Minimum

This function block finds the smallest value from a list of numeric inputs and returns that value together with its position in the list. It is ideal for comparing measurements, scores or any set of numbers to determine the minimum and where it occurred.

📥 Inputs

Values One or multiple numeric values provided as a list. The number of input sockets is adjustable.

📤 Outputs

Number The smallest numeric value found among the provided inputs.

Index The position (index) of the smallest value within the provided input list.

🕹️ Controls

Input size Choose how many values you want to compare. The block will automatically add or remove input sockets to match the selected size.

(how to use) To change how many numbers you compare, open the Input size dropdown and select the desired number. The block updates its sockets to match.

🎯 Features

• Dynamic inputs: easily increase or decrease the number of numeric inputs without reconfiguring connections.

• Dual outputs: returns both the minimum value and its index so you can trigger actions or annotate results based on position.

• Safe evaluation: skips unconnected inputs so partial configurations do not break the workflow.

⚙️ Running mechanism

When the system evaluates this block, it reads all connected numeric inputs, ignores empty/unconnected sockets, and computes the smallest value and its index. The block then outputs the minimum and the corresponding index for downstream processing.

📝 Usage instructions

1. Set the desired number of inputs with Input size.

2. Connect numeric sources to the input sockets (for example, use Number Input blocks or numeric outputs from other function blocks).

3. Use the Number output where you need the smallest value.

4. Use the Index output to identify which input produced that value.

💡 Tips and Tricks

• Combine with Number Input to manually feed test values when setting up or debugging a flow.

• Use Maximum alongside this block to get both extremes (min and max) of the same set of values.

• If you need to pick a specific item from a batch or list after finding the minimum index, feed the index into Get Element to retrieve the associated item.

• For noisy measurements, consider preprocessing numeric data (e.g., smoothing or filtering) before feeding them here using blocks such as Data Memory to hold intermediate values or Round to normalize precision.

• To visualize trends or live values, send the outputs to Scope or log them with CSV Export / Image Logger for later analysis.

• When working with batched data, use Debatch and Batch Processing blocks to convert between batch and individual values and ensure the block receives the expected input format.

🛠️ Troubleshooting

• If the block returns unexpected results, verify all intended input sockets are connected and providing numeric values.

• If some inputs should be ignored, leave their sockets disconnected — the block will skip them.

• If the index looks off, double-check the order of connected inputs; the index refers to the position in the input list after any skipped/unconnected sockets are ignored.