Re: Multi-threading in BOY Python scripts

[Pete Jemian <jemian@anl.gov>]

This might raise some concerns for you:

On 7/29/2015 7:59 AM, Márcio Paduan Donadio wrote:
> This way, two of our beamlines decided to migrate to
> MEDM, even when we tried to show that the problem was not
> caused by the (CSS BOY) tool.

Please consider using the newer, and supported, tool called "caQtDM" 
from PSI rather than the older, unsupported tool called MEDM.
As the caQtDM web page says:
    "caQtDM - a medm replacement based on QT"
    --  http://epics.web.psi.ch/software/caqtdm/

caQtDM was designed to be feature-compatible with MEDM but built using 
modern tools: (replace Motif & X11 with Qt, also uses a completely 
different screen file format for which there is a conversion tool).  To 
build new screens for caQtDM, use either the Qt Designer or Creator 
tools with added components for caQtDM.
Regards,
   Pete


On 7/29/2015 7:59 AM, Márcio Paduan Donadio wrote:
>           Kasemir,
>
>       thank you for your answer. Let me tell our story:
>
>       We saw in CS-Studio a good opportunity to beamline's staff to build
> their own screens because of the user friendly interface. The problem is
> that beamline's staff are full of good idea and desires, but have poor
> programming skills. So, we prepared a 2 days course as they could start
> to use CS-Studio in a basic way. Even with few programming skills they
> could build beautiful and useful screens to use the IOCs we developed
> for them.
>
>       For complex tasks we created a python framework called py4syn that
> they use in parallel with CS-Studio.
>
>       The problem is that some of them adventure themselves to develop
> complex python scripts and embedded them in BOY widgets. The result is
> that sometimes CS-Studio freezes because of script issues and the
> biggest derived problem is that their wrong perception is that CS-Studio
> is not a good tool. This way, two of our beamlines decided to migrate to
> MEDM, even when we tried to show that the problem was not caused by the
> tool.
>
>       For us in LNLS it is a good strategy to give some freedom to
> beamline's staff to build some pieces of software in the EPICS client
> layer, but due to lack of programming skills we don't think it's a good
> idea to allow them to build their own IOCs.
>
>       I agree that the best way to work is not to put those scripts
> inside BOY, but could I suggest to put some protection mechanisms that
> allow CS-Studio to run smoothly even if an embedded script runs in an
> accidental continuous loop?
>
>       Thank you again,
--
----------------------------------------------------------
Pete R. Jemian, Ph.D.                <jemian@anl.gov>
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------