Conversion issues (analog device support with float type raw data)

[Ralph Lange <Ralph.Lange@gmx.de>]

All,

The standard conversions that are being done in analog record types 
convert between RVAL (integer type) and VAL (float type).
All device supports that are handling float-type raw data (mostly field 
buses, PLCs, ASYN, ...) cannot use the record support's conversion 
because of the mismatch in data types. They have to clone the code and 
do the conversion as part of the device support, RVAL is usually ignored.
This leads to the situation that for some input records (if they are 
connected to integer type raw data) the conversion can be tested by 
doing caputs to the RVAL field, for the other records caputs to the RVAL 
field are just being ignored.
Does anyone have a good idea how to straighten this out in a reasonable 
and compatible way?
We could add a second RVAL field of type double to the analog records, 
and define yet another DSET.read() return code to trigger a float-float 
conversion. That would at least move the conversion code back into the 
record scope, where it belongs.
Admittedly this is not really cleaning things up a lot, but as long as 
there are no variable type fields in records, I don't see a way around 
adding a field for a double type raw value.
What do you think?
~Ralph