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pheest

Improve EPICS database file import facility

Submitted by Member on ‎10-15-2015 05:04 AM 1 Comment (1 New)
Status: New

It is possible to import an EPICS .db file into LabVIEW in order to use the Process Variables (PVs) within LabVIEW.

(see http://www.ni.com/white-paper/14144/en/ )

 

But, all records are imported as seperate LabVIEW items.

 

Each PV has to be seperately added as a 'bound shared variable' for inclusion into a VI.

Then each PV will need to be seperately connected up to a control or indicator, unless some means of iterating over the collection is implemented.

 

This is all fine if there are 3 or 4 PVs (as is the case for the example app).

 

My current application is quite modest in scope - there are 15 PVs for each of 6 devices, so 90 PVs altogether. It is barely feasible to follow this manual process for each of these - it would take hours and be very finger-trouble prone.

 

Many EPICS IOCs can use thousands, or even millions, of PVs.

 

I would suggest that the .db file import wizard process the PVs from each file into a cluster.

Or - possibly better - process PVs into an array of clusters.

 

IMO, the current implementation just isn't scalable to 'real world' control system IOC use.

 

If NI wish to provide LV integration with large-scale EPICS projects, I beleieve a better way of doing needs to be found.

 

(Re-posted from https://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Enhanced-EPICS-Support/idc-p/3203 )

 

1 Comment
HashimS
NI Employee (retired)
‎10-21-2015 03:06 AM
‎10-21-2015 03:06 AM

I can back this idea up. I am an NI Applications Engineer working with the above user to find a way to easily import large numbers of PVs using the LabVIEW implementation of EPICS.

 

Currently, the EPICS platform does not support clusters as process variables. It would be far easier to import database files and have PVs sorted into an array of clusters. Even if this is not possible, having EPICS support clusters (created as network shared variables) makes adding larger amounts of process variable easier and quicker.

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