# Glossary

> Short definitions of the terms used across the Buttons documentation, each linking to the guide that explains the concept in full.

Short definitions for terms used throughout the Buttons documentation, in alphabetical order. Each entry links to the guide that explains the concept in full. Action An action is a command a connection can send to the system it represents, such as changing an input, recalling a scene, or starting playback. Buttons also provides internal actions, which run without a connection module: for example, setting a variable or changing which step is active on a button. A button, cue, or workflow can run one or more actions. See What is Bitfocus Buttons? and the internal actions reference . Bundle A bundle groups the ports that represent one operational source or destination: for example, a camera's video and audio ports presented together as Camera 1 . Routing a bundle requests routes for all its compatible member ports at once; routing an individual port inside it changes only that port. See Understand physical routing . Connection A connection represents one controlled device, application, or service: such as an audio mixer, video switcher, media server, or lighting system. A connection module supplies the actions, feedbacks, variables, and (where supported) presets and routing ports that the rest of Buttons can use. See What is Bitfocus Buttons? . Cuelist A cuelist is a top-level, ordered list of cues, each firing a stack of actions when it runs. Use one to run a determined show order or as a compact, searchable alternative to many individual buttons. See Understand Cuelists . Feedback A feedback reports state from a connection to a control. The connection module defines each feedback as one of three types: boolean (on or off; when on, it applies the styling you set), advanced (a result that can include an image, such as a thumbnail, shown on the control), or value (a value such as a level or timecode, shown through a Feedback variable rather than by changing styling). A feedback is different from a variable: a variable exposes a value you can use anywhere, while a feedback is tied to the connection that reports it. See What is Bitfocus Buttons?: Feedbacks and variables are different . Level A level is one of the signal-type categories Video, Audio, or Data that a multi-port bundle can carry. Levels filter which member ports of a bundle participate when a bundle-level source or destination is taken: for example, in a Custom Router's Levels setting or the Level buttons in the Routing Presets panel. See Understand Custom Routers and Custom Router button types . Port A port is the smallest routable endpoint in the physical routing model, belonging to one connection or routing provider: for example, Camera 1 Video . A route connects a source port to a compatible destination port; a bundle groups related ports together as one operational source or destination. See Understand physical routing . Position A position represents one person's complete operating workspace: where they work, not a room, device, or user account. It coordinates that person's assigned surfaces, controls, navigation, and state, keeping them separate from other positions. See Understand positions . Preset Buttons uses "preset" for three unrelated things, so check which one a guide means: A connection preset is a ready-made button configuration supplied by a connection module. A routing Preset (previously called a salvo) is a saved list of source-to-destination mappings that can be recalled or executed together. A Matching Preset describes how the slots in one virtual Shape connect to slots in another, for virtual-to-virtual routing. See What is Bitfocus Buttons? , Create and update a routing Preset , and Get started with virtual routing . Route A route maps a source port to a compatible destination port so a signal reaches that destination. Selecting a source and destination in a routing view stages the intended mapping; Take sends it to the connected system. A route that crosses routers (a tieline route) is retained as a Route Request so Buttons can continue to account for the shared connections it occupies. See Understand physical routing and Take a physical route . Surface A surface is one interface to a position: a hardware panel, browser session, iPad, or another supported interface. Each surface contributes physical or on-screen controls to the position it's attached to; a position can combine several surfaces as one workspace. See Add and attach a surface and Understand positions . Tally Tally describes what is operationally important right now: such as which source is on Program or Preview, or what is recording. Buttons models tally as named Tally Channels: Providers turn input state (feedbacks, variables, or incoming TSL) into active Channels on ports, and Consumers watch a port or bundle, resolve the relevant Channels and labels, and run Reactions such as sending TSL or executing an action. See Understand the Tally system . Tieline A tieline is a route that crosses from one router (routing domain) to another. Buttons models the physical connection between routers as a Relation, restricts which sources and destinations may use it with a Routing Rule, and retains the resulting cross-router route as a Route Request so the shared connections it occupies can be tracked and released. See Configure and operate Tielines . Variable A variable stores a value (string, number, boolean, a reference to a connection or routing endpoint, or a value driven directly by a connection's feedback) that can be displayed, inserted into text, used in an expression, or passed to an action. Which variables you can see and use at a given point depends on scope: Self, Parent, Position, Workflow, or Connection. See Understand variable scope . Workflow A workflow is Buttons' automation and custom-logic tool: a canvas of connected nodes that can respond to events, evaluate conditions, transform values, run actions without a button press, and exchange data with other systems through an API. Use a workflow when a task needs logic beyond a direct button action. See Understand workflows .