Melvin Strobl
4286acadfd
A device reports its board, screen, camera and ports from its own credential (16 KB, schema 1, replacing the last report), and the flows are validated against it again. The node panel turns a reported port's config schema into a form, a reported screen is a canvas preset and a touch screen's first report turns Touch friendly on. An offline device node is degraded: amber on the canvas, a warning on Home, never a fault.
168 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
168 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
# The flow editor
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Build a flow by naming its messages and configuring its nodes. Fluksio draws
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the connections and arranges the canvas for you.
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## The canvas
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The graph runs left to right on desktop and top to bottom on phones. On a
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phone, at most two nodes sit side by side and the rest wrap onto the rows
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below, so a large flow grows downwards in one column.
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- **Nodes** show their execution status.
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- **Edges** are routed around the nodes, a loop back to an earlier node
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included, and pulse when values pass through. Click one to inspect its
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payload.
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- **Endpoints** show flow inputs, dashboard widgets and nodes in other flows
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that exchange messages with this flow. A value passing lights
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one up in a sweep: left to right when it sends into the flow, right to left
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when it reads out of it.
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- **Clicking an endpoint** shows a flow input's type, starting value and
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current value, with a pencil that opens the flow settings to edit it. A node
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in another flow opens that flow on the label leading back here, with its
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edges highlighted.
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Values update over a websocket. A connection banner tells you when the editor
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cannot reach the engine.
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## Adding a node
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Choose **Add node** in the bottom dock, or use ⌘P / Ctrl-P. The command palette
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also jumps between flows and offers reusable nodes. Select a type to add it
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and open its settings.
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## The node panel
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**Consumes** and **Provides** declare the node's ports. Each has a port name,
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payload type, bound message and delivery interval. Outputs also have a
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streaming toggle.
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A **Device** node stands for a paired device instead: pick the device, then
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its ports under **Publishes** and **Follows** (see
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[the device's own ports](dashboards.md#the-devices-own-ports)). A device that
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reports its ports offers them in a list with their type filled in and a form
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for the settings each one reads, and the command palette offers each one as a
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shortcut, such as *Hallway camera*.
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Message fields suggest existing names. Matching an output's message is how
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you connect an input.
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A blank port-name field follows the message's last segment. Set a port name
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to keep the argument name fixed while changing its message binding. Names use
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letters, digits and `_`, cannot start with a digit, and must be unique among
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the node's inputs or outputs.
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Renaming an output's message updates its consumers in the flow. Changing an
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input binding points that input at a different message.
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### Settings
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Built-in nodes show forms for their configuration. Credential fields offer
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stored [secrets](operations.md#secrets). JSON settings open a larger editor
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and save only when the value parses.
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Function nodes also let you add settings passed as arguments alongside the
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ports. See [Where a node's values come from](../concepts/values.md).
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**Timeout** on a Function node limits silence, not total duration. A node
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yielding regularly can run longer than its timeout. Empty or `0` means no
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limit, the default.
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**Resources** selects a shared worker pool, a named flavor or custom CPU,
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memory and GPU requirements. Placement by `worker` and `worker_policy` is
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configured through the API or flow JSON; see [Remote workers](../code/workers.md).
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### Code and reuse
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Define `process(...)` in **Code**. If the file instead contains exactly one
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public function, Fluksio uses that function.
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Code saves as you type. ⌘S / Ctrl-S in the code editor saves immediately;
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**Publish** applies ordinary node code to the running flow. Generated code
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from `fluksio sync` is read-only: edit its source repository and sync again.
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Only superusers can add or edit code-running nodes. Other users can read code
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and configure permitted built-in nodes.
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**Reuse** shares node code as a library entry. Saving shared code takes effect
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immediately in every flow using it, so check its users before changing it.
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## The flow panel
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Open **Flow settings** from the pencil button in the dock.
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| Setting | Purpose |
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| **Running** | starts or stops the published live flow's subscriptions, schedules and webhooks |
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| **Mode** | chooses continuous `live` operation or requested `batch` runs |
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| **Inputs** | declares external messages, their starting values and whether a run or a panel writes them; run inputs become run parameters |
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| **Result** | selects batch output messages |
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| **Contents** | shows the node count and message namespace |
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For live inputs, **Publish this value now** sends the starting value immediately.
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Changing a stored starting value alone does not replace an existing message.
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## Inspecting an edge
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Click an edge to see its latest payload, timestamp and recent numeric history.
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Republish its value from the producer to run downstream nodes without waiting
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for the next sensor reading.
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## The dock
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| Control | Action |
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| **Add node** | opens the command palette |
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| **Fit to screen** | fits the graph; desktop only |
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| **Run** | executes the current live flow once; for batch flows, asks for run parameters |
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| **Pause / Resume** | holds or releases pending work while values still arrive |
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| **Step** | releases one held item while paused |
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| **Flow settings** | opens the flow panel |
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| **Publish** | puts the saved draft live |
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| **Discard** | removes unpublished changes |
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| **Issues** | lists problems by node |
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| **Logs** | shows filterable node output |
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**Run** uses the current draft when one exists without publishing it. It
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executes real node code, including device and network actions. To try a single
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value in a live flow, publish it from a flow input or edge inspector.
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Pause and step are useful for inspecting held work. They do not make a draft
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run a simulation.
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## Shortcuts
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Use ⌘ on macOS and Ctrl elsewhere.
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| Shortcut | Action |
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| ⌘P / Ctrl-P | command palette |
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| ⌘S / Ctrl-S | publish the flow; inside the code editor, save code |
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| ⌘Z / Ctrl-Z | undo a graph edit |
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| ⌘⇧Z / Ctrl-Shift-Z | redo a graph edit |
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| ⌘C / Ctrl-C | copy selected nodes |
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| ⌘V / Ctrl-V | paste nodes, including into another flow |
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Text fields and the code editor keep their own undo and clipboard behavior.
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## Drafts, conflicts and issues
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Edits are saved as drafts. The engine keeps running the published version until
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you publish; shared code follows the exception above. **Discard** returns to
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the published version. Delete a never-published flow to remove it.
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If another editor saved the same flow, a stale save or publish returns a
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conflict. Reload and review their changes before retrying.
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The canvas reports unconnected inputs, missing starting values, cycles and
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code-load errors. These prevent the affected flow from running. Unauthenticated
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webhooks are advisory; runtime node-health problems clear when the node
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recovers. A degraded node, such as a device node whose device is offline, is
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marked amber: it is a warning, and the flow keeps running. See [Flow issues](../concepts/flows.md#when-a-flow-needs-attention).
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## See also
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- [Flows, nodes and messages](../concepts/flows.md)
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- [Node types](../reference/node-types.md)
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- [Writing node code](../code/nodes.md)
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