Presets & interfaces

Presets, interfaces, sequences, and macros are the reusable settings layer in GRBL Server. They're what stop you from re-entering power / speed / passes for every job. Most workshops end up with five to ten interfaces and a couple of dozen presets — enough to cover their common materials, never enough to feel cluttered.

Interfaces

An interface stores the engine parameters — the settings the conversion engines use when they turn a file into G-code: tool type, scale, power range or cutting depths, feed rate, pass count, constant-burn (M3) vs dynamic (M4) laser mode, fill density and direction, and so on. Think of it like the "filament profile" in a slicer — the same SVG looks completely different on 3 mm plywood vs 0.5 mm cardboard, and that difference lives in the interface.

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One interface, every format

GRBL Server picks the right engine per file — vector (SVG), DXF, raster image, Excellon drill, or Gerber copper — but they all read the same interface. You don't need a separate "vector interface" and "raster interface" for the same material — one interface covers every path.

• SVG paths are approximated into G-code moves (vector pass).
• Bitmap pixels are mapped to laser power (raster pass).
• SVGs that embed raster images alongside vector outlines are handled in a single job: the engine runs the raster fill where there's image content, and the vector pass where there are paths.
• Drill and Gerber files use the same depth, spindle and feed settings as any other spindle job, plus a small PCB-specific group.

Engine parameters

The Engine Params button on each interface row opens a dialog with the full parameter set: tool type, scale, power range, feed rate, pass count, laser mode (M3 / M4), fill density and direction, raster resolution, and the rest. These are the knobs you tune per material.

The dialog is tool-aware: the Tool group at the top decides which settings apply. Pick laser and you get power fields; pick spindle or drag and the laser fields give way to a Cutting depth & spindle group (operation, tool diameter, cut depth, depth per pass, safe Z, plunge feed, spindle RPM) and — for spindles — a PCB isolation group for Gerber jobs. Nothing is lost when you switch: hidden fields keep their values.

The everyday parameters sit up top; an Advanced group exposes the G-code dialect — custom start/end blocks, the laser-on and laser-off commands, the travel (rapid) move, coordinate precision, and raster-line options. The defaults already match the engines' built-in behaviour, so you only need the Advanced group when a particular controller wants something different.

Sequences

A sequence is the start / end G-code that wraps a job. It runs once at the beginning and once at the end of every job that uses it.

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Common uses:

• Home the machine before each job ($H).
• Raise the Z axis to a safe height (G0 Z5).
• Turn an air-assist or exhaust fan on at job start and off at job end.
• Park the head at a known position when finished.

Interfaces reference a sequence by name. If you change the sequence, every interface that uses it picks up the change on the next job.

Macros

A macro is a named snippet of G-code you run on demand from the Job station view — one-click buttons for things like "focus the laser at 30 mm" or "home X only" — rather than inside every job like a sequence.

Macros are protocol-aware. When you create or edit one, you tag it with the firmware protocols it works on (GRBL, Marlin, Klipper, …). The Job station then shows a machine only the macros that match its protocol — a Klipper-only macro never appears on a GRBL laser — while a macro left untagged stays compatible with every machine.

Job presets

A job preset bundles a machine + an interface + clipping/crop settings + a pre-visualizer layout into a single reusable object. Once you've dialled in a setup that works for a material, save it as a preset and apply it in one click for future jobs.

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What a preset stores

• The target machine (with its working area).
• An interface (the engine parameters — tool type, power or cutting depths; covers every supported file format).
• Optional clipping or crop rules.
• The pre-visualizer canvas layout — where on the bed jobs land by default, snap-to-grid alignment, background image (e.g. a photo of the bed with a jig on it).

Creating a preset

1. Open Configuration → Presets.
2. Click CREATE in the top right.
3. Give it a name. {material}_{thickness}_{operation} is a good convention: plywood_3mm_engrave, acrylic_5mm_cut.
4. Pick the machine and interface from the dropdowns.
5. Click the pencil under Pre-visualizer data to open the canvas editor and arrange the default layout / snap settings / background.
6. Save. The preset is immediately available on the Set up job page and as a Preset node in workflows.

Using a preset

• In a one-off job, pick it from the Preset dropdown on the Set up job page.
• In a workflow, drop a Preset node and connect it to Setup job's preset input. (Doing so excludes the Interface / Grid / Clip inputs — see Setup job inputs.)

Naming conventions that scale

This is opinion, not enforced, but it ages well:

• Machines: short and lowercase. laser_A, cutter_B, mark_D.
• Interfaces: describe the parameter profile, not the material. engrave_light, cut_fast, mill_1mm_pass, pcb_isolation.
• Sequences: describe the wrapper. home_then_park, air_assist_on_off.
• Presets: describe the outcome. plywood_3mm_engrave, steel_mark_basic.

What's next

• Use presets inside a workflow →
• Add clipping or cropping to a preset →