First steps
This page explains the basic terms you need for working with the nodes and shows how to use the example flows that ship with the packages.
Node-RED basics
If you already know Node-RED, you can skip this section.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Flow | A tab in the editor with connected nodes. Flows are activated with Deploy. |
| Node | A building block with one task. Nodes have at most one input (left) and one or more outputs (right). |
Message (msg) | The object that travels between nodes. The data lives in msg.payload; further properties such as msg.topic may be added. |
| Inject node | Triggers a flow manually or on a schedule. Most Data Connectors are started this way. |
| Debug node | Shows messages in the Debug sidebar. Ideal for checking the output of a node. |
| Typed input | An input field whose type you choose: fixed value, msg property, flow or global context, or environment variable (env). |
| Context | Storage for values across several messages. Flow context applies per flow, global context to the whole instance. |
| Credentials | Fields stored encrypted and excluded from flow exports, for example passwords and API keys. |
Using a node
Place
Drag the node from the palette onto the workspace.
Configure
Double-click the node and fill in the fields. The help in the sidebar explains every field.
Wire
Connect an Inject node to the input and a Debug node to the output.
Deploy and test
Click Deploy and trigger the Inject node. Check the output in the Debug sidebar.
Many nodes show a status below their icon, for example a green dot with the number of loaded records or a red ring with an error message. The node pages of this documentation describe the available status indicators.
Importing example flows
Every package ships with example flows that show how the node is wired.
- Open the menu in the top right corner and choose Import.
- Switch to the Examples tab.
- Open the entry of the package, for example
@htag/node-red-contrib-hypertegrity-weather, and choose the flow you want. - Confirm with Import. The flow appears as a new tab.
Alternatively, every node page in this documentation provides a link to download the JSON file of the example flow. Download the file and then import it via Import → Select a file to import.
Example flows contain no passwords or API keys. After importing, open the nodes that require credentials and enter your own values.
Editor language
The nodes are translated into German and English. Node-RED uses the browser language or the setting under User settings → View → Language. The field names in this documentation match the English interface; the German version of this documentation lists the German labels.
Using environment variables
Fields of type typed input accept the type env. This keeps URLs, tenant names or keys out of the flows and lets you maintain them centrally. In Node-RED you set environment variables when starting the process or in the flow settings under Environment variables.