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<== Date ==> <== Thread ==>

Subject: Re: CSS Update
From: "Kasemir, Kay" <[email protected]>
To: John Hammonds <[email protected]>
Cc: "Chen, Xihui" <[email protected]>, "[email protected]" <[email protected]>, Tech-talk <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 17:23:38 -0400
Hello John:

You already included [email protected], which might be a better
place for stuff like this than tech-talk in general.

> I have been playing around with this the last couple of days, especially
> with SDS.  I seem to be finding that either not all of the widgets are
> functional or I am missing something major in the setup.

> Things like sliders, thumbwheels, bargraphs,16bit LEDs,stripcharts and the
meter are 
> working but the Express Meter, Knob, gauge, Text Input, tank and
> thermometer do not.  Just wandering how much of this is me missing
> something and how much is just problems yet to solve.  Note that I am
> starting with the Basic distribution.

As you can see in the CSS products comparison
  http://ics-web.sns.ornl.gov/css/products.html
we're not using the synoptic display at the SNS,
and have limited experience with it.

Xihui (SNS) has only recently started to look at the code,
finding some bugs or quirks, adding widgets etc.

Though I have no clue, I think what you describe is the result of
not having an "Initializer".
Without an "Initializer", a new widget starts with static properties
which you can then make "dynamic" and connect to PVs one by one,
for example:
 value:        read text or number from PV
 border color: read PV's alarm severity, turn into color
 background:   read PV's connection state, turn into color

When you set the preferences under CSS Applications/Display/Default Schema
to "EPICS (as used at DESY)", each newly created "Label" for example
will prompt for a PV name and make the Label's text reflect the current
value of the PV, maybe make the border reflect the alarm severity etc.
But that "..as used at DESY" doesn't include the initialization of widgets
that Xihui only recently added here at the SNS, and those are exactly
the tank, thermo., Knob that you mention.
So for those you have to make the 'value' "dynamic" and link it to a PV.

Besides, the ".. as used at DESY" might not quite be what you want,
since it's not ".. as used at <your site>".
With EDM, you can have an "alarm sensitive border", and that's it.
With SDS, you can have an alarm sensitive <anything>, but to be practical,
that has to be wrapped into an "Initializer" for your site, because
otherwise displays created by different people at your site will
be very inconsistent in their response to alarms or disconnects.

So that's definitely a field of ongoing SDS development.
Do we need an "EPICS (as used at SNS)", "EPICS (as used ...)"?

Thanks,
-Kay


References:
Re: CSS Update John Hammonds

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