Read the end result of an overlay
Lesson 15 of 25 6 min read
Use End result to see the base and overlay together, read the chain, and tell which level wrote each node.
Because you cannot validate an overlay on its own, End result is your main check before publishing. It shows the finished map or profile exactly as Supply Lens will use it, and labels every part with the level that set it. In this lesson you will read one line by line.
Open the end result
On an overlay, select End result. The dialog shows the base and the overlay together, as Supply Lens will use them. It works for a draft overlay too, so you can check your work before you publish.
The chain
The top of the dialog shows the chain, from the root to this overlay, for example:
Root: Acme orders v1 → Overlay 1: Acme orders: express v1
Select JSON to see the result as text, or Tree to see which level wrote each node.
What each overlay changes
Under the chain, one line for each overlay tells you what it changes, for example Overlay 1 changes 1 node: order.priority.
- If an overlay changes more than five nodes, the line shows the first five and the number of others.
- If an overlay makes no change to the result, the line says changes nothing.
- Select a node id in the line to open the tree at that node.
Changes nothing is a warning sign
An overlay that changes nothing is doing no work. Usually the base already does what the overlay asks, perhaps because the change was later built into the base, or the overlay sets a value to what it already was. Check with whoever asked for it before you publish it.
The chips in the tree
In the tree, every node with an id carries a chip saying which level wrote it:
| Chip | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Plain, for example Root v1 | The root wrote the node. |
| Solid, for example Overlay 1 v1 | The overlay changed this node. The row also has a coloured background. |
| Outlined, for example Overlay 1 v1: inside | The overlay changed a node inside this one, not this node itself. |
For example, an overlay that changes only order.priority shows a solid chip on order.priority and an outlined chip on order.root, the template that contains it. Follow the outlined chips down to find the solid one.
Checking Hilltop's express overlay
You open End result on the Acme orders: express draft. The chain reads Root: Acme orders v1 → Overlay 1: Acme orders: express v1. The summary says Overlay 1 changes 1 node: order.priority. In the tree, order.priority has a solid chip and coloured row; order.root has an outlined chip; everything else says Root v1. That is exactly the one change Hilltop asked for, so you go ahead and publish.
Had the summary said the overlay changed six nodes, you would have stopped: something in the body reaches further than intended.
Recap
- End result shows the base and overlay composed, as Supply Lens will use them, and works on drafts.
- The chain runs from the root out to this overlay; switch between JSON and Tree.
- The summary line lists the nodes each overlay changes, or says changes nothing.
- Plain chip: root wrote it. Solid chip: the overlay changed it. Outlined chip: something inside it changed.
- Check the end result before every overlay publish.
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