User inputs overview

TL;DR — Smart Inputs connect data to graphics. User Inputs are the buttons, timers, and fields you press during the show.

#Smart Input vs User Input

• Smart Input — animation reads data. Automatic.
• User Input — you (or your producer) push a button or change a value manually. Live.

Both feed the same Rive elements. Use Smart Inputs for anything that follows your data. Use User Inputs for anything a human needs to trigger in the moment — a goal celebration, a timer reset, an event name swap.

#How to create one

1. Open the animation in the node editor.
2. Click User Inputs.
3. Pick the input type.
4. Name it clearly. Examples: Transition In, Pause timer, Event name.
5. Confirm.
6. Connect its attributes to your View models in the Rive file.

#The four types

| Type | What it is | When to use | |---|---|---| | Date & time | Current clock, formatted for the overlay | Show real-time clocks, schedule countdowns | | Timer | Counts up or down to a target moment | Game clocks, intermission countdowns | | Button | One-shot trigger | Play an entrance animation, fire an alert | | Text & number | Plain typed value | Names, scores, custom labels |

More types are coming.

#Naming

Give User Inputs labels your producer can read at a glance during a live show. Pause timer beats t1. The label appears in the controller exactly as you type it.

#Next steps

• Date and time — Live clocks
• Timers — Countdowns and game clocks
• Buttons and toggles — One-shot triggers and on/off switches