@robint said:
when I try to input say accel or a controller name , it accpts them but doesnt do anything - no slider in the run panel
To get a slider, you need to use the format "slider("<slider_name>")". In your case it will be "slider("accel")".
If it is a variable that you want to put in, then you must first set the variable to some number, because sometimes the variable will be ignored if it isn't set as something. I THINK this happens because when dealing with joints, a number is required, and because a variable usually assumes "null" as it's value at first (null means nothing), the joint doesn't use it. Setting the variable is known as "initializing" the variable. Remember this because there will be some errors describing an uninitialized variable.
Hope this helps,
Chris