CS-Studio News

• Display Builder: 'Symbol' widget.
• PV Table: Support 'completion' in case values need to be restored one by one.
• Data Browser: Fix missing update when archived data arrived. Time axis always starts with full date and time.
• Alarm Server: Don't connect 'disabled' trigger PVs to reduce network traffic.

• "Display Builder", an update of the "BOY" panel editor, which is used for SNS beamlines updated since 2017
• Displays: Executed as 'view' panels, allowing use in Perspectives.
  After this change, *.opi displays are best opened in the "OPI Runtime" perspective.
• Data Browser: Fix for large gaps in plot for short gaps in data (#1443)
• Data Browser: Allow axis selection when adding multiple PVs from search to plot (#1517)
• Scan: Bug fixes, skip/continue, non-queued scans, "Save As", "Re-Submit" from scan monitor. Scan editor loads faster.

• Data Browser: Show units on axis, in legend, in annotations.
• OPI Linking container bug fixes (#1217, #1219).
• OPI Scripts: Fix errors w/ Jython from Action Button: NPE when *.opi closed, PyScanClient error for all but first invocation (#1237).
• Scan: "Save As", "Re-Submit" from scan monitor. Scan editor loads faster.

• Alarm Server: Avoid 'disconnect' on PVs from gateway when one IOC behind the gateway reboots.
• Alarm Tree: Support conveniently enabling/disabling complete subtrees.
• Alarm Tree: Fix for newly added PVs not being displayed.
• PV Tree: Support "Freeze-on-alarm" mode.
• PV Tree: Support link ranges "INP001-128" or "INP1-5" as used by some site-specific record types.
• Data Browser: Context menu entry to save snapshot to file.
• Data Browser: Traces can be moved up/down in list, which also orders their label on the value axis.
• Data Browser: Redraw right away when item trace shown/hidden/removed/added, trace color or name changed, axis name changed, axis left/right changed.
• Data Browser: Plot has title and legend.
• PV Table: 'Description' column; values displayed with units; support names starting with "#" as comments; allow inserting new rows anywhere in table as well as drag-drop to rearrange.
• Scan server: Parallel and Sequence commands.
• BOY Scripts: Compared to 4.0.0, faster startup of scripted displays.

• Based on Eclipse 4: No more distinction between 'Editors' like BOY displays, Data Browser, .. and 'Views' like Probe, PV Tree, .. All can be positioned anywhere within the workspace, or detached.
• Comprehensive Data Browser update:
  • Plot more compact, replacing legend with trace names on axes.
  • Toolbar more compact.
  • Streamlined zoom/pan options with better visual feedback.
  • Ability to add multiple PVs to an axis without having to adjust colors because each added trace starts with a new color, reducing likelihood of plots where users cannot determine which trace corresponds to what item (#213).
  • Time Axis tab offers shortcuts to select common time ranges like 30m,1h,12,1d,7d, configurable via preferences (#512).
  • Annotation content with place holders for name, position, value.
  • Annotation removal dialog right away lists annotations to remove.
  • Ability to display Y axis on right side of plot
  • Cross-hair cursor
  • Images submitted to logbook or email no longer contain blank region where the logbook submission dialog used to be (as in https://snsapp1.sns.ornl.gov/Logbook/WebObjects/Logbook.woa/wa/DirectAction/entryPage?entryID=476384 )
  • 'Color' property of trace or axis is always visible, even if that 'row' of the table is selected.
  • Tables no longer have "vanishing columns" on Linux; enforcing minimum column width (#838).
  • Dropping of several PVs works (used to drop "[PV1", "PV2,", "LastPV]")
  • Most drawing performed in background threads, no longer delaying the UI thread.
  • 'Autoscale' performed in parallel background threads, using all CPUs to determine range of traces.
  • Cursor values determined in background thread via binary search (Not in UI thread, not via linear search. Also fixes #536).
  • All configuration options now in 'Properties' view, no plot config that allows corrupting time axis settings.
  • All configurable plot options now saved/restored (#428, #632).
  • Consistently persisting configuration of 'Model', instead of separating and then diverging the 'Model' and 'XYGraph' settings (#694, #755).
  • Provide DataBrowserSchema.xsd for current *.plt file format.
  • Using Java 8 'Instant' for all time operations.
  • "Edit Items" dialog (for multiple items) has icon, consistent layout.
  • Plot can show VStatistics std. deviation as well as min/max (#764).
  • Can "Remove Archive Data Source" even if source has no name (just Key and URL)
  • "Save Changes" option: If de-selected, changes will not mark the config as 'dirty', so no Do-you-want-to-save prompt. Allows users to zoom, pan, then simply close *.plt. Can still "Save As".
• PVTable allows entering values; Can load and save EPICS 'autosave' *.sav file format.
• Updated git support, most visible the "Commit" dialog now offers "Commit & Push"
• Updated pydev support for editing Python/jython

• Larger CA array size, new BOY version number to support Instrument displays
• Fix: Data Browser added nonsense value axes when opening certain older *.plt files
• Data Browser can request archived data to fill gap between previously fetched history and live sample ring buffer.
  Needs to be enabled under Data Browser preferences, and will then apply to all plots.
• Self-update ("Updates Available...") from many previous versions resulted in a broken setup (missing XYGraph "IAnnotationListener", "java.lang.NoSuchMethodError"). This version should update more smoothly from any 3.2.x version.

• Fix: Archive data export of 'raw' easily resulted in out-of-memory because of large 'fetch' size.
• Scan system supports 'put' as well as 'get' callbacks, using the latter for the initial check of all conditions.

• Alarm table sort persists when closing/re-opening table
• Autocompletion support for PV names (SNS accelerator names) and Formula syntax
• BOY 'table' widget cell editors for checkbox, drop-down
• Catching up with CSS community version numbering
• Data browser "direct" trace type
• Data browser fix for failed "export" unless every data source contained the channel
• Fix for Logbook submission with long first line (title)
• Fix for Mac OS error "...app is damaged and can't be opened"
• "Instrument" archive URL updated to new SCPROD server
• Scan system supports "completion" (EPICS put-callback)

• Data Browser: Fix 'cast' error in linear interpolation export when encountering "Disconnected" samples.
• Archive engine: Check for invalid time stamps, log channel name.
• Scan System: Use XML generator lib to avoid issues with special characters in value text.

• 'PVManager' replaces 'utility.pv' connection layer.
• PVManager formula support in many tools like BOY widgets: ='sim://sine' + 10, see online help.
• BOY PV name properties, Data Browser 'Add PV', EPICS PV Tree, ... support PV name lookup from SNS database.
• Scan System supports 'completion' check (EPICS 'put callback').
• Logbook submission can now include multiple logbooks, also supporting 'tags'.

• 'speech' plugin has configurable voice name.

• Configured for both accelerator and instrument CA gateway, *.opi links.
• Data Browser "Refresh" entry in context menu.

• MPS Bypass table default settings.
• swt.xygraph: Continue Autoscale regardless of Zoom buttons.

• MPS Bypass table default settings.
• swt.xygraph: Continue Autoscale regardless of Zoom buttons.

• BOY fix: Actions did not pass macros. System integrators can hide widgets via preferences.
• Data browser: Internal changes to support ITER's RAP port.
• Scan System: Monitor displays expected end time.

• Windows 64 bit downloads include JRE.
• BOY:
  • Widgets reflect changes in write access state of PV.
  • 'Refresh OPI' action.
  • Image rotation.
  • Raw change log: change log.
• Scan System:
  • Device name editor cleared on focus unless name was on list.
  • Server's ScriptCommandContext can read array values.
• Alarm System:
  • AlarmServer: "-root" name from commandline was ignored in some places, instead using the preference value.
  • alarm_config_tool: "Parent item is null" error.
• This version may also be the last snapshot before replacing the internal 'util.pv' library with 'PVManager'.

• SNS Update for new Oracle cluster configuration.
• BOY:
  • Region-of-interest support for intensity graph.
  • More array support.
  • many more, see change log.
• Data Browser:
  • When retrieval from one archive data source fails, continue with others (used to stop retrieving).
  • CSV File import from context menu failed on empty plot (no value axis).

• BOY:
  • Array support.
  • Table widget.
  • Symbol widgte (ITER).
  • Updated examples.
  • many more, see change log.
• Data Browser:
  • Save more of the plot settings (title, ...)
  • For waveform PVs, the array element to plot can be selected. Same waveform PV can be displayed multiple times to show different array elements.
  • Import data from CSV File as data source (rows must match YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.SSS number).
  • Spreadsheet export presents min/max of "optimized" data in columns suitable for error bar display.
  • Matlab Export can use binary *.mat files in addition to *.m text files.
• Alarm System:
  • Alarm notifier can send automated emails or execute commands.
  • Double-click on alarm tree item, if permitted, opens configuration.
  • Fix: GUI didn't always show items just added.
• Updated Channel Access libraries (JCA 1.1.10, CAJ 2.3.6)

• Based on CSS core 3.1.0. Online help has section "Change Log" with details.
• WebOPI, a web-based version of BOY, released together with RCP version. For installation info, see documents included in the sources of the plugin org.csstudio.opibuilder.rap.
• BOY:
  • Wire-type connections between widgets.
  • Full Unicode support.
  • Scripts can be embedded in *.opi file.
  • Runtime window can be detached.
  • many more, see change log
• PV support uses DBE_PROPERTY which EPICS R3.14.11 IOCs are beginning to provide (MBBI, MBBO enum strings).
• RDB archive supports BLOB for array storage.

• Data Browser opened from D.B. widget in BOY receives macros.
• MPS Bypass tool "Reload" button.

• Fix for horizontal zoom in Data Browser and BOY XYGraph that would 'invert' traces.
• Replacement for SNS MPS Bypass Viewer.

• Alarm system update for control room: Support more PVs; new alarm area panel; user-format for annunciations can contain value of PV.
• ELog entries can contain screen shot.
• Navigator supports application launch.

• Overall: Based on CSS core release 3.0.0 which modularized the internal structure of CSS, see release 3.0.0. Re-aligned the organization of menus, preferences and online help.
• BOY
  • Display 'Schema' support
  • Revised online help
  • Updated script support: Python, script utility classes
  • New script execution options

• Alarm System
  • Fix for missed annunciations when audio briefly unavailable
  • Table lists 'current' severity/status before alarm severity/status
• BOY
  • GridLayout widget
  • Tree View in outline
  • Support rotate/flip operations on all widgets
  • New script execution options
• Note: Mac OS X Version uses 'cocoa' instead of the deprecated 'carbon' display library. This means that an online update is not possible for OS X users! You have to install this version manually (download the ZIP file).

• BOY: Scripts reflect PV disconnects via widget border
• Data Browser: Usable as widget in BOY
• Alarm System: Related displays can be BOY displays; Initial support for 'global' alarms
• ELog, EMail: Allow more than one image attachment
• PACE: Perform PV updates before logbook entry

• BOY
  • Context menu for opening related displays
  • Optimizations: Memory usage of Intensity Graph; Flood control in GUI updates
  • Allow changing pv_value property in Rules
  • Description for widget actions
  • Virtual Linac Example
  • Handle NaN alarm limits of EPICS R3.14.11; more bug fixes
• Data Browser: Archive name search is case-insensitive
• Alarm System: Uses only one configuration name to set the 'root' and JMS topics
• Eclipse: Updated to 3.6.1

• Data Browser: Value axes can be 'invisible' to increase plot area
• BOY: Intensity chart memory usage optimization
• Probe: Fix for EPICS R3.14.11 alarm limit behavior (undefined limits are NaN)
• Channel Access: Updated to 2009/09/14 source snapshot of JCA 2.3.3 and CAJ 1.1.6 from http://epics-jca.sourceforge.net
• Eclipse: Updated to 3.6

• All Oracle data had moved to new cluster, requiring changed connection parameters.

• Plot can re-scale when archived data arrives.
• Only switch to Data Browser 'perspective' for new plots opened from CSS menu or toolbar. Stay in current perspective when opening config file or when activated from context menu.

• Basic widget code moved to separate library.

• Software repository moved to SourceForge
• Use 'universal intro'

• Acknowledgement logic update: Acknowledging an alarm meant that for example a MAJOR alarm changed into MAJOR-ack'ed, using the latched alarm severity, i.e. the highest observed trigger PV severity. Now, acknowledging an alarm will cause it to use the current PV severity. For example, a PV that got up to a MAJOR alarm state but the trigger PV has already relaxed back to MINOR will be in MINOR-ack'ed.
• Server and clients re-load configuration after RDB errors to avoid getting out of sync
• Fix for Alarm Table flicker on Linux
• Fix for occasional "Update for unknown PV" errors (caused by deadlock that delayed JMS shutdown)
• Fix for update of disposed Alarm Table
• Annunciator can use external command
• Plugins renamed for better separation from DESY alarm plugs

• MEDM converter

• Add Rules support.
• Support runtime properties configuration.
• Make PV property runtime changeable.
• Add a new widget ByteMonitor. (by John Hammonds at APS)
• Add Macro name validating before exiting macro dialog.
• Support SystemDefault font name in fonts macro file
• Support online reload of font and color file without restarting CSS.
• Make run button and Ctrl+G always work even the OPI editor is not active.
• Add Exponential and HEX format to Spinner.
• Add Maximum and Minimum to TextInput so that the input numeric value can be forced in range.
• Add Visible property to XYGraph axes so it is possible now to make axis invisible.
• Support comments in fonts and color file.
• Fix the bug that the last edited text value on Macro and Scripts Dialog cannot be applied.

• Slider, scrollbar support cursor keys
• Send screenshots to Logbook, EMail
• Radio Box, Choice Button
• More Enum support

• SNS users can access archive data in Oracle from wireless network and VPN connections because of new Connection Manager URL
• Data Browser and BOY plots support most zoom operations on the axis as well as the plot, i.e. you can now zoom only one axis as opposed to all axes
• BOY can open OPI files via URL, so SNS Office users no longer need to down-load any display files
• PV Fields Viewer fix: Failed to start when it had incomplete info about previously entered PV names
• Plot fix: Color of error bars or 'area' was wrong after changing trace color
• MPS Configuration Viewer update

• SNS 'Office' version includes CVS support.
• Updated to Eclipse 3.5.2

• CSS Documentation moves to Source Forge
• Fix for Data Browser Formulas with 'optimized' data
• Stored procedure failed when reading before start of archive
• Data Browser email support for SNS users
• SNS Control Room version disables 'advanced graphics' in XY Chart

• New Data Browser with new (faster) Oracle data access, see DataBrowser2.doc.
• Alarm system annunciator available in CSS GUI.

• New BOY widgets, EDM file converter demo
• More initialization options for simulated PVs, fix for PV Table crash on restart, better EPICS waveform handling, ...
• "File" menu lists recently opened files in SNS version

jdbc:oracle:thin:@//172.31.75.138:1521/prod

jdbc:oracle:thin:@(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS_LIST=(LOAD_BALANCE=OFF)
                 (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=172.31.75.138)(PORT=1521))
                 (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=172.31.75.141)(PORT=1521)))
                 (CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=ics_prod_lba)))
           

1. Data Browser defaults to Load-Balancing URL for Oracle access.
   Note: In case you have previously modified the CSS Preference settings, you only get these new defaults after going to the menu item CSS/Preferences, then navigating to CSS Applications/Trends/Data Browser and pressing Restore Defaults.
2. When opening an existing Data Browser configuration, the archive settings in there are now by default ignored and replaced with the default settings.
   If you want to keep using the archive settings as they were saved to configuration files, uncheck the Data Browser preference to "Use Default Archives instead of configuration file info". When you do this, the following option can be helpful to manually update selected channels to use the default archive data sources.
3. In the Data Browser Config View's archive table, the context menu for deleting and re-ordering archive data sources now has an option to use the "Default Archives" for the selected PVs.
4. Data Browser allows user-specified "Display Name" instead of PV name in plot legend.

• PV Fields viewer can display PV data for fields that were not in the RDB
• PACE shows in title area when values were edited but not saved.
• BOY update
• SNS MPS Bypass Table Preview
• "Filters" in Alarm Handler were broken
• Updated to Eclipse 3.5.1

• Preview of "Best OPI Yet"
• RDB Table Editor
• Data Browser Tweaks:
  "New Databrowser plot" entry in toolbar;
  DataBrowser Perspective enabled for new plots;
  Unused 'Y' axes are automatically removed;
  Pending archive requests stop when time axis is changed.
• Data Browser tool tips and support for shading now optional.
  At least in the SNS control room with GTK 2.4.13, some of these features seem to cause problem, resulting in crash with symptoms as if 'xkill' was used on CSS. Config file options of the 'chart' plugin can now disable these some features for debugging the issue.
• Better Alarm System support for multiple configurations

• Alarm system support for 'maintenance mode' that suppresses and auto-acknowledges INVALID alarms
• Databrowser, Probe, .. support 'simulated' as well as 'local' PVs.
• New 'Make Logbook Entry' tool
• Updated to Eclipse 3.5

• Data Browser:
  Preconfigured for new RDB-based archive;
  'Cancel' for ongoing archive requests actually works;
  Re-scale behavior now a preference in GUI
• Alarm GUI tree and table have consistent tool tips: Entries which are "OK" skip the "(OK/OK/..)" display.
• PACE has configurable default logbook
• "Basic EPICS" product includes latest SDS demo: new XYGraph, updated DAL, ...

• Code based on "Common Startup"
• Website rearranged, new "Basic EPICS" product
• "Basic EPICS" product lacked Probe, Channel Access Preference GUI, DAL/EPICS (fixed May 18)

• PV Field Viewer to display all fields of an EPICS record, both 'crawled' values from Oracle and current from Channel Access
• Data Browser
  • Manual axis limit entry was broken.
  • Shaded min/max area outline uses 'transparent' color.
  • Data Browser scrolling enabled/disabled based on end time being 'now' or not
• Alarm Tree can 'duplicate' PVs to simplify entry of similar PVs

• When setting Markers in the Data Browser plot, they now appear on the closest data point instead of defaulting to traces on the right-most axis when no specific axis is selected.
• Data Browser Plot has option to hide an axis. Traces of axis are still shown. This is meant for special scenarios where more room for plot is needed at the expense of not seeing the actual value range, similar to StripTool.
• Diagnostics tools 'Rack View' to display SNS rack information.
• 'PACE' Tool.

• Data Browser Markers can be edited.

• Data Browser "Cheat Sheet".
• Configurable Data Browser colors for overall plot (background, ...).
• Data Browser configuration saves/loads Markers.
• Source snapshot includes RDB ChannelArchiver for collaborator sites.

• ELog-export allows to choose the elog (Operations, ...).
• Channel Access options to configure subscription.

• Data Browser supports a new "Area" plot type that displays the min/max envelope of optimized archive data as a shaded area. Online help has been updated and extended.
• New version of the SNS PV Utility for PV/device lookup.

• Data Browser "live" buffer default is bigger, and configuration panel offers memory usage info.
• JMS log support

• Data Browser has multi-level 'undo' for zoom/pan operations.
• Data Browser can send snapshot to ELog.

• Command-line option to create 'linked resource' for a 'Share' folder.

• Initial workspace dialog now optional; new workspace related command-line options; initial workspace selection works without "restart".

• Added "PV Tool" (PV lookup in SNS Oracle)
• Added "Post Analyzer" tool (line fit, FFT, ...)
• Data Browser can print

• PV list in Sample View didn't track current Data Browser.
• Data Browser fixes: Entered endless loop when last sample in archive was Not-a-Number; formula variable names were not always editable.
• CSS/Web menu for web links.

• Update of Channel Access client libraries to avoid lockups.
• Data Browser online help was broken, patched Dec 19.

• Data Browser online help has a page on Formula usage.
• Fix: Data Browser export used wrong start/end times when source was set to 'plot'.
• Warnings when exporting formula data, or trying to delete inputs to formulas.
• "Workplace Explorer" was replaced with a "Navigator" that has more file handling capabilities (copy, paste, rename, filter on file names, ...).

• An initial error message "Cannot restore workbench layout. ...", and maybe follow-up errors "Error opening the editor ...":
  Just press OK on each of them.
• Instances of the Data Browser etc. that you had running when closing the previous version of CSS now show up as empty except for "Error opening the editor ..." text:
  Close those Data Browser etc. windows. You can open their files again in the Workspace Navigator.
• The "Workspace Explorer" that you used to see is gone:
  Open the new "Navigator" via the menu File/Open Workspace Navigator.

• Fix for OS X with 'Intel' CPUs.
• Fix for problems in the initial workspace access that sometimes resulted in JVM crashes, especially on Linux.
• Fix for various hangups from endless loops for certain Data Browser start/end time selections.
• Time and value 'tool tip' in Data Browser plot no longer leaves trail under Linux.
• Workspace default is now 'CSS-Workspaces/Default' in your home directory.
  The previous default was a 'workspace' directory in the CSS application, for example 'sns_css_win32_1.0.2/workspace' on Windows, which made it harder to keep configuration files while updating CSS.
  If you want to use previously created configuration files for the Data Browser after downloading this latest version of CSS:
  1. Run the new CSS application. At the initial workspace prompt, it will suggest 'CSS-Workspaces/Default' in your home directory, and you can typically accept that.
  2. Separately, open that new workspace directory as well as your old workspace directory in the Windows "Explorer" or Mac OS "Finder", and use that to copy files of interest from the old into the new workspace.

• Runs with Java 1.5 as well as 1.6.
• JNI version of CA is now supported without need to set ((DY)LD_LIBRARY_)PATH.
• DataBrowser shows min/max/average when looking at wider time range, yet switches to raw samples when zooming in closer. (requires appropriate support from the data server. Currently available with the SNS main archive).
• DataBrowser can save current plot as image (PNG) files.
• Probe with "meter".
• Fix for hangup after closing the Data Browser "Config" view.
• PV Table "save" creates file with correct file extension.

• Clock can now be configured to use 24...35 hour days.
• PV Tree supports more record types, fix for lockup with JNI CA on the controls network.