Nodes, pins, and wires

A node tells you what happens. Its pins tell you what enters and leaves. Its wires tell you what depends on what.

The problem

EnemyPatrol.FixedUpdate reads position, checks bounds, changes direction, computes velocity, and writes it back. The whole method becomes readable once you separate two questions: which statement runs next, and which value feeds this pin?

When to reach for it

Use node anatomy whenever a graph feels dense. Trace exec flow first, then inspect the typed data needed by each statement. This works for code you wrote, code a teammate wrote, and code an assistant added.

See it

A card carries execution and data pins; pills and literals provide values.

Do it

1. Find the entry node. Entry and return-family cards use the entry/exit family color and mark the method boundary.

2. Follow the white exec wire from left to right. Exec inputs sit on the left of a statement card; exec outputs sit on the right. Branch outputs name paths such as true and false.

3. Stop at a card and read its header. The header color identifies what the node does, while its title names the C# construct or symbol.

4. Read data pins below the exec pins. Inputs are on the left and outputs are on the right. Their dots and wires use the value’s type color.

5. When a node has no exec pins, treat it as a value calculation. Pure nodes run as part of the statement that consumes their output; they do not own a separate execution step.

You should see

You can trace one execution path and explain where each condition, argument, and result comes from.

Change one thing

Open EnemyPatrol.FixedUpdate. Follow only white wires once. Then repeat while following the bool wire into the first branch condition. The two passes should tell one story without reading every card at once.

Color meanings

Value or family	Color	Meaning
exec	rgba(255,255,255,0.70)	execution pins and wires
int	#00A000	integral values
float	#569656	float, double, decimal
bool	#880000	Boolean values
string	#00A8FF	string values
char	#5C818E	character values
object	#800080	reference types
struct	#9F649F	value types and Unity structs
void	#808011	no value flows
wildcard	#9A9A9A	type not decided yet
Entry / Exit	#800080	method boundaries
Flow / Conditions	#FFB400	branches, loops, switches
Pure	#095F19	expressions and reads
Impure	#0C0C42	statements and SET nodes
Call this class	#15B5A6	call declared here or on a base class
Call other indexed class	#0B6E72	call into another indexed type
Call external	#566573	framework, Unity, or package call
Assignment	#FF9F43	declaration or assignment variant
Await	#00A8FF	suspension
Try/catch	#CD6133	exception scope
Using	#2E86C1	resource scope
Placeholder	#787878	unsupported statement

Color is never the only signal. Titles, badges, pin labels, filled versus hollow dots, and card shape carry the same distinctions.

What it reads

A branch card with a bool data input and two exec outputs corresponds to this exact source shape:

C#

if (isReady)
{
    Run();
}
else
{
    Wait();
}

When it goes wrong

When it goes wrong

Symptom	Check	Fix
A green card appears to run out of order.	Look for exec pins. Pure expression and read nodes have none.	Follow its colored output to the statement that consumes the value.
A wire color seems wrong for a custom type.	Decide whether the type is a reference type or a value type.	Read object purple for references and struct purple for known value types.
A gray placeholder interrupts the path.	Open its details or source span to identify the unsupported statement.	Read the limitation, then use source for that statement. The method refuses Compile while the placeholder remains.

Next

• Pills and literals: read the compact value sources attached to pins.
• Branch: follow true and false execution outputs.
• Node colors: keep the full palette nearby.