Flows are made by connecting nodes together in a specific order to generate a set of instructions for Giraffe to follow. Nodes connect together via a series of wires, which feed into and out of connectors.
Node Connectors
The “dots” on each flow node give a visual of the data flowing into and out of the node. There are different types of connectors for different types of information.
The connectors are generally organized with inputs being on the left and outputs being on the right. Output connectors are also called the "result."
Nodes that perform loops also have connectors on the bottom.
Connector Data Types
At their most basic, the connector colors are as follows:
Connector Type | Color | Purpose |
Feature | Green  | Processes Giraffe Features. Comes in two flavours, geospatially projected, or in xy coordinates (in flow we call them cartesians). |
Object | Yellow  | In object-oriented programming (OOP), objects are the units of code that are derived from the design process. |
number | Red  | Processes raw data in number (double) format. In coding, a "double" is a data type used to store decimal numbers (floating-point numbers) with a high degree of precision, typically offering more decimal places than a "float" data type; essentially, it allows for more accurate representation of fractional values in calculations. |
string | Purple  | Process raw data is string format. A string is a data type that represents text or code as a sequence of characters, words, or symbols. |
vector | Pink  | Vectors are composed of discrete geometric locations (x, y values) known as vertices that define the shape of the spatial object. |
boolean | Blue  | A true/false binary |
any | Grey  | Can be any data type - string, integer, or double. A modular input for transforms that accept multiple variable types. |
Single Object vs List
Node connectors can process data as either single objects or as lists.
If a node generates (output) or expects (input) a single object, the node connector label will be a single letter with no brackets.
If the node connector either works with or generates a list of objects, the node connector will have a single letter, followed by double brackets [].
Wires
Wires tell the computer in what order to operate the transforms in the nodes. This is where we get the name “Flow” - the resulting visual program looks like a flow chart!
Flows operate by following wire connections from left to right, starting with the Read (blue) input node, and ending with one or more Write (yellow) output node(s).
Connecting Connectors
Click on start node output connector and then end node input connector to connect.
Remember the connector colors we discussed above? Generally, you can expect to connect purple to purple, green to green, grey to grey, etc.
Multiple Wires in a single connector
All output connectors can support multiple wires leading to other nodes. This allows you to create branching logic from one input.
The default is to allow one input to each input connector. Override this with shift + click to add multiple inputs to a single connector.
Remember, only connectors that process lists can accept multiple wires!
Delete Connections
To remove a connection, click the wire, then del on your keyboard.
Connections are also automatically deleted when a node is deleted from the canvas.
Inspect Data Flow
Click the Inspection icon (the spectacles) in the toolbar to inspect data flow.
The wires will display the color of the type of data flowing through them.
This is a great way to troubleshoot. For example:
If a connector expects a number (red) but is being fed an Object (yellow), the node may not function as expected, or may throw and error.