Glossary

A quick reference for the terms used throughout Serial Studio and this documentation. Entries are alphabetical. Where a concept has its own page, the entry links to it.

Action

A user-defined command bound to a button on the dashboard or to an incoming trigger. Actions send bytes back to the device, run on a timer, or fire on a condition. See Actions.

Built-In parser (Native)

The no-code frame parser. You describe the frame layout with a JSON descriptor and Serial Studio parses it with parametrized C++ templates, so no Lua or JavaScript is needed. "Built-In" is the user-facing name; internal identifiers call it Native. See Frame Parser Reference.

Console

The center panel that shows raw incoming bytes before any parsing, in ASCII or hexadecimal. It is also the full view in Console Only mode. Used to confirm a device is sending data and to check baud and framing.

Control Script

The optional setup() / loop() script that runs alongside a project to drive output, automate the device, or compute derived values. See Control Loop.

Dashboard

The grid of live widgets that replaces the Console once at least one valid frame is parsed. Widgets are arranged from the project file (or auto-generated in Quick Plot).

Dataset

A single named channel of data, such as one temperature or one axis of an accelerometer. A dataset maps a position in the frame to a value, a title, units, ranges, and a widget. Datasets live inside groups. See Dataset Identity Model.

Dataset ID / Unique ID

Two distinct identifiers for a dataset. The frame index says which field of the frame the value comes from; the dataset ID and unique ID identify the dataset itself across edits. Confusing index with ID is the most common project-editing trap. See Dataset Identity Model.

Driver

The component that talks to one data source (UART, TCP/UDP, Bluetooth LE, MQTT, Modbus, CAN Bus, Audio, USB, HID, Process I/O). Drivers stamp each frame with its arrival time at the source boundary. See Data Sources.

Folder

A named, collapsible container in the Project Editor that organizes groups, data tables, or workspaces. Folders nest to any depth, are purely organizational, and exist in every edition. A leaf group folder also collapses into one aggregated dashboard workspace. See Organizing with folders.

Frame

One complete unit of data from the device, delimited by the frame-detection settings. Each frame is parsed into dataset values that update the dashboard. See Data Flow.

Frame detection / Delimiters

How Serial Studio decides where one frame ends and the next begins: End Delimiter Only, Start Delimiter Only, Start + End Delimiter, or No Delimiters. For line-based CSV, the end delimiter is a newline.

Frame index

The 1-based position of a field within a parsed frame. A dataset reads its value from one frame index. See Dataset Identity Model.

Frame parser

The logic that turns a raw frame into an ordered list of values. It can be the Built-In parser, a JavaScript parse(frame) function, or a Lua equivalent. See Frame Parser Reference.

Group

A container that holds related datasets and maps them onto a composite widget such as a GPS Map, 3D Plot, or Data Grid. Groups organize the project tree. See Project Editor.

Hotpath

The performance-critical path from incoming bytes to the dashboard. It runs at 256 kHz+ without per-frame allocation. See The Data Hotpath.

Operation mode

How a connection treats incoming data: Console Only (no parsing), Quick Plot (auto-plot comma-separated values), or Project File (parse with a .ssproj). See Operation Modes.

Pro / Free

Serial Studio ships in a free GPL edition and a commercial Pro edition. Pro adds output widgets, Modbus, CAN Bus, MDF4, 3D, Image View, Waterfall, file-transfer protocols, the Session Database, and more. See Pro vs Free Features.

Project file (.ssproj)

The JSON document that defines a dashboard: frame detection, groups, datasets, widgets, parser scripts, and transforms. Created and edited in the Project Editor. See Project Editor.

Quick Plot

The zero-configuration mode that treats each line as a frame and each comma-separated field as a dataset, auto-creating one plot per field. See Operation Modes.

Setup panel

The collapsible panel on the right where you choose the operation mode, configure the I/O interface, set frame-parsing options, and enable export.

Value transform

A per-dataset script (JavaScript or Lua) that calibrates, filters, or converts a value after parsing and before display. See Dataset Value Transforms.

Widget

A visual element on the dashboard such as a Plot, Gauge, Compass, GPS Map, or Data Grid. Datasets and groups choose which widget renders them. See Widget Reference.

Workspace

A saved arrangement of which widgets are visible and how they are laid out on the dashboard, letting one project present different views for different tasks.

See also

• Getting Started — install, connect, and read your first frame.
• Dataset Identity Model — the index-versus-ID distinction in depth.
• Data Flow — the full path from raw bytes to widgets.
• FAQ — common questions.