Improved Multi-Input Node Socket

Early in the development of the multi-input sockets for nodes, the incoming noodles would always be automatically stacked in the order that their nodes were "stacked" in, and you couldn't change this. I liked this design, because it reinforced the fact that order was inconsequential.

However, one of the noodles had to be chosen to continue past the node if the node was muted; it was set to use the top one, but this design forced the user to rearrange the nodes if they wanted to change which noodle continued through. The solution that was implemented: allow the user to rearrange the order of the noodles.

The problem with that design is that it gives the false sense that the order of the inputs affects the operation of the node (and it also gets visually messy really quickly). I miss the original design, but I also see the problem it had.

Here is my solution:

The multi-input socket has a Primary Section and a Secondary Section. The Primary Section is for the "focal" noodle; the noodle that the node operations are done to, and continues past the node when the node is muted. The user can control which noodle goes here if they so desire. (If they don't care, the question never even needs to enter their head.) The Secondary Section is for all the other noodles, which are arranged automatically with no control given to the user except by rearranging the nodes, just like the original design for the multi-input socket.

The nice thing about the way this works is that it will feel just like using the original design for the multi-input socket, with a clean visual arrangement and not a care in the world about the order... until the user mutes the node, in which case they can see which noodle continues through, and can easily and quickly change it and move on with their work before you can say "Blender rocks!"

Here is the same animation with some accompanying explanations that go into more detail:

Corresponding with that is a possible design for multi-input sockets where the order does matter ( wink wink integer-based switch node wink wink ):

Again, with the in-depth explanations: