# Serial

## Introduction

The **Serial** **Nodes** allow the user to connect to serial devices -- like GPS devices -- via USB or serial ports using *Serial* *Communication*. *Serial* *Communication* sends single bits of data at a time, sequentially, through a communication channel/bus. To use the **Serial** **Nodes** in **Incari**, the user first needs to locate the [**Serial Attributes**](/incari-studio/modules/project-settings/serial.md) in **Project** **Settings** and add a `Connection`.

This form of **Communication** in **Incari** is available as a plugin and is enabled as default. However, in the case that it is disabled in the **Plugins Editor**, it will not appear in the **Project Settings** and render the **Serial Nodes** unavailable. Please refer to the [**Plugins Editor**](/incari-studio/modules/plugins.md) to find out more information.

### Serial Guideline

These are the guidelines for incorporating **Serial Communication** into a **Project**.

* To properly start a connection, see the [**General Guideline**](/incari-studio/toolbox/communication.md#general-guideline) on the Communications Introduction page.
* Once the connection has been established, there are several **Nodes** that cover important functions of **Serial Communication**.
  * [**On Serial Error**](/incari-studio/toolbox/communication/serial/events/onserialerror.md) executes when an error is received.
  * [**On Serial Packet Received**](/incari-studio/toolbox/communication/serial/events/onserialpacketreceive.md) executes when a **Serial** data **Packet** is received.
  * [**Serial Send Packet**](/incari-studio/toolbox/communication/serial/serialsendpacket.md) sends a **Serial** data **Packet**.
* To properly stop a connection, see the [**General Guideline**](/incari-studio/toolbox/communication.md#general-guideline) on the Communications Introduction page.

## Contents

* [**Events**](/incari-studio/toolbox/communication/serial/events.md)
  * [**On Serial Error**](/incari-studio/toolbox/communication/serial/events/onserialerror.md)
  * [**On Serial Packet Receive**](/incari-studio/toolbox/communication/serial/events/onserialpacketreceive.md)
  * [**On Serial Start**](/incari-studio/toolbox/communication/serial/events/onserialstart.md)
  * [**On Serial Stop**](/incari-studio/toolbox/communication/serial/events/onserialstop.md)
* [**Serial Send Packet**](/incari-studio/toolbox/communication/serial/serialsendpacket.md)
* [**Serial Start**](/incari-studio/toolbox/communication/serial/serialstart.md)
* [**Serial Stop**](/incari-studio/toolbox/communication/serial/serialstop.md)

## External Links

* [*Serial Communication*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_communication) on Wikipedia.
* [*Learn about Serial Communication*](https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/serial-communication/all) on SparkFun.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.incari.com/incari-studio/toolbox/communication/serial.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.