Re: Version strings to track not only EPICS BASE but other IOC modules/components

[Rod Nussbaumer <bomr@triumf.ca>]

Ernest:

Here at TRIUMF, we put do-nothing string variables into C source code, 
and the content of the strings are macros that get expanded by CVS when 
it is committed to the repository. Something like this:

> static char *devVmic4800_c = "\ndevVmic4800.c $Revision: 1.2 $ $Date: 2009/09/04 23:10:38 $\n";

When the module gets built into a binary library or executable, the 
revision strings are all there to find with the 'strings' command on 
Linux/Unix.

We also have an extension to the makeBaseApp utility that automatically 
creates these strings in source files that are created, as well as 
creating iocShell functions to display the revision strings at run time, 
which looks like this:

> epics> laserStabMainRevShow
>
> laserStabMain.c $Revision: 1.1.1.1 $ $Date: 2011/08/10 20:49:46 $
>
>  RELEASE_DIR_laserStab /usr1/local/epics/iocApp/laserStabApp/R1_2_EPICS3_14_11/src/O.linux-x86
>
>  RELEASE_DATE_laserStab Wed May 15 13:58:37 PDT 2013
>
>  RELEASE_KERNEL_laserStab Linux icdeb6 2.6.32-5-686
>
>  RELEASE_COMPILER_laserStab gcc (Debian 4.4.5-8) 4.4.5
>
>  RELEASE_BUILDER_laserStab yogendran
>
>  RELEASE_EPICS_laserStab R3.14.11



It is left to the discipline of the developer to ensure that CVS commits 
are performed *before* the code is built and released to production, so 
the proper revision info gets embedded.

Rod Nussbaumer
ISAC Controls, TRIUMF
Vancouver, Canada


On 09/24/2013 07:25 AM, Williams Jr., Ernest L. wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> How might one use the same scheme to supply a version string to reflect the version of a software module?
>
> Does EPICS Toolkit support this for Driver/Device Support?
>
> Would also be nice to have a version string supported for IOC applications as well.
>
> Can this be done in a standardized way such as dbior()?
>
> For example, EPICS BASE uses:
> "$EPICS_BASE_RELEASE/configure/CONFIG_SITE"
> Variable NAME = EPICS_SITE_VERSION
>
> Then at the ioc shell  coreRelease() will print out the version string.
>
> So, for an EPICS module maybe:
> <moduleName>Release()
>
> For an IOC Application:
> <iocAppName>Release()
>
> This would be very useful and can also be place in a PV :)
>
> Anyone already doing this?  If so, can we get it standardized as part of the EPICS BASE and templates?
>
>
> Cheers,
> Ernest