Build a Pipeline

The Builder authors ImagePipeline JSON through a fixed linear port map. The underlying state still round-trips through the DAG model, but the default UI is click-only: operations are added at the green target, node cards stay fixed in a left-to-right chain, and parameters that take operations or pipelines are filled from the side loader.

Open the builder

Click the Builder tab in the top bar, or navigate to /builder/:

The builder has four regions:

Region	Contents
Palette (left)	Operations grouped by role. Clicking an item inserts it at the active green target.
Pipeline map (center)	Fixed HTML node map with clickable image ports, parameter ports, a floating continuation port, and view-only zoom controls.
Side loader (right)	Selected-node scalar parameters, side-value ports, filled side values, docstring help, reorder, delete, and embedded-pipeline edit actions.
Pipeline I/O (top right)	Save writes the current valid pipeline JSON; Load reads one back into the builder.

Use the map zoom controls when a chain grows wider than the viewport:

• - zooms out.

• + zooms in.

• 100% resets the map scale.

• The scan icon fits the full visible pipeline into the map viewport.

Zoom is view-only. It does not change the pipeline, does not save to JSON, and ports remain normal clickable buttons at every zoom level.

Compose a small pipeline

The walkthrough pipeline consists of:

1. GaussianBlur - smooths each plate before thresholding.

2. OtsuDetector - produces the binary colony mask.

3. MeasureShape and MeasureSize - extract per-colony shape and area measurements.

To build it:

1. Start with the floating + continuation port selected. It is the green target at the end of the map.

2. Click GaussianBlur in the Corrector palette group. The node appears after InputImage, becomes selected, and the green target moves to the new tail.

3. Click OtsuDetector, then MeasureShape, then MeasureSize. Each click appends to the current continuation target.

4. Use the node title buttons to select a node and edit scalar parameters in the side loader.

5. Click Save once the issue badge is clear.

Ports and menus

Every visible port is a button. Image-output and continuation ports can open a small menu with local actions such as Preview here. A parameter port selects a side-value target; the next compatible palette click fills or replaces that target. A ? button beside nodes and parameter rows opens the class or parameter docstring.

The on-disk JSON is the same public ImagePipeline format used by the command line tools. The builder-only target selection, open menus, and zoom level are UI state only and are not written into pipeline JSON.

Next: Run Locally.