Wiring System

Wires connect nodes together to define both the order of execution and the flow of data.

Wire Types

There are two fundamentally different types of wires in the Architect:

Flow Wires

Flow wires control execution order — they determine when a node runs.

• Color: ⚪ Light gray / white (#D9DEE7)
• Thickness: 2.8pt (thicker than data wires)
• Connects a Flow Output to a Flow Input.
• Represents: "After this node finishes, run that node."

[On Start] ──flow──▶ [Simple AI] ──flow──▶ [Speak]

Data Wires

Data wires pass values between nodes — strings, booleans, JSON objects, images.

• Color: Varies by data type (see table below)
• Thickness: 2.45pt
• Connects a Data Output to a Data Input.
• Represents: "Use this value as input."

[Text Area]
     │ data (green)
     ▼
[Simple AI] ←── "Prompt" input receives the text

Port & Wire Colors

Each data type has a distinct color, making it easy to trace data flow visually:

Data Type	Port Color	Hex	Used For
Flow	⚪ White / Light Gray	#D9DEE7	Execution order
String	🟢 Green	#34C759	Text, prompts, commands
Boolean	🟠 Amber	#FF9F0A	True/false conditions
Any	🟣 Purple	#7B61FF	Generic data (numbers, objects, JSON)
Image	🔵 Sky Blue	#0EA5E9	Image data for multimodal AI

NOTE

The Reroute node is a special pass-through that adapts its color. If connected to a flow chain, it becomes white. If connected to a string output, it becomes green. This is resolved dynamically by tracing the source type.

Connection Compatibility

Wires enforce type safety. The rules are defined in the PortDataType.isCompatible() function:

Rule	Explanation
Flow ↔ Flow	✅ Flow ports can only connect to other flow ports.
Same Type ↔ Same Type	✅ String→String, Boolean→Boolean, Image→Image all work.
Any ↔ Any Data Type	✅ Any accepts or provides any data type (not flow).
Flow ↔ Data	❌ Never allowed. Flow and data are fundamentally separate.
String ↔ Boolean	❌ Mismatched data types cannot connect.

IMPORTANT

The Any type is flexible but cannot carry Flow. If you need to pass both execution order and a value, use separate flow and data wires.

Creating Wires

1. Click and drag from any port (input or output).
2. A dashed preview wire follows your cursor.
3. Drop on a compatible port to complete the connection.

Incompatible targets will not accept the wire — the preview wire will not snap.

Magnetic Snapping

When your cursor is within ~50px of a valid target port, the wire snaps automatically.

Cancel

Drop in empty space or press Escape to cancel a wire in progress.

Editing Wires

Reconnect an Existing Wire

1. Drag from an input port that already has a wire connected.
2. The existing wire detaches and follows your cursor.
3. Drop on a new compatible source port.

Delete a Wire

• Select the wire (click on it) and press Delete or Backspace.

Split a Wire

• Double-click on an existing wire to insert a Reroute node, splitting the wire into two segments. This helps organize long or crossing wires.

Best Practices

1. Keep wires short: Use Reroute nodes to clean up long wire runs.
2. Separate flow from data: Flow wires (white) should form a clear left-to-right chain. Data wires (colored) should branch off clearly.
3. Use Groups: Wrap related node clusters in groups to reduce visual noise.