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Workspace

The Graph tab is the pipeline graph editor.

Mental model​

  • A pipeline is a saved graph (nodes + connections).
  • The Graph tab edits the pipeline's wiring and defaults.
  • Nothing runs until the pipeline is attached to a live stream (via Assign).
  • Tuning live values happens in the Tune tab, not here.

Page layout (what you are looking at)​

  • Left side: pipeline list (search, create, delete, select).
  • Main: graph canvas (nodes, ports, connections).
  • Validation (Warnings) panel: shows validator output and lets you focus the problematic node.

The "motion" of making a pipeline (end-to-end)​

  1. Create a pipeline from a template (or clone an existing pipeline).
  2. Add nodes and connect them until the graph describes the processing you want.
  3. Expose the right pipeline IO (pipeline inputs/outputs) so the stream can provide inputs and you can select outputs.
  4. Validate (Warnings) and fix problems.
  5. Save.
  6. Assign the pipeline to a stream.
  7. Switch to Tune to apply per-stream overrides and confirm outputs/metrics.

Create a pipeline​

From the pipeline list, create a new pipeline using one of:

  • Blank: start from nothing.
  • Template: start from a known baseline.
  • Existing: clone a pipeline you already have.
  • Import JSON: load a pipeline graph JSON file.

If you are new, start with a template or a clone so you get a working boundary and a sane set of defaults.

Add nodes (Node Registry)​

Use the Node Registry to add nodes to the canvas:

  • Click Node registry (bottom-left button in the Graph workspace).
  • Or right-click on the canvas and choose Add node.

Then:

  • Search or filter entries (tag/category/provider/group).
  • Click an entry to add it to the current graph.

If the registry is empty/unavailable, the editor can still open and you can still edit, but port types and help metadata may fall back to Generic.

Connect nodes​

Create a connection by linking an output port to an input port on another node.

If you connect a port and the graph becomes invalid, run Warnings and use the warning list to find the exact node/port that is causing the issue.

Edit node values (constants/defaults)​

Most "controls" in the Graph tab are edited directly on input ports.

How it behaves:

  • Input ports can take a constant value. When a constant is set, the port shows a Const badge.
  • If no constant is set, a port may show a Default badge (a built-in default from the node/type).
  • Double-click an input port to set or clear a constant:
    • Boolean ports become a checkbox.
    • Enum ports become a dropdown.
    • Numeric ports become a number input (sometimes with a slider).
    • Other settable ports open a small value editor.
  • Double-clicking a port that already has a constant clears it.

These are graph defaults. If you need to tune a stream without changing the graph, use the Tune tab for per-stream overrides.

Pipeline IO (inputs/outputs on the boundary)​

Pipeline IO ports are how the rest of Helios talks to the pipeline:

  • Pipeline inputs: values a stream provides to the graph (for example: camera frames, configuration values).
  • Pipeline outputs: named outputs you can select when attaching/previewing (for example: overlays, detections, debug views).

You can create/edit pipeline IO from the graph context menu:

  • Add pipeline input
  • Add pipeline output
  • Create pipeline port (from selection)

This opens an editor where you can add, rename, and remove pipeline IO ports.

If you are unsure what should be a pipeline IO port versus a regular node port:

  • Make it pipeline IO if you need to tune/override it often, or if it is a stream-facing input/output.
  • Keep it a node port if it is an internal implementation detail.

See Inputs & Constants for the boundary vs node distinction.

Connection policy and style (when it matters)​

Click a connection to open the Connection inspector.

  • Overflow policy controls what happens if producers are faster than consumers (for example: whether the newest value wins).
  • Style controls how the connection is drawn (route/curvature/dashed/emphasis). This is visual only.

If you are debugging "my pipeline lags behind" style issues, overflow policy is one of the first things to sanity-check.

Organize, search, overlays​

Graph header actions:

  • Search graph: highlights nodes/ports/types/values in the current graph.
  • Organize: auto-layouts the graph to reduce visual clutter.
  • Sync tools: shows sync management overlay (when supported by the graph).
  • GPU buffers: shows GPU buffer overlay (when supported by the graph).
  • Heatmap: shows per-node runtime metrics overlay (when metrics are available).

These do not change what the pipeline does, except for actions that explicitly change wiring/values.

Context menu and shortcuts (fast ways to work)​

  • Right-click canvas/node/port to open the graph context menu (Add node, boundary tools, grouping, delete, etc).
  • Press Space to open the node palette/context at the cursor (same idea as right-clicking, but faster).
  • Use Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z to undo graph edits.
  • Use Ctrl+Shift+Z / Cmd+Shift+Z to redo graph edits.

Validate, save, export​

  • Warnings: runs the validator and opens the warnings panel. Select a warning to focus its node in the canvas.
  • Save state: the header shows Pending..., Saving..., Save failed, or Up to date.
  • Export: downloads a JSON export of the current pipeline graph (useful for backup or moving graphs between devices).

See Validation for how to read and clear warnings.

Assign (attach to a live stream)​

Click Assign to attach the selected pipeline to a live capture stream.

Assign does not edit the graph. It selects which stream will run it.

After assigning:

  • Go to Tune to apply per-stream overrides and check Metrics.
  • If you need to change the wiring/defaults, come back to Graph, edit, validate, save.