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

Subject: Re: state notation code flags
From: Eric Norum <[email protected]>
To: Eric Norum <[email protected]>
Cc: "[email protected] Techtalk" <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2009 18:32:02 -0500
Clarification.  I ran the example, *with busy loops removed*.
On Oct 3, 2009, at 6:30 PM, Eric Norum wrote:

I ran the example in a script. It's been started 250 times now and never printed, "flag set".

On Oct 3, 2009, at 5:37 PM, Patrick Thomas wrote:

I'm sorry, I should clarify. It doesn't print the message after sitting there for a long time. It sometimes prints it when it is started over again multiple times.
-Patrick


Eric Norum wrote:
I forgot to mention, that I tried your example (with busy loops removed) on R3.14.11. My test IOC has been sitting there for half an hour now without printing the message.

On Oct 3, 2009, at 5:13 PM, Eric Norum wrote:

There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding in your use of the sequencer. The default action, if no state transition 'when' statement is true, is to stay in the same state waiting for a statement to come true. Your examples have lots of statements like:

  state clear {
      when(efTestAndClear(test_putEvent)) {
          efClear(test_putEvent);
      } state wait

      when () {
      } state clear
  }

The above code is bad. It sets the sequencer into a busy loop consuming all available CPU.
I think what you want is the following:

  state clear {
      when(efTestAndClear(test_putEvent)) {
          efClear(test_putEvent);
      } state wait
  }

This code blocks the sequencer until something 'interesting' happens at which point it rescans the 'when' statements and checks to see if any of them are now true.

I suspect that your 'flag' problem is occurring because the busy loops you've constructed are preventing other threads from getting the CPU they need.

On Oct 3, 2009, at 4:46 PM, Patrick Thomas wrote:

Hi Mark,

Why does this still sometimes print out the flag?

program sncTest

float test_put;
assign test_put to "H3:TEST_PUT";
monitor test_put;
evflag test_putEvent;
sync test_put test_putEvent;

ss ss1 {
  state init {
      when () {
          efClear(test_putEvent);

          test_put = 40;
          pvPut(test_put, SYNC);
      } state clear
  }

  state clear {
      when(efTestAndClear(test_putEvent)) {
          efClear(test_putEvent);
      } state wait

      when () {
      } state clear
  }

  state wait {
      when (efTest(test_putEvent)) {
          printf("flag set\n");
      } state loop

      when () {
      } state wait
  }

  state loop {
      when () {
      } state loop
  }
}



Mark Rivers wrote:
Hi Patrick,
What is it you are trying to do? You are doing both pvPuts and looking for external changes to the same PV? If so, then one solution is to ignore events which correspond to the value that your SNL program set with pvPut, and only act on events with values that must have been done by some external agent. Here is an example from one of my programs:
int     abort;       assign abort        to "{P}{R}Abort.VAL";
monitor abort;
evflag abortMon;        sync abort      abortMon;
...
ss xpsTrajectoryAbort {
state monitorAbort {
    when ((efTestAndClear(abortMon)) && (abort==1) &&
          (execState==EXECUTE_STATE_EXECUTING)) {
...
        abort=0;
        pvPut(abort);
    } state monitorAbort
}
}
In this case abort can be set to 1 by the user from outside the SNL program. If that happens then the SNL program takes some appropriate action, and does a pvPut of abort back to 0. That would cause another event to be received, but I ignore that event in the when clause()
    when ((efTestAndClear(abortMon)) && (abort==1) &&
          (execState==EXECUTE_STATE_EXECUTING)) {
This will always clear event flags on the abort PV, but will only do the logic inside the when if abort is 1 and execState is EXECUTE_STATE_EXECUTING.
Mark

________________________________

From: Patrick Thomas [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Sat 10/3/2009 12:37 AM
To: Mark Rivers
Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: Re: state notation code flags



I see, thank you. So is there a way around this, that is to make sure the monitors are received and the flag is set before the call to efClear is made, or some way to make a particular pvPut not have channel access
send out monitors for that record?

Mark Rivers wrote:

I think I have figured it out, the following code shows it the most clearly. Adding SYNC to the pvPut command does not seem to ensure that
it will finish before the next command is processed:

The pvPut command did "finish" before the efClear command was executed. That means that it wrote its value to the record, and processed that record and any records that process as a result of processing that record. That record told channel access to send out monitors on that PV to all clients, including your SNL program. It does NOT wait for those monitors to be received; it simply requests channel access to send them, which is then done asynchronously. So the event flag in your SNL program will be set some time after you do the pvPut. What you are observing is the expected and documented behavior of EPICS.

Mark




________________________________

From: Patrick Thomas [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Fri 10/2/2009 7:03 PM
To: [email protected]
Cc: Mark Rivers; [email protected]
Subject: Re: state notation code flags



I think I have figured it out, the following code shows it the most clearly. Adding SYNC to the pvPut command does not seem to ensure that
it will finish before the next command is processed:

program sncTest

float request_maximum_velocity;
assign request_maximum_velocity to "H3:TEST";
monitor request_maximum_velocity;
evflag request_maximum_velocityEvent;
sync request_maximum_velocity request_maximum_velocityEvent;


ss ss1 {
    state init {
            when () {
                    efClear(request_maximum_velocityEvent);

                    request_maximum_velocity = 40;
                    pvPut(request_maximum_velocity, SYNC);
                    efClear(request_maximum_velocityEvent);
            } state wait
    }

    state wait {
            when () {
                    if (efTest(request_maximum_velocityEvent)) {
                            printf("flag set\n");
                    }
            } state wait
    }
}



Pete R. Jemian wrote:

sounds a bit off ... show the code

Patrick Thomas wrote:

I think I have it narrowed down. It appears that when I set variable1 equal to variable2 and variable2 has a flag synced to it (variable1 does not), and then do a pvPut on variable1, sometimes the flag is set on variable2 and sometimes it isn't. Am I correct? Why does this
occur?

Thank you,
Patrick

Mark Rivers wrote:

Patrick,

Event flags can be explicitly set, which is typically used to allow communication between state sets. Or event flags can be synced to a
PV,
and will be set whenever a monitor is received for that PV, as in the
example I sent you.

You can use the efTest() function outside of a when statement, just
like
any other function.

Mark


-----Original Message-----
From: Patrick Thomas [mailto:[email protected]] Sent:
Thursday, October 01, 2009 5:20 PM
To: Mark Rivers
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: state notation code flags

Hi Mark,

Are the flags on a monitored variable set whenever the monitored variable is used in the code, including a pvPut, pvGet, assignment, calculation, or print statement? Is there a way to test if the flag
is set besides an efTest in a when statement?

Thank you,
Patrick

Mark Rivers wrote:


Hio Patrick,

Here are some code snippets from one of my SNL programs. It has a

variable nelements assigned to a PV, and a monitor on that PV. It has an event flag, nelementsMon that is synced to nelements. Whenever nelements changes the event flag will be set. In the init state I
clear
the event flag, just to be sure it is clear when the SNL code starts running (after all PVs connect). I then use efTestAndClear in a when statement to take actions when that event flag is set, and to clear it.
This works fine for me.


int nelements; assign nelements to "{P} {R}Nelements.VAL";
monitor nelements;
evflag nelementsMon;    sync nelements  nelementsMon;


/* Initialize things when first starting */
state init {
    when() {
        /* Clear all event flags */
...

        efClear(nelementsMon);
    } state monitor_inputs
}


...

state monitor_inputs {

...

    when(efTestAndClear(nelementsMon) && (nelements>=1)) {
/* If nelements changes, then change endPulses to this

value,


* since this is what the user normally wants. endPulses

can be


         * changed again after changing nelements if this is

desired. */


        if (moveMode == MOVE_MODE_RELATIVE)
            endPulses = nelements;
        else
            endPulses = nelements-1;
        pvPut(endPulses);
    } state monitor_inputs
}

Mark

________________________________

From: [email protected] on behalf of Patrick Thomas
Sent: Wed 9/30/2009 10:35 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: state notation code flags



Hi,

I was wondering if there is a way to track at what point in the state notation code evflags are getting set and cleared, or if someone could clarify under what conditions they get set. I'm having trouble with

them


getting set somewhere and not being cleared, but I'm not sure where.

Thank you,
Patrick












--
Eric Norum <[email protected]>
Advanced Photon Source
Argonne National Laboratory
(630) 252-4793





--
Eric Norum <[email protected]>
Advanced Photon Source
Argonne National Laboratory
(630) 252-4793



--
Eric Norum <[email protected]>
Advanced Photon Source
Argonne National Laboratory
(630) 252-4793



Replies:
Re: state notation code flags Patrick Thomas
References:
state notation code flags Patrick Thomas
RE: state notation code flags Mark Rivers
Re: state notation code flags Patrick Thomas
RE: state notation code flags Mark Rivers
Re: state notation code flags Patrick Thomas
Re: state notation code flags Pete R. Jemian
Re: state notation code flags Patrick Thomas
RE: state notation code flags Mark Rivers
Re: state notation code flags Patrick Thomas
RE: state notation code flags Mark Rivers
Re: state notation code flags Patrick Thomas
Re: state notation code flags Eric Norum
Re: state notation code flags Eric Norum
Re: state notation code flags Patrick Thomas
Re: state notation code flags Eric Norum

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