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Reverse routing
Docs for
Overview
Getting started
What is Bitfocus Buttons?
Install Buttons and get started
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Create your first backup
Add an ATEM connection
Choose a control method
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Create a position
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Add more feedback to a button
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Routing
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Configure ports and labels
Take a physical route
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Topology graph
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Reverse routing
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You are viewing documentation for Buttons 1.8.See the docs for Buttons 1.6
Buttons/Routing/Reverse routing

Reverse routing

Forward virtual routing handles signals that follow a Shape's main direction. Some routing designs also contain signals that travel the other way:
  • Return video to a camera or contributor.
  • Intercom listen paths.
  • Confidence feeds.
  • Other feedback or control paths.
Buttons models these as reversed slots. A Matching Preset can use Reverse Routing to apply their mappings together with the forward route.
It can be easier to understand reverse routing after first reviewing the equivalent forward route. Reverse paths can change destinations that are not obvious when an operator is focused on the main source-to-destination route.

Warning

Taking one route with Reverse Routing enabled can replace sources for both forward and return destinations. Become familiar with the operation and its routing consequences before deploying it in production.

How direction works#

A Virtual Bundle has two structural sides:
  • Incoming is where signal enters the bundle.
  • Outgoing is where signal leaves the bundle.
A Shape's Main Direction defines the normal direction of most slots. A reversed slot flips its effective routing direction:
  • On a source Shape, normal slots send forward and reversed slots receive a return signal.
  • On a destination Shape, normal slots receive forward and reversed slots send a return signal.
The bundle detail continues to show Incoming on the left and Outgoing on the right. A reverse row changes the routing role and arrow direction, not the structural side on which the slot is displayed.

Extend the flat Shapes#

Use the flat source and destination Shapes from the introductory guide.

Add a return slot to the source Shape#

  1. Open Routing → Virtual → Shapes.
  2. Select the source Shape, such as Camera.
  3. Turn on Reverse Slots.
  4. Add a slot named Return Video.
  5. Set its data type to Video.
  6. Turn on Reversed for that slot.
  7. Save the Shape.

Add a return slot to the destination Shape#

  1. Select the destination Shape, such as Studio Monitor or the applicable production-area Shape.
  2. Turn on Reverse Slots.
  3. Add a video slot for the return source.
  4. Turn on Reversed for that slot.
  5. Save the Shape.
A reversed slot is not merely tagged as a return. Its effective source or destination role is inverted, which affects compatibility, selection, locking, visibility, matching, and execution.

Map the reverse slots to physical ports#

Open each affected Virtual Bundle and expand its route details.
For the source-side bundle:
  1. Find its reversed Return Video row.
  2. Open the selector on the side that accepts the return signal.
  3. Choose the intended physical return destination.
  4. Review the staged route and select Execute Routes.
For the destination-side bundle:
  1. Find the reversed return-source row.
  2. Open its selector.
  3. Choose the physical port that supplies the return feed.
  4. Review and execute the staged route.
These operations create the physical edge mappings for the reversed slots. When the virtual-to-virtual route is taken, the Matching Preset adds the reverse slot-to-slot mapping. Buttons then follows the completed path from the physical return source to the physical return destination and creates the required physical route request.

Enable Reverse Routing on the Matching Preset#

  1. Open Routing → Virtual → Presets.
  2. Select the existing forward Matching Preset.
  3. Confirm that all forward rules are still correct.
  4. Turn on Reverse Routing.
  5. Select Auto-match, or add the intended reverse rule manually.
  6. Confirm that the return source slot maps to the source bundle's return destination slot.
  7. Remove any reverse rule that should not be part of the operation.
  8. Save the Preset.
Auto-match Forward Only rebuilds only the forward rules. Auto-match can include reverse rules when Reverse Routing is enabled.
Turning Reverse Routing off removes reverse rules from the Matching Preset. It does not undo routes that were already executed.

Take the complete route#

  1. Open Routing → Execute.
  2. Select the virtual source and destination bundles.
  3. Select the Matching Preset with Reverse Routing enabled.
  4. Confirm that the reverse marker appears in the staged bundle row.
  5. Open Preview preset mapping.
  6. Inspect every forward and reverse rule.
  7. Inspect the expanded mappings and identify every physical destination that can change.
  8. Select Take.
  9. Review the routing report.
  10. Verify both the main signal and the return signal at their real endpoints.
The route now expresses two related intentions:
Forward: Camera video/audio → production destination
Reverse: production return source → Camera return destination
The Matching Preset expands both intentions into virtual slot mappings. Buttons resolves the complete forward and reverse paths and creates the required physical route requests. Each physical destination still has its own route state, locks, availability, and possible failure.

Reverse routing with Nested Shapes#

When a Shape uses Nested Shapes, configure reverse routing consistently across the Nested Shapes and their Matching Presets:
  1. Enable reverse slots on each Nested Shape.
  2. Add and map the reverse slots provided by each Nested Shape.
  3. Enable Reverse Routing on the Matching Preset used between the Nested Shapes.
  4. Verify that Matching Preset independently.
  5. Enable reverse slots on the Shape that uses the Nested Shapes where required.
  6. Use that Matching Preset in the rule between the Nested Shapes.
  7. Enable Reverse Routing on the Matching Preset for the complete Shapes.
  8. Preview the complete expansion before taking the route.
When Reverse Routing is disabled on a Matching Preset for Shapes that use Nested Shapes, only forward-only Matching Presets are offered for rules between the Nested Shapes. This prevents reverse behavior from being introduced by a referenced Matching Preset.

Treat Exclusive Destination separately#

Exclusive Destination clears destination ports that receive no matching source when the Matching Preset is applied. It is independent of Reverse Routing and can make the operation broader still.
Enable it only when an unmatched destination must be cleared to make the destination conform exactly to the Preset. Before using it with reverse routing, identify the unmatched destinations on both directions and verify that clearing them is intentional.

Operational safeguards#

  • Give reverse-capable Matching Presets labels that make the return behavior clear.
  • Keep a forward-only Preset when operators sometimes need the main route without changing returns.
  • Preview the Preset and concrete staged mappings before each first use or configuration change.
  • Apply bundle-side locks according to the actual side changed by the reversed slot.
  • Retest after changing a Shape, referenced Matching Preset, or physical mapping.
  • Treat a partial result as a real routing fault: the forward path can succeed while a return path fails, or the reverse can happen.
Reverse routing is valuable when the return path is part of the same operational intent. It should not be enabled merely because reverse slots exist.

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