---
title: Building Your Sequence
description: "Astro PM replaces the middle of your NINA sequence – the part that decides what to shoot – while your usual startup and shutdown instructions stay exactly as they are. This page shows the recommended sequence shape. ### The Building…"
url: "https://astro-pm.com/docs/building-your-sequence/"
updated: "2026-07-11"
category: Astro PM NINA Guide
---

# Building Your Sequence

Astro PM replaces the middle of your NINA sequence – the part that decides what to shoot – while your usual startup and shutdown instructions stay exactly as they are. This page shows the recommended sequence shape.

### The Building Blocks

The plugin adds these to the sequencer (category **Astro PM Tools**):

- **Astro PM Instructions** – the main container. At runtime it fetches targets, builds the night’s schedule, and executes it block by block.
- **Astro PM Nightly Loop** – a loop condition that keeps running while tonight’s schedule has blocks remaining (and holds the loop open until end-of-night flats finish).
- **Astro PM Daily Loop** – an outer loop condition for multi-night, fully unattended setups: it keeps the sequence alive while any active project still has remaining exposures.
- **Trigger sets** – Before/After Each Exposure and Before/After Target Change instruction boxes (see [Trigger Sets](/docs/trigger-sets-custom-instructions/)).

### Recommended Layout

A typical fully automated sequence:

1. **Sequence start** – unpark, cool camera, open dome/cover, connect guiding. All standard NINA instructions.
2. **A loop container** with the **Astro PM Nightly Loop** condition, containing the **Astro PM Instructions** container. Attach your triggers (autofocus, meridian flip, center after drift) to this parent container – Astro PM fires them between its own exposures exactly like NINA would.
3. **Sequence end** – warm camera, park, close. Again standard NINA.

For multi-night automation, wrap the whole night (including start/end instructions and a wait-for-dusk) in an outer container with the **Astro PM Daily Loop** condition.

![](https://astro-pm.com/wp-content/plugins/elementor/assets/images/placeholder.png)
Screenshot: a complete sequence layout

### What You No Longer Need

No per-target containers, no manual target lists, no juggling sequence files when priorities change. Change plans in the desktop app; the observatory picks them up on the next schedule build. The sequence file becomes a stable harness you rarely touch.