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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.
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| 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.
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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.
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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.