Experimental Physics and
Industrial Control System

"Mark Rivers" <[email protected]> · Mon, 3 Mar 2003 14:48:01 -0600

> 	Suppose there is a piece of equipment which can be put into
> one of several modes of operation. Suppose also that the set 
> of possible modes depends on the hardware configuration of the equipment. Suppose
> finally that the set of possible modes can be queried 
> programmatically.
> 
> 	What is the "best" way to populate the "ZRST", "ONST", ...
> fields of the record?
> 
> 	Query the device during the "record init" phase, and
> programmatically fill in the fields?

This is what I do, and I think it makes the most sense, since the software auto adapts to the hardware, as long as the IOC is rebooted after the hardware is reconfigured.

However, I would like to take this one step further.  I have some hardware which can be configured by EPICS software, but changing the configuration requires a change in the names of the ZRST, ONST, etc. files.  For example, I can change the "shaping time range" of an amplifier.  If it is in range 1, then there is a menu of available shaping times which should read "0.1 microsecond", "0.2 microsecond", etc.  However, if I change to range 2, then the menu should read "1.0 microsecond", "2.0 microsecond".  My device support software currently makes these required changes in the ZRST, ONST, etc. fields.

Here is the problem:  I have not found a way to get medm to redraw these menus when they change.  If I close the medm window and reopen it, then the new menu choices are correctly displayed.  Is there a way to post a monitor on an enum field so that CA clients will know that the values of the enum strings themselves have changed?

Mark Rivers

Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System

Experimental Physics and
Industrial Control System