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Script node

A Script node runs a small Lua script and publishes the values it produces as live data. Wire it into a Text element and those values fill in the text's {placeholder} tokens — giving you a live clock, counter, score, ticker, or anything else you can compute. Scripts can also read live data from other nodes, fetch from the web, and even drive the A/B switcher automatically.

Add it: right‑click the empty canvas → Add Script Node (opens the Script Editor).

Scripting is an optional feature. If your build doesn't include Lua, the menu item won't appear.

How a script feeds text​

A script returns a table of named values. For example, a clock script:

-- Live clock
return {
  now  = os.date("%H:%M:%S"),
  date = os.date("%Y-%m-%d"),
}

Wire the Script node's Script Out port to a Text element's Data In port, and give the text a template like:

Time: {now}

Now {now} updates every time the script runs. One script can supply several values (now, date, …) to one or more text elements.

The Script Editor​

Opened when you create a Script node, or via the on‑node Edit button:

  • A preset list to start from: Live Clock, Counter, Greeting, Bitcoin Price, A/B Auto Switch, and Custom Script.
  • A code area with Lua syntax highlighting to edit or write your own.
  • A trigger setting that controls when the script re‑runs:
    • On input change — re‑run automatically whenever incoming data (from the Data In port) changes. This is the default and covers most live data.
    • Manual — only run when you tell it to.
  • A Run button to execute the script immediately and see the result: the output pane shows the JSON the script produced, and any parse or runtime error is shown inline so you can fix it fast.

Need something on a timer (e.g. refresh every few seconds)? Add a Trigger node and wire it into the script's Data In — its ticks drive the "On input change" trigger on a schedule.

Reading live data — the input table​

A Script node has a Data In port on the left. Wire other data producers into it — a Trigger node, an Audio Script node, or another Script node — and their values arrive in a global Lua table called input. If several producers are connected, their values are merged.

-- React to audio wired into Data In
return { level = string.format("%.0f%%", (input.level or 0) * 100) }

What scripts can do​

Scripts run in a sandboxed Lua environment with the standard base, string, math, table, and os libraries. In addition:

  • input — the merged live data from the Data In port (a table).
  • http.get(url [, timeoutMs]) — fetch a URL and return the response body as a string (default timeout 10 s). Handy for prices, scores, or feeds:
-- Simplified price ticker
local body = http.get("https://api.example.com/price")
return { price = body }
  • Return value = output. Return a table of named values (becomes the node's data), a string (used as‑is), or nothing (empty output).

Driving the A/B switcher​

A Script node can automate which clips go live. Wire its Script Out into an A/B Select node's Data In port and return which slots to send to each deck — by slot name (case‑insensitive) or 1‑based index:

-- Alternate two sources every run
counter = (counter or 0) + 1
if counter % 2 == 0 then
  return { a = "Intro", b = "Loop" }
else
  return { a = "Loop", b = "Intro" }
end

The built‑in A/B Auto Switch preset is a ready‑made starting point.

The node face​

The node shows Lua Script and its trigger and has:

  • an Edit button (or double‑click) to reopen the editor,
  • a Data In port (left) for incoming live data,
  • a teal Script Out port (right) to connect to text, an A/B Select node, or a shader,
  • right‑click → Run now to fire the script on demand, and Delete.

Typical uses​

  • A live clock or countdown rendered as styled text.
  • A counter or score you bump with a Manual trigger.
  • A ticker that pulls a value (like a price) via http.get on a Trigger node schedule.
  • Auto‑switching decks or shader parameters from live/audio data.

For richly designed graphics (animated scoreboards, branded frames) consider an HTML overlay instead — scripts shine for feeding plain text values.

Trigger node​

A Trigger node is a timing‑only producer — it emits a pulse on a schedule so another node (usually a Script node set to On input change) runs repeatedly.

Add it: right‑click the empty canvas → Add Trigger Node.

Its edit dialog offers three modes:

  • Interval — pulse every N seconds.
  • At time of day — pulse at a set clock time.
  • Manual pulse — fire only when you click.

Each pulse sends { tick, epoch, pulse = true } out of its data port; wire that into a Script node's Data In to give it a heartbeat.