An encoder can drive a workflow directly. Turn it to set a workflow variable, step a value up and down, or trigger the workflow's own actions, and the workflow takes it from there.
This is useful when one knob should do more than one device action: the workflow can scale the value, send it to several connections, or combine it with other values before anything reaches a device.
A button on a position, turned by an encoder. See Control levels and choices with encoders for the Encoder, Left and Right handlers and how an encoder is assigned to a button.
A workflow that is turned on. In the examples it is called Mixer. Its Variable Key, shown in the workflow's Settings, is Mixer, and the examples use it to refer to the workflow's variables.
Open the Mixer workflow, and drag a Workflow Variable node onto the canvas.
In Create Variable, set Variable Key to level and Type to Number. Set Initial Value, for example 0.
Select the check mark, then select Apply.
Anywhere in Buttons, this variable is now $(Mixer.level): the workflow's Variable Key, a dot, then the variable's key. To show it on the button, put $(Mixer.level) in the button's text.
See Use variables for more about workflow variables.
On the button's Actions tab, turn on Encoder. Set Min and Max to the range the workflow expects.
Add the internal action Set Workflow Variable.
Choose WorkflowMixer and Variablelevel.
In Value, type $(self.encoderValue).
Every turn now writes the encoder's value to level. A Number variable converts the value to a number, so expression mode isn't needed here.
Like every Encoder handler, the button counts from its own value. If level is changed somewhere else, such as by the workflow or another button, the next turn sets it back to the encoder's value. In that case, step the variable instead.
On the button's Actions tab, turn on Right and add Set Workflow Variable, with WorkflowMixer and Variablelevel.
Select the √x button next to Value to switch it to expression mode, and enter $(Mixer.level) + 1.
Turn on Left and add the same action, with the expression $(Mixer.level) - 1.
Each click reads the variable's current value and writes it back one step higher or lower, so the variable always moves on from where it actually is, whoever changed it last. Use a bigger number for bigger steps, such as $(Mixer.level) + 5.
Expression mode is what makes this work. Without it, Buttons sends the text, such as 4 + 1, rather than the result, and a Number variable doesn't accept it.
To keep the value in a range, use the expression's functions, such as min($(Mixer.level) + 1, 10) on Right and max($(Mixer.level) - 1, 0) on Left.
When each click should run part of the workflow, give the workflow an action for each direction.
In the Mixer workflow, add two Workflow Action nodes. In each node's Configuration, set Title to Up and Down.
Add a Counter node. Connect Up's Event to the Counter's Increase One, and Down's Event to Decrease One.
Connect the Counter's Value to the Write input of the level variable node, then select Apply.
On the button, turn on Right and add the internal action Trigger Workflow Action. Choose WorkflowMixer and Workflow ActionUp.
Turn on Left and add the same action with Workflow ActionDown.
Each click to the right now fires Up, the Counter goes up by one, and level follows. Anything else connected to Up's or Down's Event runs on every click too, so the same turn can send commands, start a timer or update other variables.
A Workflow Action can also carry options. When the button triggers it, its options appear below Workflow Action, the same way a connection action's options do. On the Encoder handler, a Number option offers Encoder Value, and a Dropdown option offers Create Encoder Selector from choices, so a turn can pick from the workflow's own list.
