Re: camonitor the PACT field

["Johnson, Andrew N. via Tech-talk" <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>]

Hi Mark,

 

On 5/15/25, 7:41 AM, "Mark Rivers" wrote:

 

The PACT field does not send monitor events, so you can read it, but not monitor it.

 

The old EPICS Record Reference Manual makes this clear.  Note that the Rec Proc Monitor column is No for the PACT field.

https://epics.anl.gov/EpicsDocumentation/AppDevManuals/RecordRef/Recordref-6.html

 

Unfortunately, the new EPICS 7 Record Reference Manual does not have a column that indicates whether fields generate monitors.

https://docs.epics-controls.org/projects/base/en/r7.0.9/dbCommonRecord.html - scan-fields

 

For example, in the old manual it is clear that the STAT and SEVR fields generate monitors, but in the new manual that information is missing.

 

(I fixed your “new” link above)

 

The Rec Proc Monitor column in the old Record Reference Manual was added (by hand) based on the source code of the record types at the time, and keeping the tables current with the record sources was always a problem. When we switched to creating the record type reference tables automatically from the *Record.dbd files I had to choose between removing that column completely or manually annotating all of the fields that every record’s process() routine posts monitors on inside the *Record.dbd.pod files.

 

Unfortunately that information can’t always be determined from the record’s source code; device support can also post monitor events, and the common fields such as PACT aren’t always documented in the individual record type so some record types could post monitors on common fields that most records don’t. If the community wants to resurrect the Rec Proc Monitor field column using manual annotations that can be done, but it would take some volunteer effort (Codeathon?) to populate all the record fields.

 

- Andrew

 

-- 

Complexity comes for free, Simplicity you have to work for.