When a port has a changeable data type, one way to change it is to use the
submenu. Another is to connect a cable.When you start drawing a data-and-event cable from a port with a changeable data type (or indeed from any port), Vuo fades out the ports with incompatible data types, leaving the ports that the cable can potentially connect to. Here are some examples of the kinds of connections you can make.
Connect an unchangeable port to a generic port — The Make Cube node has a Material input port that controls how the sides of the cube are painted. The port has a changeable data type that starts out generic and can be changed to Color, Graphics Shader, or Image. If you put a Make Cube node on the canvas and connect a cable carrying Image data to it, then the port’s data type changes from generic to Image.
Connect an unchangeable port to a changeable port — Following on the previous example, suppose you change your mind and decide you’d like to paint the cube with a Graphics Shader instead of an Image. If you connect a cable between the Material port and a port of type Graphics Shader, then the Material port’s data type changes from Image to Graphics Shader.
Sometimes there are different ways that you could make the connection depending on what you’re trying to accomplish, so Vuo presents some suggestions and asks you to choose. For example, if you’re connecting an Add node’s Real output port to a 2D Point input port, you might want to change the Add node’s output port from Real to 2D Point. Or you might want to keep the Add node’s output port a Real and use it to control the X-coordinate of the 2D Point. You can choose either of those options (among others) from the menu presented when you drop the cable onto the 2D Point port.
Changed in Vuo 2.0This menu now gives you the option to change the port's data type.
Connect a changeable port to a changeable port — When connecting two ports that both have changeable data types, you’re likely to have even more options. If you drag a cable from an Add node’s Real output port and drop it onto a different Add node’s 2D Point input port, you can opt to change the input port’s data type to Real or insert various type converters. If you drag a cable in the other direction, from the input port to the output port, you instead have the option to change the output port’s data type to 2D Point.