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

Subject: Announcing pymsi - EPICS macro substitution and expansion tool
From: Angus Gratton <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2012 16:25:25 +1000
Hi everyone,

I wanted to let you all know I've just posted a macro expansion tool
that we've been using for some time here at the ANU 14UD. It's called
'pymsi'

For now it's in the 'epicsapps' distribution related to pyepics,
although it's really a command line tool that doesn't require any
Python knowledge or even the pyepics libraries (just a working Python
installation.)

Docs at:
http://pyepics.github.com/epicsapps/pymsi.html

Code at:
https://github.com/pyepics/epicsapps


pymsi is a similar tool to "msi", it takes templated input databases
and processes them to produce output databases. Some syntax is even
identical. However, pymsi has several additional powerful features for
compile-time database evaluation:

- Components can be nested hierarchically, allowing individual
  databases to be very flexibly reused (the 'DRY' principle[1].)

- Embedded database parser, verifies database syntax at compile time.

- dbd verification allows every field in the database to be checked
  against the database definition at compile time, catch pesky errors
  and typos early.

- Powerful macro expansion engine - local scopes, inline default values,
  errors on missing macros.

- Automatic dependency generator for Makefile integration (changes to
  any subdatabase will cause make to automatically rebuild the parent
  database.)

- Detailed error messages with accurate line & column numbers for quick
  and accurate debugging.

- Easy integration with the EPICS build system.


(More details and an example can be found at the documentation link
above.)

Posting it here in the hope that it's useful to other labs. Please let
me know if I can answer any questions or improve the documentation in
any way.

Cheers,


Angus

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_repeat_yourself

-- 
Angus Gratton, Computer Control Specialist
ANU Department of Nuclear Physics
(02) 6125 2091

Replies:
Re: Announcing pymsi - EPICS macro substitution and expansion tool Goetz Pfeiffer

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