Merges are saved on the call sheet by row position. Insert or delete a row inside a merged group and the group grows or shrinks with it. A group cut down to one row stops being a merge. Rows above a group push it up or down.
- Dragging a scene into the middle of a merged group is blocked with "Cannot reorder here". Unmerge first
- Re-importing the schedule replaces the rows but not the merges. Check every merged cell after an import
- Cast SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS merges follow the table order. If performers are added or the order changes, check the merge still covers the right people