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

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
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:
Checkout the HLA source code (from CVS)
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)
Add to the DataBrowser plugin the dependency on edu.stanford.slac.logbook
- Eclipse bug: If plugins panel is empty, start typing the plugin name
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
Test the save2logbook feature by running DataBrowser as an Eclipse application within Eclipse
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
Export the SLAC DataBrowser product to a local directory and distribute it from there
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
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
- 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