Link

A Link or Reference is a grey dashed line between nodes that that indicates one operator is getting data from another operator. In contrast, a colored Wire connects the output of one node to an input of another node in the same Operator Family.

Reference / Link types include:

1. a parameter in an OP that is a name or path to another operator - node paths where a node fetches the data of another node, as in the Select TOP and Select CHOP.
2. a Python expression in a Parameters or a DAT script that contains:
   1. the name or path of another operator
   2. data from the output of another parameter: op('pattern1')['chan1'][5]
   3. a parameter of another operator: op('pattern1').par.phase
   4. a python member of another operator, like op('pattern1').numSamples
3. a CHOP Exporting where a CHOP channel is sent to an operator Parameter.
4. s DAT Export where a row of a table DAT is sent to an operator Parameter.
5. a DAT operator executing its content on changes in another node, as in the CHOP Execute DAT.

When a reference is in an expression, like op('base1/pattern1').par.phase, it specifies the location to retrieve a value from. for example op('table1')[3,4] from a table cell or op{'pattern1')['chan1'] from a CHOP's output channel.

When a reference is a parameter in an OP, such as /project1/pattern1, the data output from the source OP is passed to, or shared with the OP containing the reference. For example, if it's a reference to a TOP, the source image is not copied but is used to generate the output of the OP.

In some cases a parameter that is an OP reference is actually a reference to multiple OPs - the path to multiple OPs is obtained by listing their paths or using wildcards to specify multiple OPs. See Pattern Matching.

Examples of operators that have reference parameters:

• Select TOP, Select CHOP, Select DAT
• Render TOP the names of cameras, lights and geometry objects
• Composite TOP
• Join CHOP

See alsoedit

Wire, Reference, Parameter Reference, Connector, Node, Operator