So as has been mentioned in the training stream, signaling is a very destructive process that requires all of the tracks to be final before proceeding. In practice, it seems like every signal placed immediately before the altered or added section of track (in sense that you could drive from it to the new section without passing another signal) gets it's route paths wiped. You basically have to place all of the signals and then program all of them at once. This begs the question, how would you go about making a route in sections? Either because you are inexperienced or because your route is just that long. For now, it seems like there are three options: 1.) Lay all the track you'll ever need at once. Up to your final quality standard. 2.) Note all the signals that get wiped with the first piece of track-section (which might be all exit signals at a large station), then reload to note their routing data and re-apply it when done. 3.) Extend your initial route to a pair of block signals, which have no route paths and therefore have nothing that could be wiped.
As far as i know not everything gets wiped when you extend the route. Only the block from the last signal to the track end. So if you extend the route you need to fill the track section and the extended route gets filled and you can configure those signals. But f you press clear all and then fill you need to configure every signal on the route again.
*facepalm* If I don't have a block signal after the station exit signals, they can't have any configuration anyway (and will only ever show a red light) so none of this matters. Only case where it would matter is a junction station where you have signals set up for one exit direction and want to make a branch line. btw. I'm starting with an 8km mid-section on a 30km route. Totally new into the proper route-building.
Reviving this thread after quite a while, as I'm currently working on placing signals and configuring them and immediately run into some stuck red signals. Well, that is at least a pretty good information I think. I didn't know that and had a different impression that the complete routing table would be cleared once altering the tracks in any way anywhere. So that's nice to know that not all need to be redone. But I still didn't completely understand the thing how to procedually work with the routing table, the dependencies from one signal to another and how this all can be destroyed if done wrong. Could you all elaborate first what you both exactly mean with programming/configuring the signals? What is all needed for that exactly? I'm just aware of what Lukas did in the masterclass video and the section "Defining Signal Properties" at 1:48:30 onwards, especially the parameter under the "Edit Property" button under the section "Network Signal Component" in the Details tab. But a question a very important question here, do you mean that this Signal Property Reference ID for the signal is the one which is wiped if tracks are altered or is something else? Now my further questions regarding the "Clear All" and "Fill" buttons. So you mean if I press on "Clear All" the Signal Property Reference IDs of all signals on the entire route do get wiped? Why does that happen and why Dovetail even implemented this very risky option then? I mean one accidental click on it would destroy hours of work. Is it to use it for the worst case scenario and you have a bugging signal which simply won't work as a kind of last step of survival (even if it can take hours - dependent upon the size of the route - to recreate the complete table of the signals)? What happens if I just press on "Fill", don't all signals then get wiped also because the track sections are newly placed? Also very important: What happens if just the signal properties of an invididual signal is wiped in a network of working signal? Is it that easy to simply reconfigure the signal ID and properties or do in this case also all surrounding signal do not work anymore because of the dependencies amongst signals? Kind of complicated mind thoughts, but I'm sure you kind of understand what I mean. Thank in advance!!!
