Developing Scope

Table of Contents

• Using git
• Fixing something in an FPGA VI
• Implementing a new parameter
• Implementing a new frame scan mode
• Implementing a new device
• Implementing a new FPGA mode
• Uploading updated documentation

Remember: Always document your code

Using git

Git uses a local and a remote repository. The first step is to clone the remote repository to a local one. With the Visual Studio Git plugin, go to Team Explorer (if not visible: View->Team Explorer) and then to Connect. Choose 'Local Git Repositories-Clone' add 'git.code.sf.net/p/rkscope/code' as remote URL and a local directory (e.g. 'C:\Scope'). After that 'Scope' should be listed under the local repositories. Right-click and choose open. Please note that you still have to open the Visual Studio solution file 'scope.sln' for the project to be loaded into Visual Studio!

After you edited code go to the Team Explorer 'Home' page for Scope. A click on 'Changes' displays the changed files. Enter a commit message and 'Commit' the file changes to your local repository. A click on 'Commits' shows your recent commit under 'Outgoing Commits'. Click on 'Push' to push the commits from the local to the remote repository.

To preview what commits have been made in the local repository click 'Fetch'. To load these commits into your local repository click 'Pull'.

For in-depth information about git have a look at e.g. http://git-scm.com/book or http://www.vogella.com/articles/Git/article.html

Fixing something in an FPGA VI

If you want to change something small in one of the FPGA VIs, e.g. the AnalogDemultiplexer

• Open that Labview project and do the fix
• Recompile using the build specification. The bitfile will be saved into "C:\\Scope\\fpga_labview\\FPGA bitfiles" (this is hardwired into the build spec, Labview does not allow relative paths)
• Using the NI FPGA Interface C API Generator to generate a C header file. Copy the .h file and the .lvbitx file into "scope\\devices\\fpga"
• Recompile Scope
• Test and push a commit to Sourceforge

Implementing a new parameter

If you want to implement a new parameter, e.g. a boolean for using Pockels cell blanking during flyback:

• Add a scope::ScopeNumber<bool> to scope::parameters::ScannerVectorFrameSaw (if you want to leave this untouched, derive a class and only add the ScopeNumber) as a public member. Add it to the constructor, load, save, and SetReadOnlyWhileScanning. If you like you can also add it to scope::parameters::ScannerVectorFrameSaw::Preset, also as a public member, to the constructor, load, and save. See the other members how it is done.
• Add a checkbox control to the IDD_FRAMESCAN_SAW_PROPPAGE dialog.
• In scope::gui::CFrameScanSawPage add an scope::gui::CScopeCheckBoxCtrl as member. In the constructor connect it to the appropriate member of scope::ScopeController::GuiParameters. In scope::gui::CFrameScanSawPage::OnInitDialog attach it to the dialogs edit control resource.
• Now changes in the dialog show up in scope::ScopeController::GuiParameters and vice versa, also setting the ScopeNumber<bool> to readonly via SetReadOnlyWhileScanning affects the edit control in the dialog.
• adapt the algorithm in scope::ScannerVectorFrameSaw::FillP to use Pockels cell blanking depending on the value of the parameter.

Implementing a new frame scan mode

If you want to add something that changes scope::ScannerVectorFrameSaw a lot, implement your own frame scan mode by:

• deriving your own classes from scope::ScannerVectorFrameSaw (or scope::ScannerVectorFrameBasic) and scope::parameters::ScannerVectorFrameSaw (or Basic).
• Look at the other frame scan modes how this is done.
• Add to scope::ScannerVectorType, the scope::ScannerVectorFrameBasic::Factory function, to scope::ScopeController::ScanModeButtons, and to parameters::ScannerVectorFrameBasic::Factory
• Connect the scan mode button in scope::ScopeController::ScopeControllerImpl::ScopeControllerImpl
• In scope::ScopeController::ScopeControllerImpl::SetGuiCtrlState add the scan mode button (to switch it off during scanning)
• You then need to derive a class from scope::gui::CFrameScanSawPage (or directly from scope::gui::CFrameScanPage)
• and add its dialog resource. Then adapt scope::gui::CScanModesSettingsPage to show your scan mode and allow switching to it.
• Add your page to scope::gui::CScanSettingsSheet::ChangeScanmode.
• There are diverse places where you will need to include your classes header file, you will easily find it out during compile.

Implementing a new device

If you want to implement support for a new device, eg support for a different type of xyz stage:

• Derive a class from e.g. scope::XYZControl and overwrite the methods you need
• Have a look at scope::XYZControlGalil for how it is done there
• Be sure to implement correct error/exception handling
• Implement or derive a class with the exact same name but in namespace scope::parameters
• In ScopeDefines.h you can then set XYZCONTROL_T to you class name, parameters class will be set accordingly.
• There are diverse places where you will need to include your classes header file, you will easily find it out during compile.

Implementing a new FPGA mode

If you want to implement support for a new mode using an FPGA, e.g. with a new FlexRIO adapter card:

• Implement the FPGA code in Labview. Compile it, create a C API with NI's FPGA C API Generator.
• Add a new class under devices/fpga handling communication to your FPGA VI. If you want, you can have the stuff regarding only the adapter card in an extra class (have a look at scope::FPGAIO6587 and scope::FPGAIO5771). Have a look at e.g. scope::FPGAAnalogDemultiplexer to see how its done.
• Add a new enumerator in scope::InputsTypeHelper in ScopeDatatypes.h.
• Add a new parameter class under scope::parameters in IO.h.
• Add your parameters class at scope::parameters::Inputs::Factory.

Uploading updated documentation

Although you can always build the newest code documentation using doxygen on your local computer updating Scope's website http://rkscope.sourceforge.net/index.html is a little more work. Doing it like this (with the zipped documentation) speeds up the upload tremendously.

• Build the local documentation. Zip the documentation/html folder.
• Using Putty (http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/) log in to sourceforge's remote shell. Settings are: Hostname 'shell.sourceforge.net', Connections-Data-Auto-login username 'yoursourceforgeusername,rkscope' (yes with the comma, e.g. 'rkrueppel,rkscope'), Connection-SSH-Remote command 'create'
• Once the shell is created (can take a while) do 'cd /home/project-web/rkscope/htdocs' then delete the old documentation stuff in there (rm -R *)
• Then use e.g. WinSCP (http://www.winscp.net) to upload the documentation zip to sourceforge. Settings are: Protocol 'SFTP', Hostname 'web.sourceforge.net', User 'yoursourceforgeusername', Environment-Directories-Remote directory '/home/project-web/rkscope/htdocs'
• Again in the remote shell 'unzip html.zip' and then 'rm html.zip'.
• Voila! Point your browser to http://rkscope.sourceforge.net and refresh the page.