Visual DCT upgrade

1
Visual DCT upgrade

• Gasper Jansa, Cosylab
• SLAC, April 2005

2
Outline

• History Functionality
• Archiver Configuration Plugin
• Alarm Configuration Plugin
• Spreadsheet view
• Substitution file editor
• Conclusion

3
Visual DCT - Overview

• Very popular visual database configuration tool
• Open source, funded by many labs
• Main features
• Written in Java
• Extendable - plugins
• Stores graphical information as comments
• Reads also databases without graphical info
• Hierarchical database structure is possible
• Easy to learn

4
Archiver Configuration Plugin

• Supports EPICS Channel Access Archiver
  configuration files (XML)
• Import a predefined XML file
• Create a new group with one click
• Define a group and channel attributes
• Move records from a list that is generated from
  the template to the tree structure

5
Alarm Handler Configuration Plugin

• Import a predefined configuration files
• Move records from a list to the tree structure
• Complicated structure can be created with only
  few mouse clicks
• Add all attributes to a group or channel
• Guidance
• Commands
• .

6
Spread sheet view

• Bobs idea
• Useful for EPICS databases with little logic
  (i.e. links).
• Tables are on a tabbed pane one table per tab
  for each record type and one record per row.
• All cells are editable, in a similar fashion as
  in property inspector
• Possible to customize which fields to display
• Use search

7
Spread sheet view artistic impression
8
Substitution file editor

• Dont worry about syntax
• Large amount of macros can be easy controlled
• Check if number of macros match number of
  substitutes

9
Conclusion

• Visual DCT already provided an excellent tool for
  database configuration
• New plugins provide added value possibility to
  configure some essential EPICS tools from within
  the Visual DCT.
• You are always very welcome to contribute new
  ideas or sponsor developments ?