Unit Anatomy

An onCore Unit can be seen as a graphical representation of a function (as in traditional programming). It has one or several attributes and abilities.

Specifications of an onCore Unit

Units have attributes which can be modified by the user or other Units.
Units can exchange data via Cables. Think of them as small 'tunnels' where data can travel between the Units.
Cables are usually connected/disconnected by the user, but there are also situations where Cables between Units are automatically re-created.
On the right and/or left side of each Unit there are small circles and triangles. These are the connection points of Cables and they are called Trigger Ports, Input Ports and Output Ports.

Simplified Example of an onCore Unit

On the left is a very simple example of a Unit. It just adds two numbers and provides the result.
Trigger Ports are omitted in this example, they are explained in the chapter → Unit Triggers & Events.

Unit Ports

There are three types of Ports:

Trigger Port: Trigger the execution of the Unit (= Execute Trigger) or the next Unit which is connected to the outgoing Trigger (= Complete Trigger). See chapter → Unit Triggers & Events.
Input Port: These Ports accept data from the User or other Units. They can also represent the attributes of a Unit. Not all Input Ports can be modified by the User, some of them only accept data from other Units as their input, i.e. a Cable has to be connected to them (for example Structure-based Units). See chapter → Unit Attributes.
Output Port: These Ports output data and may be connected to other Units.

Unit Types

Units can roughly be categorized in three types. Of course the exception proves the rule.

Unit Type	Description	Example
Provider Unit	They only have one or multiple Output Ports and "provide" something.	Variable Getter, System Timestamp
Processing Unit	They have one or multiple Input and Output Ports and process or modify their input.	String Replace, String to Time
Consumer Unit	They only have one or multiple Input Ports and "consume" data.	Print String, Variable Setter

Unit Interaction Example

Here's a simplified schematic on how Units can interact with each other. Trigger Ports are omitted in this example, they are explained in the chapter → Unit Triggers & Events.

The data and execution flow happens from left to right. That means that Cables cannot transmit data "backwards" and also the execution flow cannot happen backwards.

Unit Anatomy & Ports