************
Introduction
************

.. figure:: /images/editors_dopesheet_overview.jpg
   :width: 400px

   The Dope Sheet.


Classical hand-drawn animators often made a chart, showing exactly when each drawing,
sound and camera move would occur, and for how long. They nicknamed this the "dope sheet".
While CG foundations dramatically differ from classical hand-drawn animation,
Blender's *Dope Sheet* inherits a similar directive.
It gives the animator a "birds-eye-view" of every thing occurring within a scene.


Dope Sheet Modes
================

.. figure:: /images/editors_dopesheet_modes.jpg

   Dope Sheet Modes.


There are four basic views for the Dope Sheet. These all view different contexts of animation:

Dope Sheet
   The Dope Sheet Mode allow you to edit multiple actions at once.
Action Editor
   :doc:`Action Editor </editors/dope_sheet/action>` is where you can define and control actions.
Shape Key Editor
   :ref:`ShapeKey Editor <dope-sheet-shape-key>` is dedicated to the shape key data-blocks.
Grease Pencil
   :doc:`Grease Pencil </editors/dope_sheet/grease_pencil>` Mode is dedicated to
   the :doc:`grease pencil tool's </interface/grease_pencil/index>`
   keyframes for each :doc:`grease pencil layer </interface/grease_pencil/drawing/layers>`,
   you have a strip along which you can grab its keys,
   and hence easily re-time your animated sketches.
Mask
   :ref:`Mask <dope-sheet-mask>` Mode is dedicated to the mask data-blocks.
Cache File
   Todo.


Interface
=========

The *Dope Sheet Editor* interface is somewhat similar to the *Graph Editor*
one, it is divided in three regions:

.. figure:: /images/editors_dopesheet_action-editor.png
   :width: 600px

   The Action Editor with object channels.


Header
------

Here you find the menus, a first block of controls related to the editor "mode",
a second one concerning the action data-blocks, and a few other tools
(like the copy/paste buttons, and snapping type).

Summary
   ToDo.


View Menu
^^^^^^^^^

Sync Markers
   Sync Markers with keyframe edits.

See Graph editor's :ref:`graph-view-menu`.


Marker Menu
^^^^^^^^^^^

See the :doc:`Markers page </animation/markers>`.


Key Menu
^^^^^^^^

Keyframe Type :kbd:`R`
   Sets the :ref:`keyframe-type` of the selected keyframes.

See :doc:`F-Curve </editors/graph_editor/fcurves/index>`.


Main Region
-----------

It contains the keyframes for all visible action channels.
As with the other "time" editor, the X-axis represents time.
The Y-axis has no mean in itself, unlike with the *Graph Editor*, it is a "stack" of action channels.

Each one being shown as an horizontal colored strip (of a darker shade "during" the animated/keyed period).
On these channel strips lay the keyframes, visualized as light-gray (unselected) or yellow (selected) diamonds.

One of the key feature of this editor is that it allow you to visualize immediately which channel (i.e. F-Curve)
is *really* affected. When the value of a given channel does not change at all between two neighboring keyframes
("long keyframes"), a gray (unselected) or yellow (selected) bar is drawn between them.
Similar bars are drawn between keyframes tagged as moving hold.


Channels Region
---------------

.. _fig-dope-sheet-action:

.. figure:: /images/editors_dopesheet_action-editor-sliders.png

   The Action editor's channels region.

See :doc:`/editors/graph_editor/channels`.