Where did I go ?

1. Where did I go ?

2. Where did I work ?

3. What did I do @ ANSTO ? • Choose a device bus • Choose a programming language • Propose and develop an architecture for the GUI • Waltzing Mathilda i.e. see Australia !

4. Choosing a Device Bus • Compared XML-RPC and TANGO • XML-RPC • No standard API • 4 pages of documentation • Slow • Java – 25 ms / kb (worst 432 ms) • C – 91 ms / kb (worst 4477 ms) • Lack of functionality (no timeouts, events etc.) • TANGO • The best object oriented control system there is ;-)! • Fast (250 microsecs) • Full set of functionalities • The winner is – “TANGO” !

5. TANGO in Sydney • TANGO will be used as device bus for detectors and hardware which are running on a separate computer and need to be interfaced with the control system e.g. Denex detectors, Brookhaven detector, Velocity selector, etc. • TANGO will be used without the database (aka99% fat free TANGO) • TANGO is installed and currently one device server exists for one detector on the old reactor • TANGO will be interfaced to SICS, the main control system sequencer

6. TANGO architecture @ RRR TANGO Device Servers Histogram memory Histogram GUI Velocity selector SICS server SICS Motor controllers SICS client Nick HAUSER IT Manager Paul HATHAWAY IT Programmer Nick HAUSER IT Manager Paul HATHAWAY IT Programmer Nick HAUSER IT Manager Paul HATHAWAY IT Programmer Nick HAUSER IT Manager Paul HATHAWAY IT Programmer Nick HAUSER IT Manager Paul HATHAWAY IT Programmer Ferdi FRANCESCHINI IT Programmer Andy GOTZ IT Programmer Ferdi FRANCESCHINI IT Programmer Andy GOTZ IT Programmer Ferdi FRANCESCHINI IT Programmer Andy GOTZ IT Programmer Ferdi FRANCESCHINI IT Programmer Andy GOTZ IT Programmer Ferdi FRANCESCHINI IT Programmer Andy GOTZ IT Programmer Tony LAM IT Programmer Tony LAM IT Programmer Tony LAM IT Programmer Tony LAM IT Programmer Tony LAM IT Programmer

7. TANGO seen from 15000 km • The source code distribution for Linux and the binary distribution for Windows WORK! • TANGO is not easy to use and understand if you do not have previous experience with TANGO • TANGO is great BUT … • It is not easy to find what device servers exist and download them • “dbase=no” option is not supported for everything • It does not have enough applications + howto’s • Web site is not easy to navigate • The TANGO collaboration does not look coherent from the outside • TANGO is not a complete solution for doing controls (yet)

8. Choosing a programming language for the GUI • C++ is excluded because it the cross platform solutions are either not free or not well supported • Compared Java vs. Python/Qt • Python+Qt • Relatively easy to program, no type checking, few tools, popular at scientific institutes, not so portable • Java • Supports type checking, is portable, lots of classes available, well structured, good development tools, weak on data visualisation • The winner is – “Java” • BUT which widget library to use : Swing/AWT or JFace/SWT ?

9. The Graphical User Interface Andy Götz Tony Lam Ferdi Franceschini Nick Hauser

10. Development Team GANG OF FIVE Main Architects Nick HAUSER Andy GOTZ GUI Developer SICS Expert Visualisation Man Tony LAM Paul HATHAWAY Ferdi FRANCESCHINI Nick HAUSER IT Manager Paul HATHAWAY IT Programmer Nick HAUSER IT Manager Paul HATHAWAY IT Programmer Nick HAUSER IT Manager Paul HATHAWAY IT Programmer Nick HAUSER IT Manager Paul HATHAWAY IT Programmer Nick HAUSER IT Manager Paul HATHAWAY IT Programmer Ferdi FRANCESCHINI IT Programmer Andy GOTZ IT Programmer Ferdi FRANCESCHINI IT Programmer Andy GOTZ IT Programmer Ferdi FRANCESCHINI IT Programmer Andy GOTZ IT Programmer Ferdi FRANCESCHINI IT Programmer Andy GOTZ IT Programmer Ferdi FRANCESCHINI IT Programmer Andy GOTZ IT Programmer Tony LAM IT Programmer Tony LAM IT Programmer Tony LAM IT Programmer Tony LAM IT Programmer Tony LAM IT Programmer

11. GUI Control / Status Data Visualization Data Analysis Graphical User Interface Main Components: • Instrument Control and Status • No prior knowledge of SICS commands • Live Data Visualization • Preview of the data acquired during experiment • Online / Offline Data Analysis • Data analysis package embedded with other GUI components SIC Server Motors Detectors Ancillaries

12. RRR Uses Novel Approach for GUI Old days Now @ RRR • GUI is being built BEFORE the instruments • Scientists can test-drive the GUI in simulation mode before getting neutrons • Data can be simulated or real data

13. What to call the GUI ? Graphical User Interface for Multiple and Time Resolved Experiments GumTree Echidna (HRPD) Kowari (Residual Stress) Take a guess Quokka (SANS) Koala (QLD) Platypus (Reflectometer) Wombat (HIPD)

14. The Gumtree Base Technology • GumTree is based on Eclipse Technology • What is Eclipse? • The next best thing since sliced bread ! • Java based technology for building applications • Why Eclipse • Plug-in architecture • Scalability, extensibility • Modern application features • Multi platform support • Open Source + FREE!! • IBM spent 40 million US$ on developing Eclipse

15. The Gumtree concept • Fat client as opposed to thin client • The single workbench for doing all the scientist needs to do take and analyse data • The various tools the scientist needs are written as Eclipse plugins • The tools plug in to the workbench to form a coherent integrated application • The standard tasks needed for doing beamline control are provided by Gumtree • Gumtree abstractsthe standard tasks as a set of interfaces e.g. control system, device, motor, detector, sequencer etc. • The system integrator implements the interfaces which access the underlying control system • Gumtree discovers what is in the underlying control system by browsing

16. What Eclipse offers? • A development tool • AND A Framework • A framework can be up to 80% of an application • ECLIPSE Framework • SWT (based on native widgets) • JFace (based on SWT) • Views • Perspectives • Window management • Preferences • Properties • Internationalisation • Wizard classes to build your own wizards • Online help to build your own context sensitive help • Forms for html type views • Cheatsheets • XML editor • Update manager • …

17. What is an Eclipse plugin? • Is the smallest unit of code in Eclipse • It is written in Java • Contains an xml declaration file + jar + resources • The manifest file declares : • Extensions – what plugins your plugin extends • Extension Points – how your plugin can be extended • An extension point can have its own API • Eclipse reads all manifest files to discover all plugins • Plugins are only activated when needed

18. GumTree Screenshots

19. The knife analogy to software development

20. Conclusion • TANGO is great BUT it still needs improvements to: • No database option to be improved • Need more integrated applications • Website face lift • Python is great BUT Java is better • Gumtree is a great integrated application for doing experiments • Gumtree could be used at the ESRF beamlines BUT it is not written in Python • Eclipse in the TANGO collaboration ? • It could be used to write applications for TANGO • SWT and JFace could replace Swing BUT what to do with the existing base already written in Swing ? • At least try out Eclipse as development tool for Java + C/C++ • I think Eclipse could become the next major platform independent application framework and could have as much influence as Linux and Java for software developers

21. Waltzing Mathilda