Cues

Cues are the core mechanism through which an Oscilla score becomes executable. A cue is a short instruction attached to an SVG element (in its data-oscilla attribute). The most common trigger is the scrolling playhead -- when it crosses an element, the cue fires. But cues can also be triggered by interactive buttons embedded in the score, by timer sequences on completion of each unit, or typed directly into the live console during performance.

The cue syntax is designed to be readable and compact -- a minimal, accessible form of text-based authoring rather than traditional programming. A single element can carry multiple cues, and cues can reference other elements, enabling navigation, conditional branching, and structural control within the score. Cues are written and edited in Oscilla's own DSL editor — click an element with the ✏ pencil on — and can also be typed in Inkscape (see Workflow).

This section documents each cue type with its syntax, parameters, and usage examples.

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