A component has IN-ports to receive data and OUT-ports to pass the data after it has processed it. When stepping a component, the data forwarded through the OUT-port is delivered to the IN-port of the subsequent component.
Ports pass data through connecting links. Every link has the capability to map the fields of the ports it connects to. Ports also indicate the status of a component (green for “ready-to-use”, red for “missing or invalid mandatory property settings”).
