abba-360-rel

ABBA-360 .env Variables Editor Guide

It is strongly recommended to use the editor to avoid accidentally deleting environment variables required for the core workflow.

What is the .env Editor Dashboard?

The ABBA-360 .env Variables Editor is a secure, graphical web interface designed to help developers visually manage, organize, and document server environment variables.

Directly editing raw .env files can often lead to syntax errors, accidental deletions, or disorganized configurations. This dashboard solves those issues by providing a structured layout where you can group variables, add live documentation, safely edit complex multi-line strings, lock critical architecture, and instantly sync changes back to the live server.

Key Features

To access the editor dashboard start the server then go to http://localhost:3000/admin where 3000 is the port used by your server. If you changed the port change that value to your port. The server console will give the correct address at start in a message coloured in cyan.
Example: [09:24:31] [Server] For the .env admin dashboard open http://localhost:3000/admin

Variable Locking & Core Protection

To prevent accidental damage to the server architecture, a dynamic locking system is in place. Certain fundamental parameters (Core Variables) are locked by default.

While you can always freely change the values of locked variables, you cannot rename their keys or delete them, nor can you delete their containing section headers. Locked elements will have their key inputs slightly dimmed, and their red trash bin icons will be disabled.

You can toggle the lock state of any variable or section by clicking its Padlock icon. If you attempt to unlock a core framework component, the system will prompt you with a warning to ensure the modification is deliberate.

Protected Sections (Locked by Default):

Protected Variables (Locked by Default):

How to Add Elements

Adding a New Environment Variable

  1. Click the + Add Variable button located in the top control bar.
  2. A modal overlay will appear on your screen.
  3. Placement (Target Section): Select the section where you want this variable to be housed from the dropdown menu. If it doesn’t belong to a group, select – Top of File (No Section) –.
  4. Key Name: Enter your variable name (e.g., STRIPE_SECRET_KEY). The dashboard will automatically format this into uppercase alphanumeric text.
  5. Initial Value: Type or paste your variable’s value here.
  6. Documentation (Comment): (Optional) Add a description of what this variable does. The system will automatically prepend a # symbol to save it as a valid .env comment.
  7. Lock Variable (Optional Checkbox): Check this box if you would like to protect your new variable from accidental key modification or deletion once it is created.
  8. Click the green Add Variable button to append it to your selected section.

Adding a New Section Header

  1. Click the green + Add Section Header button.
  2. A new formatted block will be instantly added to the absolute bottom of your environment document, and your screen will scroll down to it.
  3. Click into the text area and rename the section to fit your organizational needs (e.g., # = AWS S3 CONFIGURATION =).

How to Remove Elements

Deleting a Variable or Section

  1. Locate the specific variable or section header you want to remove. (Note: Locked elements must be unlocked via the Padlock icon before they can be deleted).
  2. Click the Red Trash Bin Icon on the far right of that row.
  3. A confirmation popup will ask: “Are you sure you want to delete [Item Name]?”
  4. Click OK to permanently remove the item from the dashboard layout.

Warning on Deleting Sections: If you delete a Section Header, the variables nested beneath it will not be deleted. Instead, they will become “orphaned” and will visually merge with whatever section was located above them.

Organizing Your Workspace

Moving Items Up & Down

Moving a Variable to a Different Section (Long-Distance Move)

Instead of clicking “Up” repeatedly to move a variable across a massive configuration file:

  1. Click the ↹ (Move to Section) button next to the variable.
  2. A modal will display asking for a “New Placement”.
  3. Select your desired target section from the dropdown menu and click Move Variable. The item will be instantly relocated to the bottom of the target group.

Collapsing Sections

If your file is getting too long, you can click the ➖ / ➕ (Toggle Visibility) button on any section header to hide or reveal all the variables contained within it, keeping your active workspace clean. (Locked sections can be collapsed without issue).

Saving Your Changes

Important: Changes made visually in the dashboard are NOT automatically saved to your server! To make your configurations live:

  1. Click the green Save & Sync Server button in the top right corner of the Editor.
  2. The dashboard will scrape all current inputs and push a structured JSON payload to the backend.
  3. Upon success, you will receive an alert stating: “Environment synced! The file structure was preserved and clients are refreshing.”

Note: The system securely preserves your locking choices directly within the .env file using hidden # @locked and # @unlocked metadata tags. These are safely ignored by standard system parsers but ensure your custom protections survive server restarts.

Environment Variables Dictionary

This section provides a detailed explanation of every configuration variable available in the .env editor.

Note on Core Variables: Sections marked as [CORE] are essential to the architecture of the application. While you can change their values and add new variables to suit your environment, the admin editor system locks them by default, and unlocking them to delete or rename them will trigger a deliberate warning prompt.

Core variables

The variables below are core and are used by the core infrastructure classes to initialise the system.

CORE CONFIG [CORE]

These variables dictate the fundamental network and file system behavior of the server.

SERVER STRATEGIES [CORE]

These variables define which backend providers the server uses for processing images, locations, and AI generation.

CLIENT STRATEGIES [CORE]

These variables control the frontend behavior, dictating how the client renders the tour and interprets topological data.

AUDIO PARAMETERS [CORE]

Variables for AcousticTreadmil, SpatialAudioPlayer, and strategies. These variables set the default volume levels within the client’s Spatial Audio Player and the spatial continuity of the 360 images.

KEYS AND TOKENS

Authentication credentials and local file paths.

AI APIS AND PROMPTS

Configuration for your Vision and Audio AI endpoints, including the strict system prompts used to instruct the models.

CLIENT STRATEGY PARAMETERS

Variables prefixed with CLIENT_PARAM_ are arbitrary parameters passed directly into the client strategy constructor.

PYTHON SCRIPTS [OPTIONAL]

File names and execution paths for the out-of-the-box Python adapter scripts.