Enhancing UI Development with PVManager: Simplifying Data Management and Synchronization
This document outlines strategies for effective UI development using PVManager, focusing on simplifying data collection and aggregation. Key goals include reusing code for efficiency, ensuring synchronization in multi-threaded environments, and optimizing UI updates without overwhelming the system. It highlights the importance of single-threaded notifications, proper data handling, and configuring refresh rates for optimal performance. Furthermore, it emphasizes the seamless integration of data interfaces to support both command-line and UI functionalities, ensuring robustness in EPICS V3 systems.
Enhancing UI Development with PVManager: Simplifying Data Management and Synchronization
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Presentation Transcript
PVManager Gabriele Carcassi Feb 18 2010
PVManager goals • Simplify data collection and aggregation • Simplify (UI) development • Re-use code as much as possible
So you want to write a UI… channel.addListener(new Listener() { public void doSomething(Event evt) { myWidget.setFoo(evt.getWhatever()); } } Toolkit is single threaded!
So you want to write a UI… channel.addListener(new Listener() { public void doSomething(Event evt) { Toolkit.execute(new Runnable() { myWidget.setFoo(evt.getWhatever()); } } } Lack of synchronization!
So you want to write a UI… channel.addListener(new Listener() { public void doSomething(Event evt) { Toolkit.execute(new Runnable() { synchronized(evt) { myWidget.setFoo(evt.getWhatever()); } } } } No change by another threadDURING/between notifications!
So you want to write a UI… CACHE! Aggreagate events! channel.addListener(new Listener() { public void doSomething(Event evt) { Toolkit.execute(new Runnable() { synchronized(evt) { myCopy = copy(evt.getWhatever()); myWidget.setFoo(myCopy); } } } } Need to query metadataon connection! Lacking Disconnection andREconnection notifications! Should not update UI at the same rateas data on the network!
Wish one could write • PV<List<VStatistics>> pv = PVManager.read(listOf(statisticsOf(vDouble(pvNames)))) .atHz(10); • pv.addPVValueChangeListener(newPVValueChangeListener() { • public void pvValueChanged() { • myWidget.setFoo(pv.getValue().getMoo()); • } • });
UI subsystem requirements • Single threaded • Notification must be done on event thread • Data objects must be changed on the event thread only (avoid inconsistencies and simplify responding to events) • Work must be offloaded to other threads as much as possible (to prevent unresponsiveness) • Refresh rate up to 50Hz (faster is useless and counter productive)
Channel Access • Multi threaded • Notification done on connection threads • Data objects changed on connection threads • Rate is not limited: aggregated can be KHz
Collect, aggregate and notify Notifier Collector Monitor • Need to collect the data at the source rate • Collector could be a queue, a cache, a timed cache • Aggregate the data at the UI rate, and notify on UI thread
Transform and calculate Notifier Collector Monitor • While we are on other thread, we compose and calculate what we need (single array for a table, FFT of a waveform, statistics, prepare synch’ed arrays, …) PV Function PV Function Cache
UI or not UI • Everything you can do in the UI you should be able to do at the command line • PVManager can work without a UI (notification is simply done on the timer thread) • Command line clients • Logging/archiving • Republish the data through PVData/PVAccess • PVManager is a standalone library • pvmanager.sourceforge.net
3 APIs for the price of one • Data interfaces: where to put the data • Decoupled from the other two. Needed so that the client can focus more on what he needs and can work with both EPICS V3 and EPICS V. • Other talk • Building blocks API: perform computation • API based on interfaces, you can add your pieces though the goal is to have most of them already there • Expression API: define what you want to read • Internal DSL (Doman Specific Language), type safe
User objects Notifier Collector Monitor PV Function PV Function Cache
PV<T> • Defines: • void add/removePVValueChangeListener (PVValueChangeListener listener); • String getName() ; • T getValue(); • void close(); • booleanisClosed(); • PVValueChangeListener defines: • void pvValueChanged();
Under the hood Notifier Collector Monitor PV Function PV Function Cache
Function<T> • Defines: • T getValue(); • Class<T> getType() • A function object returns a value of a particular type. • Argument number and types are determined by the constructor of an actual function.
Under the hood Notifier Collector Monitor PV Function PV Function Cache
Collector<T> extends Function<List<T>> • Defines: • void collect(); • List<T> getValue(); • Collects a bunch of values of the same type • Typically takes a Function<T> as argument • On a collect call, will take a new value • On getValue returns a number of values • Could be a queue (values returned only once) or a cache (returns the last n values, last 30 sec of values)
Under the hood Notifier Collector Monitor PV Function PV Function Cache
ValueCache<T> extends Function<T> • Defines: • void setValue(T); • You can put a value in (and read a value out)
Under the hood Notifier Collector Monitor PV Function PV Function Cache
DataSource • Defines: • void connect(DataRecipe recipe); • void disconnect(DataRecipe recipe); • DataRecipe defines: • Map<Collector, Map<String, ValueCache>> getChannelsPerCollectors() • For each collector, list of channels with their caches • To update a channel: • Lock Collector, update cache, Collector.collect()
Under the hood Notifier Collector Monitor PV Function PV Function Cache
Notification • ThreadSwitch defines: • void post(Runnable run); • It allows to execute a piece of code on a target thread • Notifier defines: • Notifier(PV<T> pv, Function<T> function, ThreadSwitchonThread); • void notifyPv(); • On notifyPV() calculates the new value, switches thread and sets the pv’s value.
PVManager • Example: • PV<List<VStatistics>> pv = PVManager.read(listOf(statisticsOf(vDouble(pvNames)))) .atHz(10); • Defines: • static <T> PVManagerExpression<T> read(SourceRateExpression<T> pvExpression); • static <T> PVManagerExpression<T> read(DesiredRateExpression<T> pvExpression);
PVManagerExpression<T> • Defines: • PVManagerExpression<T> from(DataSourceconnectionManager) • PVManagerExpression<T> andNotify(ThreadSwitchonThread) • PV<T> atHz(double rate) • Default DataSource and ThreadSwitch can be specified
Source/DesiredRateExpression<T> • Two different types for the two different data rates • The collectors change Source to Desired: • static <T> DesiredRateExpression<List<T>> queueOf(SourceRateExpression<T> expression) • External libraries for either types or operations defines static constructors for expressions: • static SourceRateExpression<VDouble> vDouble(String name) • static <T> DesiredRateExpression<List<T>> listOf(List<DesiredRateExpression<T>> expressions)
Example (again) List<String> • PV<List<VStatistics>> pv = PVManager.read(listOf(statisticsOf(vDouble(pvNames)))) .atHz(10); • pv.addPVValueChangeListener(newPVValueChangeListener() { • public void pvValueChanged() { • myWidget.setFoo(pv.getValue().getMoo()); • } • });
Example (again) List<SourceRateExpression<VDouble>> • PV<List<VStatistics>> pv = PVManager.read(listOf(statisticsOf(vDouble(pvNames)))) .atHz(10); • pv.addPVValueChangeListener(newPVValueChangeListener() { • public void pvValueChanged() { • myWidget.setFoo(pv.getValue().getMoo()); • } • }); Which implies creating the caches for all channels
Example (again) List<DesiredRateExpression<VStatistics>> • PV<List<VStatistics>> pv = PVManager.read(listOf(statisticsOf(vDouble(pvNames)))) .atHz(10); • pv.addPVValueChangeListener(newPVValueChangeListener() { • public void pvValueChanged() { • myWidget.setFoo(pv.getValue().getMoo()); • } • }); Creates all the collectors, and the functions that calculate the statistics
Example (again) DesiredRateExpression<List<VStatistics>> • PV<List<VStatistics>> pv = PVManager.read(listOf(statisticsOf(vDouble(pvNames)))) .atHz(10); • pv.addPVValueChangeListener(newPVValueChangeListener() { • public void pvValueChanged() { • myWidget.setFoo(pv.getValue().getMoo()); • } • }); Creates the function that assembles the list
Example (again) PV<List<VStatistics>> • PV<List<VStatistics>> pv = PVManager.read(listOf(statisticsOf(vDouble(pvNames)))) .atHz(10); • pv.addPVValueChangeListener(newPVValueChangeListener() { • public void pvValueChanged() { • myWidget.setFoo(pv.getValue().getMoo()); • } • }); Creates the Notifier, the DataRecipe, passes it to the DataSource, …
Low complexity point • The API is very expressive • You can combine operators, the syntax is very compact, you specify things once • But it does not hide choices • You need to specify all transformations, including how to go from source rate to desired rate • It hides the complexity of the implementation of your choices • The API actually does something!
Eclipse/CSS integration • The library is packaged in org.csstudio.utility.pvmanager • Extension point based on DataSource • The activator configures the default ThreadSwitch to use SWT and default DataSource to use a CompositeDataSource made up of all extensions point • All other plugins can simply use PVManager.read() • Other plugins for extension points • org.csstudio.utility.pvmanager.sim for simulated data • org.csstudio.utility.pvmanager.epics for epics v3
What’s done • SimulationDataSource • Same syntax for channels as utility.pv.som • JCADataSource • Supports VDouble, VInt, VString and VEnum • Probe was ported to use PVManager (in BNL branch) • OrbitViewer prototype built on PVManager
What’s need to be done • JCADataSource • Mass connection can be optimized to scale better • Operators • Will need to understand which operators are useful, how to define them for “maximum combination power” • Allow to easily define “custom functions” • Add other common operators • A CALC operator? • A histogram operator? • An FFT operator? • …