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• the DAQ reads epicsArch.txt.  it can use either the epics name or the alias as the detname in xtc2.  This keeps things "natural" in xtc2, where each detector has one and only one user name.  
• the DAQ optionally stores an extra epics_info object in the configure transition.  this single object would contain ancillary information about each epics variable, e.g.
  • the full epics name
  • the alias name (defaults to the full name if not specified in epicsArch.txt)description of the epics variable
  • anything else we decide we would like to add
• the epics_info object would have its own Detector interface
• the epics_info object (and Detector interface) could expand over time, presumably in a backwardly-compatible way by using the usual middle-version-number increment pattern.  Might be easiest if new fields for each variable were added to the end of the struct
• in epicsArch right now, Ric/Matt now use the epics variable name (was "value" previously) and ignores the alias.  Ideally this  This would change to use the alias if it existed in epicsArch.txt.
• PvaDetector could use the same mechanism (see some other thoughts here).

Area Detector Brainstorming (AreaDetector)

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