CircuitBuilder is a drag-and-drop application interface that makes blockchain accessible for everyone. No longer is blockchain only for the elite programmers who thought to get into blockchain in 2012. 


CircuitBuilder consists of three main sections: The Components List on the left, the Designer in the middle, and the Information Panels are on the left.




How to Use CircuitBuilder

The easiest way to get started with CircuitBuilder if this is your first time is to download a template, understand what it is doing, and then add or remove components from there. When you first open the app, it will walk you through a short wizard, and then open a menu where you can click Templates to access the templates.


Note that components are pre-configured (pre-filled with values) in the templates, and components in the standard list may need you to configure them further before you can interact with them.


We have built 4 templates to start with that help users see some simple circuits that can be created with CircuitBuilder.

  • Simple SMS Template: This template checks the balance of Coval at a specific address and send an SMS text to a phone number you enter with the address and the balance.
  • Create an Emblem Vault and Email a Backup Template: This template creates an Emblem Vault (read more about Emblem Vaults here), and then sends an email to an address you choose that includes the super secret private info needed to access that vault.
  • BTC Alert Template: This template keeps an eye on the price of Bitcoin, checking every 2 minutes, and if the price falls outside of the set range, sends a text message alerting to BUY BUY BUY or SELL SELL SELL.
  • Emblem Vaults from CSV List Template: This circuit retrieves a csv file from a server, reads in the values (identity and email address for users), then creates an emblem vault for each of the users, and finally, generates a JSON object that holds the user information and the Emblem Vault information (to be later stored in a file or database, for example).


CircuitBuilder Basics

The components list contains all of the components that you have installed so far. CircuitBuilder comes with a healthy list of components pre-installed for exploration. More are available, and we are updating the available components all the time! 


To get new components, click GET STUFF HERE on the upper left, then click Components in the dropdown menu.  


 


This will bring up the components screen, with available components grouped by category.



On this screen, the dark buttons each represent a group of components. Click the button to see the components in that group, or click the first button, All Components, to see a list of all available components.


Below the buttons is a list of all of the components that you have installed.  Here you can see a notification if there is an update available for a component (and update it), or remove installed components. Removing component from here will remove them from the Components List on the left in the app.


Any time you click on a component, either in the Components List, or in the Designer, the information for that component will show up in the Info tab on the right side of the app. If you don't see it, make sure you don't have the Console tab or the Errors tab selected. A full list of component details can be found here.


Building a Circuit


Generally speaking, circuits that start workflows are in the ACTIONS TO START WITH group, listed first in the Components List.


To use a component, drag-and-drop it from the components list onto the designer, anywhere you choose. You can add multiple copies of the same component onto the designer.


If the component takes one or more inputs, you will see one or more little bubbles on the left side of the component.


If the component has an action button (as in the Trigger component), it will show up as a little square on the bottom of the component.


If the component has one or more outputs, you will see one or more little bubbles on the right side of the component. The small red bubble on the bottom right side is for error output.


To connect components to each other, drag an output bubble from one component to the input bubble of another component.


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Be sure to press the green APPLY button a the top once you have placed the components you want to work with.

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Configuring Components

To configure a component, double-click it. This will open the Component Settings screen.



All components have the same settings available at the top. You can read more about those on the Standard Settings Page.


Below the grey line, you will see all settings that are specific to this component.  There may be zero, 1, or multiple options in there, and they may look like text boxes, drop down menus, or lots of other fields.


Each component has its own information page. Information for a component can be seen in the app in the Info panel any time you click on a specific component, or in the knowledge base if you click the CircuitBuilder general help page here.


When you have finished configuring your component, click Apply Settings to be taken back to the designer view.


Running a Circuit

To run a circuit, press the action button on the starting component. Some components will run automatically, such as the Scheduler and the Timer. A few components, such as the Blockchain.com Bitcoin Transaactions, will start or stop their action by clicking the action button on the bottom of the component.


Troubleshooting Circuits

Check out this page for info on troubleshooting circuits.