Give disconnected and idle states different meanings

Status Light provides a physical red, amber and green desk indicator for a configured software workflow. Before assigning colours, distinguish idle from disconnected. Idle can mean the source was checked and no selected task is running. Disconnected means some required part of the information path is unavailable. Treating both as nothing happening can hide a broken integration.

What evidence establishes idle?

Define the source and scope of the check. No active task in one project does not mean every project is idle, and an empty local queue does not establish that the upstream system has no work. The displayed meaning should match what the integration actually observes.

Store the time of the last successful observation alongside the task state. If the observation becomes stale, stop presenting it as a current idle result. You can retain the last known state for reference while clearly signalling that the present condition is unknown.

Which disconnections matter to the display?

Consider source access, receiver availability, bridge operation and the device connection separately. A working local cable does not prove the job service is reachable. Conversely, the service can be healthy while the program responsible for controlling the lamp has stopped.

Write down which failures your integration can detect and which remain invisible. Avoid declaring the entire path healthy from one successful check. Where the hardware provides no confirmed feedback, distinguish an attempted display update from a verified device response.

How should limited colours be assigned?

Choose a small set of meanings relevant to the desk and document their priority. For example, uncertainty may need to take precedence over a previously known success. The exact colour assignment is a design choice, not a built-in guarantee of the product.

Use only supported output behaviours. Do not plan around flashing or combined-lens modes until the actual control interface confirms them. If the available signals cannot communicate both task outcome and connection state clearly, add a nearby text status view rather than overloading one colour with conflicting meanings.

What scenarios should be tested?

Test an empty source, an active task, a completed task and loss of the source or device path. Check that an unavailable source does not accidentally produce the same internal result as a successful query returning no work. Include recovery so the display returns to a freshly observed state.

Ask a colleague or your future self to interpret the written legend without extra explanation. If idle and unknown remain ambiguous, simplify the convention. The Status Light hardware overview covers the physical unit; trustworthy meanings come from explicit evidence rules and a clear legend in your integration.