Best Practice for Global Module Configuration

["Blomley, Edmund \(IBPT\) via Tech-talk" <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>]

Hey all,

 

Let’s assume you are working on an EPICS module.

 

This module has a default string pattern it uses for a certain task.

This pattern can be overridden in the start-up script using a function provided by the module.

 

Now, if you want to use the same string pattern across all IOCs it would mean you would have to add the same line of code to each IOC.

Therefore I want to add a feature to the module itself which allows me to override the module default string.

But still have the option to define it on the IOC level to override.

 

There would be different options to achieve this. For example:

• Please look this custom ENV variable
• Please look at this custom filepath for file X
• …

 

But how about defining the custom string pattern in the IOC configuration at build time? Would that make sense for such a scenario?

And if yes, how should/would it look like?

Would that be something I would add to the CONFIG_SITE meachanism, so one can use CONIFG_SITE.local?

Or would that be an unusual/unexpected? If yes, where and how would be a better approach?

 

If you need a more concrete example to understand the use-case:

Let’s imagine you are using the recaster module and want to define your exclude pattern globally for your whole site, but sometimes want certain IOCs to use a different pattern.

 

Cheers

eddy

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