Embedded Sequence Reference

A reference for the keywords and functions available in Synnax's embedded sequence editor.

Reading Channel Values

Reading channel values is as simple as typing the name of the channel you wish to read as a variable. For example, if we have a channel called my_channel, we can read its value as follows:

if my_channel > 100 then
end

During each sequence step, the value of my_channel will be updated with the latest value from the channel.

Writing Channel Values

Writing to a channel can be done by calling the set function with the channel name and value. For example, if we have a channel called my_channel, we can write to it as follows:

set("my_channel", 100)

The sequence editor’s auto-complete will make sure to add the channel to the “Write To” list of channels for the sequence. Make sure every channel you’d like to write to is in the list by checking the dialog at the bottom of the editor.

Control Authority

The embedded sequence editor allows you to set the control authority of a channel at arbitrary points in the sequence. This is particularly useful for abort sequences where you’ll need to seize control of a set of channels from one or more separate sequences.

To set the control authority of a channel, use the set_authority function with the channel name and the desired authority. For example, if we have a channel called my_channel, we can set its authority to 100 as follows:

set_authority("my_channel", 100)

Here’s a basic example of an abort sequence that seizes control of a set of channels from two separate sequences:

-- take absolute control of the channel
if pressure > 100 then
    set_authority("my_channel", 255)
    set("my_channel", false)
end

Timing Utilities

The embedded sequences provide several utilities for timing events.

Iteration

The global iteration variable is automatically incremented each time the sequence is run. This can be used to initialize variables during the first iteration of the sequence, or to define control logic that executes for a specific number of iterations.

Elapsed Time

The global elapsed_time variable is the number of seconds that have elapsed since the sequence started. Keep in mind that this value does not strictly follow the increment * rate rate. So elapsed_time for a sequence that runs at 1 Hz and is at iteration 10 will be very close to, but not exactly 10 seconds.

Elapsed Time Within

The elapsed_time_within function returns true if the the current elapsed_time is within a certain range of values. For example, if we want to check if somewhere between 10 and 11 seconds have elapsed, we can do the following:

if elapsed_time_within(10, 11) then
    -- do something
end

Recipes