Glossary
A comprehensive reference of terms used throughout Living Stories Portal.
A
Audio Interaction
A type of interaction that captures and processes audio input from users, supporting speech recognition and audio level detection.
Auto-save
The automatic saving feature that preserves your work as you edit stories in the portal.
C
Canvas
The visual workspace in the Story Editor where you design your story flow by arranging and connecting scenes, interactions, and sequences.
Canvas Mode
One of two editing modes in the Story Editor, focused on visual story flow design using the canvas interface.
Clerk
The authentication service used by Living Stories Portal to manage user accounts and sessions securely.
Conditional Logic
Rules and conditions that determine which content appears based on story state, user choices, or variable values.
Conditional Text
Dynamic text content that changes based on conditions tied to influences and interaction outcomes.
D
Dashboard
The central hub where you manage all your stories, access shared projects, and create new stories.
Debug Mode
A story setting that enables additional debugging information during story execution, useful during development.
Document Mode
One of two editing modes in the Story Editor, focused on text editing with a streamlined interface for writing content.
E
Entry Point
The starting point of a story or sequence where users begin their experience.
Export
The process of outputting story data for use in external platforms like Unreal Engine.
F
Fastify
The Node.js web framework used to power the Living Stories backend API.
Flow
The overall structure and connections of your story, including all scenes, interactions, and sequences.
I
Influence
A dynamic variable that links user interactions to story content, enabling conditional and adaptive narratives.
Interaction
A point in the story where users provide input (poll choice, text entry, audio, or touch/movement) that affects the narrative flow.
Interaction Mode
A story setting that determines whether the story supports single-user or multi-user interactions.
Interaction Point
A connection point on an interaction that routes story flow based on user responses to scenes or sequences.
Input Device
Configuration setting that specifies the expected input method for a story (e.g., keyboard, touchscreen, voice).
L
Living Story
An interactive narrative with branching paths, dynamic content, and multiple possible outcomes based on user input.
M
MongoDB
The database system used by Living Stories Portal to store story data, user information, and project metadata.
N
Next.js
The React framework that powers the Living Stories Portal frontend application.
Notebook
A feature within stories for creating documentation, planning notes, and project-related text entries.
Note (Canvas Note)
A visual annotation that can be placed directly on the canvas to document or explain parts of your story structure.
P
Permission Levels
Access control settings for shared stories:
- Preview: View-only access to story output
- View: Read-only access to story structure
- Edit: Full editing capabilities
Poll Interaction
An interaction type that presents users with predefined multiple-choice options.
R
Rich Text Editor
The TipTap-based text editing interface used for writing scene content with formatting options.
S
Scene
A content block containing narrative text and potentially connections to other scenes or interactions. Scenes are the fundamental building blocks of your story.
Sequence
A linear series of scenes that form a narrative segment or chapter within your story.
Sequence Connection
A link between sequences that defines story progression from one narrative segment to another.
Shared Story
A story that has been shared with other users, with configurable permission levels.
Snapshot
A saved state of the canvas layout, including positions and arrangements of all story elements.
Story Flow
The storyFlow object contains all sequences, scenes, interactions, and influences that make up your interactive narrative.
Story Editor
The main editing interface where you create and modify your interactive stories using a visual canvas.
T
Text Interaction
An interaction type that allows users to provide open-ended text input, with optional keyword matching.
TipTap
The rich text editor library used for editing scene content, providing formatting and editing capabilities.
Tldraw
The canvas and drawing library that powers the visual editor interface in Living Stories Portal.
Toolbar
The collection of tools in the Story Editor for creating scenes, interactions, notes, and other story elements.
Touch Movement Interaction
An interaction type that tracks user gestures, touch patterns, or movement data to drive story progression.
U
Unreal Engine (UE)
A game engine platform that Living Stories can export to and integrate with via WebSocket connections.
V
Variable
A named value that stores interaction results and can be referenced in conditional logic throughout your story.
View Mode
A read-only mode for experiencing or testing a story without editing capabilities.
W
WebSocket
A communication protocol used for real-time connections between the portal and external applications like Unreal Engine.
Workspace
Your personal area in Living Stories Portal containing all your created stories and projects.
Data Type Terms
Boolean
A data type with two possible values: true or false. Used in touch movement interactions and conditional logic.
Scale
A data type representing a range of numerical values, used in audio and touch movement interactions.
Speech
A data type specific to audio interactions that processes spoken words and phrases.
Directional
A data type for touch movement interactions that captures directional input (up, down, left, right, etc.).
Operator Terms
Condition Types
Used in influences and conditional logic:
- voteCount: Based on the number of votes/selections
- number: Numerical comparison
- string: Text matching
- boolean: True/false evaluation
- result: Based on interaction outcome