AidaWeb User Guide
Overview
If you are NOT familiar with AIDA...
The control system for LCLS features more than 4,000,000 named data units whose values you can retrieve via AidaWeb. Data are grouped by instances, which can be physical devices (such as magnets) or some abstract constructs. Each instance has one or more attributes that AidaWeb can list for you. Most of the time, a user would simply know the name of the instance. If you don't, you can use AidaWeb's "wild card"-based search interface, or ask a control system developer. You can list all the names matching a pattern, and then get data for the one you want.
To retrieve some data, you must specify parameters, e.g. if you want to retrieve history data, you must specify a start and an end time. AidaWeb contains special web pages that help you list the right parameters for particular attributes.
Quick example (details follow below)
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Instance => BPMS:IN20:221:GRV
Attribute => HIST.lcls
Parameters => STARTTIME="01/23/2008 10:17:03" ENDTIME="01/23/2008 11:17:03"
If you are familiar with AIDA...
AidaWeb is a read-only Web Interface to AIDA .
In general, AidaWeb combines the functionalities of aidalist and aidaget (with one major exception: AIDA parameters are not preceded by "-D") and adds features that take advantage of an interactive, user-friendly web interface, for instance the "special web pages" that help you specify the right AIDA parameters.
Home Page
The AidaWeb Home Page is based on Google and provides the most basic functionality. After filling in the text field, you can either Get Data, or List Names (instances and/or attributes).
Get Data
To get data, type a valid query (note for 'aidaget'- users: do not precede a parameter with '-D') and press the "Get Data" button (or the ENTER key).
Example:
List Names
The name by which aida identifies a data item is called its Aida "name". An Aida name is analogous to an EPICS PV. An Aida name is composed of two parts; the "instance" and the "attribute". They're separated by '//'. For example, the name "BPMS:IN20:221:ACCESS//VAL" has instance "BPMS:IN20:221:ACCESS" and attribute "VAL". In the name BPMS:IN20:221:Y//HIST.lcls, BPMS:IN20:221:Y is the instance, and HIST.lcls is the attribute.
In fact, in general to use AIDA to get Epics Channel Access Data, specify the EPICS record name as the instance, and VAL as the attribute. VAL is the only EPICS PV field AIDA knows, since it's by far the most commonly used. A difference between AIDA and special purpose Channel Access clients is that AIDA requires the VAL field name to be given (as the AIDA instance), whereas channel access clients typically don't require the VAL part.
List Instances
To list instances, just type some text and press the "List Names" button. AidaWeb accepts '%' and '*' as wild card characters.
Example:
List Attributes
To list attributes, you must first type an instance name (which may include wild card characters), then the attribute delimiter "//", and finally the search text for the attribute.
Example:
Tips
- The resulting names are presented as web links. Clicking on a name might significantly accelerate your data retrieval, because AidaWeb tries to guess the next step in your data retrieval process.
- You can use the web browser BACK and FORWARD buttons (among others) to navigate through your AidaWeb session.
Special Pages
This section describes some special purpose AidaWeb pages. These special purpose pages are intended to help users with specific kinds of data Aida can acquire, such as History or BPM acquisitions, by selecting some commonly used attributes and filling in defaults.
BPM Page
The BPM page helps you acquire synchronous bpm orbit data. You specify the area of the machine (or "Display Group" - DGRP) for which you want orbit data, and Aida fills in the bpm measurement definition associated with that Display Group. Additionally, Aida can specifically ask for a difference orbit (to some SLC config) and therefore can get a diff to the reference orbit; and it can specify the number turns/number of measurements to average (default is N=1). By default, Aida gets the absolute orbit (CNFTYPE=NONE). For other choices of these parameters, see the Aida BPM Help.
Orbit Selection
Select an orbit and press the "Update Query" button to update your query.
Presently, AIDA only knows 3 such display groups for BPM data, but all others are trivial to add - contact the applications team if you want more. It knows "P2BPMHER", "P2BPMLER," and "LCLS_SL2."
Example:
This example picture is truncated to save space. In fact, the x, y and tmit are plotted.
Plot/Text Selection
AidaWeb can either plot BPM data, or present it as a text table.
Example:
This example picture is truncated to save space. In fact, all BPMS in the LCLS_SL2 SLC Display group are printed.
More Information
More information about BPM orbit data is available here:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/grp/cd/soft/aida/slcBpmDpGuide.html
History Page
Aida can get history data from both SLC History system and the EPICS Channel Archiver. Typically, the AIDA name for the history an SLC device, has the syntax prim:micr:unit//secn.HIST. Eg XCOR:LI21:202//BDES.HIST. The archiver history for EPICS Archiver history have names where the attribute name specifies the archiver that was used. Eg BPMS:IN20:221:Y//HIST.lcls.
Time Selection
After selecting one of the time ranges in the Time selection box, press the "Update Query" button to update your query.
Example:
Relative Time Parameters
AidaWeb can handle the following relative time parameters:
- rel_time=last_minute
- rel_time=last_10_minutes
- rel_time=last_hour
- rel_time=last_12_hours
- rel_time=last_day
- rel_time=last_week
- rel_time=last_month
Example:
Plot/Text Selection
AidaWeb can either plot history data, or present it as a text table.
Example:
More Information
More information about LCLS history data is available here:
EPICS Archiver
SLC History
Modelling Page
Modelling Parameters
Select the desired modelling parameters and press "Update Query" button to update your query.
Example:
Notes
- Only the MODE parameter is required.
- The value of the POSITION parameter is used only for thick elements.
More Information
More information about LCLS modelling data is available here:
SLC Accelerator Model
Excel Web Query
You can use Web Query to automate the import of data from AidaWeb into Microsoft Excel. This can be useful if, for instance, you wish to import data directly into a spreadsheet automatically, without using copy & paste, or to periodically create a spreadsheet based report or calculation.
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10877_11-6115870.html
Example: Import LCLS BPM data into Excel
Create New Web Query
Start Excel. In the window menu, go to DATA => IMPORT EXTERNAL DATA => NEW WEB QUERY.
Prepare AidaWeb Query
In the Excel web browser, navigate to AidaWeb and prepare your query. If applicable, select the option to show data as text.
Select AidaWeb Data
In the Excel web browser, click on one of the yellow arrows that point at your data.
Press the IMPORT button.
Import AidaWeb Data Into Excel Spreadsheet
In the next dialog, select a worksheet and click OK.
Options
You can refresh your spreadsheet by right-clicking on the data and selecting REFRESH.
After clicking on DATA RANGE PROPERTIES, you can tell Excel to refresh your data periodically.
If you do not want the column headers imported from Aida, you can use AidaWeb's "Show Data Only" preference to stop AidaWeb from including the column headers in output.