TouchDesigner Tutorial: Working with DATs

This tutorial covers Data Operators (DATs) in TouchDesigner - operators designed to hold and manipulate text data including strings, scripts, and XML.

What Are DATs?

DATs (Data Operators) are one of the five operator families in TouchDesigner. They handle text-based data in two primary formats:

1. Text DATs - Multiple lines of text (scripts, strings, XML)
2. Table DATs - Cells organized in rows and columns

Working with Text DATs

Creating a Text DAT

1. Open the OP Create dialog
2. Navigate to the DAT family
3. Add a Text DAT to your network

To interact with a Text DAT directly, click the viewer active flag and type your content (e.g., “Hello World”).

Connecting Text DAT to Text TOP

A common workflow is displaying Text DAT contents in a Text TOP:

1. Add a Text TOP to your network
2. Clear the default text parameter value
3. Drag your Text DAT onto the DAT parameter of the Text TOP

The Text DAT contents now appear in the Text TOP. If text doesn’t fit, enable the word wrap parameter.

Working with Table DATs

Creating and Editing Tables

1. Add a Table DAT from the OP Create dialog
2. Make the viewer active to edit cells directly
3. Right-click on rows to add new rows above or below

Specifying Table Dimensions

You can create tables with exact dimensions by setting the rows and columns parameters. For example, create a table with 2 rows and 1 column, then populate it with values.

Merging Tables

Use the Merge DAT to combine multiple tables:

1. Add a Merge DAT to your network
2. Box-select multiple Table DATs (hold right mouse button)
3. Drag-connect them to the Merge DAT
4. Choose merge mode: “Append Rows” or “Append Columns”

Sorting Table Data

The Sort DAT organizes table contents:

1. Right-click on a DAT output and add a Sort DAT
2. Specify which column to sort by (using column index)
3. Choose sort order (ascending/descending)
4. Select sort type (numeric or alphabetical)

Execute DATs: Event-Driven Python

Execute DATs run Python code based on events in your TouchDesigner network. This is a powerful way to create interactive behaviors.

CHOP Execute Example

1. Add an LFO CHOP (set to pulse mode)
2. Connect it to a Count CHOP (increments value over time)
3. Right-click the Count output and add a CHOP Execute DAT

Configuring Execute Flags

The CHOP Execute DAT has several flags that determine when code runs:

• Off to On - When value goes from 0 to 1
• On to Off - When value goes from 1 to 0
• Value Change - Every time the value changes (most common)

Writing Python in Execute DATs

Enable the Value Change flag and edit the onValueChange method:

# Print value to text port
print(val)

View output in Dialogs > Textport and DATs - useful for debugging Python code.

Updating UI Components

Instead of printing to the text port, update a Text COMP parameter:

op('text3').par.text = val

This updates the text parameter every time the value changes. Hovering over the parameter shows where it was set (e.g., “set in chopexecute1 on line 23”).

Key Takeaways

• Text DATs hold multi-line text content
• Table DATs organize data in rows and columns
• Merge DAT combines multiple tables
• Sort DAT orders table contents
• Execute DATs trigger Python code from network events
• Use the Textport for debugging Python output
• Parameter tooltips show the source of programmatic changes

This tutorial covers just the basics - DATs offer many more capabilities for data manipulation in TouchDesigner.