Pure Data connections run from an outlet (object bottom) to an inlet (object top), never the reverse

In Pd, every object has inlets along its top and outlets along its bottom. Connections are drawn by hovering over an outlet (the black rectangle at the bottom) until the cursor changes, then dragging to an inlet (the black rectangle at the top) of another object — data flows downward through the patch. Connections only go from an outlet to an inlet, never the opposite, so you cannot wire inlet-to-inlet or outlet-to-outlet. The mouse cursor changing shape over a connectable spot tells you where a valid connection can start or end. This unidirectional, top-to-bottom flow is the basis of Pd’s dataflow paradigm and is prerequisite to reading or building any patch.

Examples

osc~‘s bottom outlet drags up to the top inlet of *~ 0.2; *~ 0.2’s outlet drags to dac~‘s inlet. The layout makes the downward signal flow readable at a glance.

Assessment

A student tries to connect the inlet of dac~ to the outlet of *. Why does that fail? Describe the correct outlet→inlet wiring for osc 440 → *~ 0.2 → dac~.