Switch

Switch is a pure, stateless selector — it holds no memory between frames and simply forwards whichever input the current Index points at.

Dynamic inputs. The node supports dynamic inputs: connecting a cable to the trailing wildcard port creates a new numbered input (auto-indexed naming), inserted after the Default port. Inputs are addressed in order: the first dynamic input is index 0, the second is index 1, and so on.

Type locking. Every frame the node scans its dynamic inputs for the first connected cable and locks all dynamic inputs, the Default input, and the Result output to that source's port type. If no dynamic input is connected, the type is taken from the Default port instead. This prevents mixing incompatible data (for example an image on one input and a float on another) and makes the selected type visible in the graph as cable colors. When every cable is disconnected, the ports revert to .any (white).

Index resolution, frame by frame:

If the selected input has no value (nothing connected to that particular numbered port), the node falls back to Default.

Count always reports how many real dynamic inputs currently exist (the trailing wildcard and ghost ports are not counted), so downstream logic can adapt when you add or remove inputs.

Index (int, default 0) — which input to pass through. 0 selects the first dynamic input. Negative values count backwards from the end: -1 is the last input, -2 the second-to-last. Any value outside the valid range (after negative resolution) routes Default to the output instead — nothing is ever silently wrapped. Drive this from a Counter, MIDI Receiver, or Compare chain for live switching.

Default (any) — the fallback value, used whenever the index is out of range, the selected port is empty, or no dynamic inputs exist at all. Leaving it unconnected outputs a null value in those cases, so wiring a sensible fallback (a Constant, a neutral color, an empty texture) is good practice for patches where the index is driven by unpredictable data.

Dynamic inputs (auto-numbered, any) — the actual selectable sources. All of them are forced to a single common type (see Type locking above); the first connected cable decides that type for the whole node.

The outputs mirror the selection: Result carries the chosen value, Index reports the index that was actually used (clamped into range even when Default was substituted), and Count reports the number of dynamic inputs.

• Scene switcher: several generator chains (Circle 2D, Rectangle, L-System, Magic Storm) each feed a Switch dynamic input; a Counter driven by Keyboard → Switch (Index) → Canvas steps through visual scenes with a key press.
• Beat-synced color palettes: multiple RGB Color nodes → Switch; Audio Beat Detection (Kick) → Counter (Limit: Loop) → Switch (Index) cycles the fill color of a Circle 2D on every kick drum.
• MIDI program select: MIDI Receiver (note or CC value) → Math (scale to input count) → Switch (Index) chooses between different Gradient nodes feeding a Plexus.
• A/B compare with fallback: two candidate processing chains enter inputs 0 and 1, a Constant enters Default; Compare → Switch (Index) flips between them, and any out-of-range test value safely shows the Default look.
• Automated playlist: Timer (Done) → Counter → Switch selecting between several Video Player / Image sources, advancing to the next visual when each timer cycle completes.
• Text states: several Constant (string) nodes → Switch → Text as Image → Canvas to display status labels ("READY", "LIVE", "PAUSED") selected by patch logic.

• The Index output is useful even when you drive Index from noisy data — it tells you which input actually won after negative-index resolution and clamping, and can drive a matching UI Text readout.
• Because all inputs snap to the first connected type, connect your intended data type first; a stray cable of the wrong type will lock the whole node to it until disconnected.
• Switch selects between values every frame — all upstream branches still evaluate. For image sources, prefer disabling unused generator chains (Enable = false) if GPU cost matters; Switch does not "power down" the branches it isn't showing.
• Negative indexing pairs nicely with Count: Index = -1 always tracks the most recently added input without renumbering anything.
• For boolean two-way selection a Compare or Logic node feeding Index (0/1) is the idiomatic pattern; for value-range branching, consider Remap or Math Expression to compute the index.
• Related nodes: Hold Value (freeze a single stream instead of choosing between streams), Array Get (index into one array cable instead of N separate cables), Counter (the natural Index driver).