# Meaning of "with output" in code blocks?
**URL:** https://community.thunkable.com/t/meaning-of-with-output-in-code-blocks/801718
**Category:** Questions about Thunkable X
**Created:** [September 8, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/meaning-of-with-output-in-code-blocks/801718 "2020-09-08T13:45:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mrpedoe](https://community.thunkable.com/u/mrpedoe)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/meaning-of-with-output-in-code-blocks/801718/1 "2020-09-08T13:45:25Z")
Hello,
I feel like I’m missing something obvious, but I don’t understand the meaning of the “with output” part of several code blocks. For example, Sound.Play and Alert.Show both include a line that says “with output” that does not seem to have any identifiable purpose.
Thanks in advance for any help!
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### Author:  [@tatiang](https://community.thunkable.com/u/tatiang)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/meaning-of-with-output-in-code-blocks/801718/2 "2020-09-08T16:22:21Z")
The output content varies from block to block.
For Sound–\>Play, the output is _error_ which is a text string containing an error message about why the sound file could not be played.
For Alert–\>Show, the output tells you whether or not the user has clicked the confirmation button.
You can drag the green blocks into Label display blocks, If/Then blocks, etc. if you need that information.
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### Author:  [@mrpedoe](https://community.thunkable.com/u/mrpedoe)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/meaning-of-with-output-in-code-blocks/801718/3 "2020-09-08T17:58:29Z")
Thank you for the explanation! I now understand that the “with output” line refers to the block below it. I was thinking they were separate. It’s odd they’re on different lines.
Now I’m trying to figure out how to do some basic canvas manipulation. I thought I’d try to get circles drawn wherever the user touches. However, I seem to misunderstand what the “pointer” block’s purpose is, shown in the code below:
What is the “pointer” block for and how is it used? By using it to set a label’s text, it just shows “0”, implying it’s empty?
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### Author:  [@tatiang](https://community.thunkable.com/u/tatiang)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/meaning-of-with-output-in-code-blocks/801718/4 "2020-09-08T23:32:47Z")
I’ve never used the canvas so I’m probably not the best person to answer but I’ll take a crack at it anyway. It looks like you’re using it correctly with pointer’s x and pointer’s y. But pointer would be an object with various properties so trying to view it with a Label won’t work (or will return an error).
I would try setting a Label’s Text to pointer’s x or pointer’s y and see if it’s returning values you are expecting.
The documentation looks a little different than what you have: [https://docs.thunkable.com/motion#get-pointer-value](https://docs.thunkable.com/motion#get-pointer-value)
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### Author:  [@actech](https://community.thunkable.com/u/actech)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2020, 12:06pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/meaning-of-with-output-in-code-blocks/801718/5 "2020-09-09T12:06:37Z")
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### Author:  [@mrpedoe](https://community.thunkable.com/u/mrpedoe)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2020, 2:23am UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/meaning-of-with-output-in-code-blocks/801718/6 "2020-09-10T02:23:31Z")
Thank you both for the quick replies! Unfortunately, I wasn’t clear in my question. I had read the documentation and seen that example, but am confused on what the point of the “pointer” parameter is. I’ll try to rephrase: if you’re supposed to access pointers through Canvas1.activePointer then why have a pointer parameter? What is it for?
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### Author:  [@actech](https://community.thunkable.com/u/actech)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2020, 7:20am UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/meaning-of-with-output-in-code-blocks/801718/7 "2020-09-10T07:20:50Z")
This parameter “pointer” contains the number of fingers that touch the screen at the same time. It can be from 1 to 4 and more touches. If one finger is touched, it is equal to the active pointer.
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### Author:  [@mrpedoe](https://community.thunkable.com/u/mrpedoe)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/meaning-of-with-output-in-code-blocks/801718/8 "2020-09-10T15:01:37Z")
Thank you!
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### Author:  [@ioannis](https://community.thunkable.com/u/ioannis)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2024, 12:24pm UTC](https://community.thunkable.com/t/meaning-of-with-output-in-code-blocks/801718/9 "2024-11-08T12:24:01Z")