IDE Layout
The full-screen two-pane automation editor. Write code or build visual flows on the left, configure parameters and review output on the right.
The IDE Layout is the full-screen editor for writing and editing automations. It opens from the compact Editor sidebar by clicking Open in Full Editor, or by clicking the expand icon in the Editor tab header.
The IDE overlays the canvas with a two-pane layout:
- Left pane — the code editor or visual flow editor (toggled by the toolbar button)
- Right pane — the parameter form, run controls, and output console
Two toolbar rows at the top provide access to all IDE controls. Press Escape to close the IDE and return to the compact Editor sidebar.
Open the IDE
From the compact Editor sidebar, click Open in Full Editor at the bottom of the sidebar, or click the expand icon (⤢) in the Editor tab header.
The IDE overlay opens, filling the application window. The canvas is hidden behind the IDE while it is open.
Alternatively, from the My Automations tab, click Edit on any automation card — the compact sidebar opens first, and then you can expand to the full IDE.
While the expanded pane is open, parameter slider changes trigger live preview — the canvas updates in real time as you drag. This only works because the canvas remains visible beside the editor.
Toolbar Row 1 — automation name and trigger
The first toolbar row contains:
- Automation name — click to rename the automation inline
- Trigger selector pill — shows the active trigger mode. Click to change:
- Manual — the automation only runs when you click Run - On Select — the automation runs automatically when one or more entities are selected on the canvas - On Place — the automation runs when a new entity of the specified type is placed on the canvas
- Expand/collapse icon (⤢) — toggle between full IDE and compact sidebar
The trigger mode is shown as a colored pill: gray = Manual, blue = On Select, green = On Place.
Use On Select trigger for inspector-style automations — automations that react to whatever entity you click (e.g. an automation that logs the dimensions of the selected entity to the output console).
Toolbar Row 2 — view, run, and save controls
The second toolbar row contains:
- View toggle — switches the left pane between Code editor and Flow (visual flow editor)
- Run — executes the automation and applies changes to the canvas
- Preview — runs the automation in non-destructive preview mode (blue NEW / red strikethrough badges on affected entities)
- Record — starts the canvas action recorder (see the Record and Preview article)
- Save (Ctrl+S) — saves the current automation to the project library
A stale-graph banner appears below the toolbar if the visual flow editor's graph is out of sync with the code editor (i.e. the code was edited externally after the flow was last saved). Click Regenerate Graph in the banner to rebuild the flow from the current code.
Left pane — code or flow editor
The left pane shows either the Code editor or the Visual Flow editor depending on the view toggle in Row 2.
Code editor — a full-featured Lua code editor with syntax highlighting, line numbers, code folding, and ScapieraScript API auto-complete (Ctrl+Space). See the Code Editor article for full details.
Visual Flow editor — a node-graph programming interface where each step in the automation is a card connected in sequence. See the Visual Flow Editor article for full details.
Both editors show the same automation — switching views compiles the code to a flow (or regenerates code from the flow). The two representations stay in sync as long as no unsupported code constructs are present (which would trigger the stale-graph banner).
Use the Code editor for complex logic (nested loops, conditional branching, function definitions). Use the Visual Flow editor for straightforward sequential automations where each step is a single API call.
Right pane — parameters, run, and output
The right pane in the IDE mirrors the compact sidebar content but with more vertical space:
- Parameters section — form controls for all
--@paramannotated parameters in the automation - Run / Preview / Parameters buttons
- Output tab — console output from the most recent run
- History tab — output logs from previous runs in this session
The right pane is scrollable. When a run produces a long output log, scroll down to see the full results and the Results panel (Undo and Show me buttons) at the bottom.
The integrity warning is about formatting only — the automation still runs correctly. Reset to template if the visual flow editor misrepresents the node graph.
Close the IDE
To close the IDE and return to the compact Editor sidebar:
- Press Escape
- Click the collapse icon (⤡) in the toolbar Row 1
The IDE closes and the canvas becomes visible again. Unsaved changes prompt a confirmation dialog before closing — choose Save, Discard, or Cancel.
The integrity warning does not prevent the automation from running — it only means the Visual flow editor may not display the node graph correctly. Use Reset to template to restore a clean graph representation.
Read output from the Output panel
Below the editor area is a collapsible Output panel. Click the Output header row to expand or collapse it. The panel displays console lines (from garden.output.print() calls in your script) from the most recent run, with a line-count badge in the header when output is present. To clear the console, use the Clear button inside the panel. For a log across multiple runs or auto-trigger executions, open the History tab in the compact sidebar — the Output panel shows only the most recent run.
Collapse or close the expanded IDE
To return to the compact sidebar view, click the Minimize icon in the panel header, or press Escape once while the editor is focused. Pressing Escape a second time closes the Automation panel entirely and returns you to the standard canvas. Note that there is no explicit Save button — the automation source is saved automatically whenever you run it. If you want to save a draft without running, simply close the panel and your changes are preserved.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Enter | Run the active automation |
| Ctrl+Shift+Enter | Preview the active automation |
| Ctrl+Space | Trigger autocomplete in code editor |
| Esc | Collapse expanded pane (second press closes panel) |
There is no Save button and no keyboard shortcut for saving. Changes are committed to your project automatically each time you click Run or Preview and Apply. Closing the panel preserves your current draft so you can return to it later.
Use Preview instead of Run when you are still iterating. Preview applies changes to the canvas without persisting them, so you can click Cancel to undo the entire run instantly if the result is not what you expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the expanded IDE cover or hide the canvas?
No. The expanded IDE is anchored to the right side of the viewport with a draggable splitter. The canvas remains visible and fully interactive on the left at all times — you can click entities, zoom, and pan while the IDE is open.
What is the difference between the expanded IDE and the compact sidebar?
The compact sidebar is a narrow 256 px panel showing the run controls, parameter form, and a condensed output summary. The expanded IDE widens this to between 520 and 1100 px and adds the full Visual/Code editor tabs, the script menu, the trigger selector row, and the collapsible Output console. Both surfaces share exactly the same automation state — switching between them does not reset or lose any data.
The expand button is not visible. Why?
The expand button is hidden when the viewport is narrower than 1100 px. On smaller screens, use the compact sidebar to run, preview, and edit automations. Consider increasing your browser window width or reducing the zoom level to access the expanded IDE.
Why does a stale graph banner appear after I edit code?
The Visual flow editor builds its node graph by parsing the Lua source. When you edit code directly in the Code tab, the graph is not rebuilt until you switch to the Visual tab. The amber stale-graph banner is a reminder that the graph may be out of date. Click Dismiss to clear it or switch to the Visual tab to trigger a re-parse.
Can I run an automation from the keyboard without clicking the Run button?
Yes. Press Cmd+Enter (Mac) or Ctrl+Enter (Windows/Linux) while the editor is focused to run the active automation. Press Cmd+Shift+Enter or Ctrl+Shift+Enter to start a Preview run instead.