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Non XAL unix based applications in general (eg matlab) can also be developed ahead of the XAL modeling environment using Aida to get R-matrices and Twiss parameters etc from the SLC model environment.
ARCHITECTURE
Application Framework and GUI Framework
This section outlines how components of XAL and the Eclipse RPC can be used together to produce GUI applications with responsive user interfaces on any platform.
XAL has three largely distinct components: a modeling "code" or tracking engine (package gov.sns.xal.model); a javabean-oriented device control layer (classes extending gov.sns.xal.smf.AcceleratorNode), e.g. class Magnet and class BPM; and a set of classes to implement applications in a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based on Swing (packages gov.sns.application and gov.sns.tools). For LCLS applications we will initially use all 3 of these to create new applications.
Eclipse also has 3 distinct components: Firstly it's an integrated development environment for writing programs in java and C++. More importantly for LCLS applications, it includes a sophisticated skeleton for GUI based applications (the Rich Client Platform, or RCP). Applications integrated into the RPC use SWT/Jface as the GUI framework. XAL on the other hand extends the JFC/Swing GUI framework. So, one could not use the GUI components, esp widgets, of XAL in an Eclipse RPC application. Never-the-less one can use all of the non-GUI aspects of XAL for an RPC application, just like matlab XAL programs do, and conversely one can use the SWT/jface framework to write a graphical XAL application.
Therefore, depending on the application, a programmer can choose to write a given LCLS application that uses XAL, either using JCF/Swing, in which case they will be able to use the GUI framework of XAL, or SWT/Jface.
Eclipse Plugins, Software Development and Distribution
Eclipse includes an excellent facility for developing extensions to the basic Rich Client Platform. Eclipse is itself composed of a hierarchical system of plugins. Programmers can develop plugins adding their functionality (for instance an orbit correction plugin). The plugin self-describes the precise versioning requirements it has with the plugins on which it builds. Eclipse includes a facility for distributing plugins via an update site. This provides a framework in which we can develop and distribute new code, both internally and externally with the "EPICS Office collaboration".
TOOL SUMMARY