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

Subject: Re: EPICS UIs in the context of changing enum record identifiers
From: Pete Jemian <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2015 12:13:02 -0500
We encountered this same situation when building controls for the XIA PF4 filter (attenuator) box. The PF4 allows one to place 4 separate foils into the beam. The X-ray attenuation of the PF4 is based on the combination of foils in the beam. Attenuation varies by X-ray wavelength, thus the nice text on the MBBO button labels would change, ideally, when the X-ray wavelength is changed. (A SNL program computes the values.)

Our work around was to place the changeable text in stringout labels next to each mbbo radiobutton value. Not our first choice for controls but acceptable to the users.

see the example "pf4Bankmore.adl" screen in the synApps optics module:

https://subversion.xray.aps.anl.gov/synApps/optics/trunk/opticsApp/op/adl/pf4Bankmore.adl

Pete


On 4/1/2015 11:53 AM, Jameson Graef Rollins wrote:
Hi, all.  We have an application that employs an enum record as a
control interface (for submitting a request to the program).  The
application can be manually prompted to reload it's configuration, which
can occasionally cause the elements of the control enum to change
(desired behavior).

The problem is that our operator interfaces (primarily MEDM at the
moment) do not behave well in the context of these enum change.  All
MEDM enum controller objects retrieve enum identifiers only once at
startup.  This means they become stale after the enum changes, and more
dangerously, allow the user to select one element that is actually
mapped to another.  This has created quite a few headaches for us.

I've been trying to find a way around this problem, but haven't come up
with anything.  The best solution I have so far involves creating a
screen on the fly that creates a shell command menu with a bunch of
"caput" commands for the strings of enum.  This of course doesn't get
updated on application reload either, but it at least doesn't allow for
selecting a mislabeled element.

I'm soliciting for suggestions about how to create operator interfaces
that behave better in the face of changing enum records.  All operator
interfaces that I've looked at (MEDM, EDM, QTDM) don't behave well.  Any
suggestions of what we could do that don't involve patching MEDM or
creating our own operator interface?

jamie.


--
----------------------------------------------------------
Pete R. Jemian, Ph.D.                <[email protected]>
Beam line Controls and Data Acquisition, Group Leader
Advanced Photon Source,   Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne, IL  60439                   630 - 252 - 3189
-----------------------------------------------------------
   Education is the one thing for which people
      are willing to pay yet not receive.
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Replies:
Re: EPICS UIs in the context of changing enum record identifiers Peter Milne
References:
EPICS UIs in the context of changing enum record identifiers Jameson Graef Rollins

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