Case Study: Adding "-> Logbook..." to CSS Data Browser

1. Decide on the level of integration
   • I decided to use the "very low level" of integration, because this seems to be the easiest way to work with CSS.
   • More info: http://css.desy.de/content/e760/e761/index_eng.html
2. Check out the CSS source code
   1. Install Mercurial locally
      • Download Mercurial source code from http://mercurial.selenic.com/release/mercurial-1.6.4.tar.gz
      • Type "make local" in the top directory
      • Install the MercurialEclipse plugin, too, but don't use it as such (need usage tips from Kay & Co.)
   2. Clone the CSS repository
      • Several available: http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/cs-studio/wiki/SourceRepository
      • Use 'read-only' repository => http://cs-studio.hg.sourceforge.net:8000/hgroot/cs-studio/cs-studio (no account/password)
   3. Increase JVM memory for Eclipse
      • Edit eclipse.ini in $ECLIPSE_HOME (1024 MB is what I ended up with)
   4. Import the necessary CSS plugins as Eclipse projects (by trail & error, need clarification from Kay & Co.)
      • The minimum list of plugins to develop with DataBrowser:
        
3. Checkout the HLA source code (from CVS)
4. Create the edu.stanford.slac.logbook plugin
   • Copy the HLA Save2Logbook source code to edu.stanford.slac.logbook
   • Configure the plugin to be used by other plugins (the Eclipse help is good, plus I simply remembered some of it)
5. Add to the DataBrowser plugin the dependency on edu.stanford.slac.logbook
   • Eclipse bug: If plugins panel is empty, start typing the plugin name
6. Implement the new features in DataBrowser and edu.stanford.slac.logbook plugins
   • Find the class in the DataBrowser that handles buttons (Plot)
   • Create a JFace button; set size, label, and background color; add it to the proper JFace figure
   • Add a JFace ActionListener that generates an Eclipse (Graphics) image from XYGraph
   • Add a method to edu.stanford.slac.logbook that saves an Eclipse image as a JPEG file and creates the logbook XML files as well as directories
   • Call the new edu.stanford.slac.logbook method from the new JFace ActionListener
7. Test the save2logbook feature by running DataBrowser as an Eclipse application within Eclipse
8. Create a SLAC DataBrowser product configuration (the Eclipse help is no good; I needed to understand the SNS CSS product configuration)
   • Select CSS Data Browser as the actual application
   • Modify the CSS splash image
9. Export the SLAC DataBrowser product to a local directory and distribute it from there
10. When launching the SLAC DataBrowser for the first time, configure the EPICS and DataBrowser preferences with correct SLAC settings

Major To-Dos

• Headless build
• "Workspace in use" issues

Resources

How to develop with CSS

• Overview https://ics-web.sns.ornl.gov/css/EPICS2010Intro/EclipseCSSDevIntro1.pdf
• Demos http://css.desy.de/content/e70/e10/index_eng.html
• JavaDoc http://css-javadoc.desy.de/
• Plugins http://css.desy.de/epicsgroup/css/content/e428/e396/e402/e491/CSSPluginOverview.htm
  • DAL
    • http://css.desy.de/content/e428/e791/e1323/e1324/index_eng.html
    • http://css.desy.de/content/e428/e791/e1296/e1344/index_eng.html
  • Preferences
    • http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/cs-studio/wiki/HierarchicalPreferences
    • http://css.desy.de/content/e428/e1596/e1597/index_eng.html
  • Messages
    • http://css.desy.de/content/e428/e339/index_eng.html
    • Server http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/cs-studio/wiki/JavaMessageServer
    • Log http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/cs-studio/wiki/MessageLog
  • Authentication and Authorization http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/cs-studio/wiki/AuthAndAuth
• Mailing list http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/forum.php?forum_name=cs-studio-core

• Development environment
  • Tools
    • Localization editor http://css.desy.de/content/e428/e1446/e1448/index_eng.html
    • IDE
    • Version Control
      • Hg http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/cs-studio/wiki/SourceRepository
      • Eclipse plugin: http://www.javaforge.com/project/HGE
      • Commit, then push
      • Pull, then update
  • API
  • Documentation
    • Eclipse Architecture
    • CSS Architecture
      • Wizards http://css.desy.de/content/e428/e446/e448/index_eng.html
      • http://accelconf.web.cern.ch/AccelConf/ica07/PAPERS/MOPB03.PDF
• Build and release procedures
  • Eclipse-based build http://ics-web.sns.ornl.gov/css/devel.html
    • http://ics-web.sns.ornl.gov/css/devel.html#prefs
  • Headless
    • http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/cs-studio/wiki/BuildSystem
    • http://css.desy.de/content/e428/e1436/index_eng.html
    • http://www.developertesting.com/archives/month200508/20050823-HeadlessHelloWorldInEclipse.html
  • Creating a product
    • http://css.desy.de/content/e428/e2048/e2244/index_eng.html
  • Automated?
• Production environment
  • Workspace
    • http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/cs-studio/wiki/Workspaces
    • http://ics-web.sns.ornl.gov/css/issues.html
  • Update Site http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/cs-studio/wiki/UpdateRepository
  • Intro pages, cheatsheets http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/cs-studio/wiki/IntroPages

How to contribute to CSS

• Level of integration http://css.desy.de/content/e760/e761/index_eng.html
• Standards
  • Test-driven (JUnit) http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/cs-studio/wiki/UnitTests
• Procedure http://css.desy.de/content/e760/e761/index_eng.html
  • Select the level of integration for your plugin from the list above
  • Use existing interfaces and extension points
  • Add new extension points whenever useful
  • Use Eclipse contributions to integrate your plugin seamlessly with other plugins
  • Use common data types (IData) to exchange data (not only strings) with other plugins
  • Localize strings in your code
  • Decouple local requirements from CSS implementations. Use interfaces to decouple.
  • Test CSS core versions and plugins on several platforms (at least Windows, Linux Mac-OS)
• Code style
  • http://css.desy.de/content/e428/e1446/e817/e818/index_eng.html

Links

• http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/cs-studio/
• http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/cs-studio/wiki/CompareProducts
• http://accelconf.web.cern.ch/AccelConf/ica07/PAPERS/ROPB02.PDF (applications)