Operating the readout softwareGetting StartedCAMAC trigger requirementsRunning your readout software

Running your readout software

This section summarizes how to run the readout software you have created. For complete run time reference guide, see Operating the readout software. This section only gives you enough information to get started with the readout software in a standalone manner. Other documentation to be constructed will describe how to use the run control software under the control of a graphical user interface front end associated with the staging system.

A subset of the syntax of the command to start the readout program is: 

    $<$Readout$>$  Readout [--window] [--camac-trigger]

where:

--window Indicates that you want to run the Readout with a full tk (wish) interpreter installed. The default is to run with tcl (tclsh) only. Use this if you want your readout program to have a graphical user interface.
--camac-trigger Selects the CAMAC trigger (see Camac Trigger). The default is to use the VME trigger system (see VME Trigger).

After a copyright and author credit notice Readout will return the Tcl prompt: 

    %

At this time you can type any Tcl command or Readout command extension. If you have selected the --window option, you may also type Tk commands.

Readout maintains run-variables that can be modified via the tcl set command. These variables are write-protected when the run is active. There are additional const-variables that may only be modified programmatically (the set command will fail to modify them). Run variables are intended for your use to document the experiment and run, while const-variables are intended to provide information about the program's internal status.

The table below describes these variables:

Variables maintained by Readout
Name Contains Type
events Events accepted since last begin run const-variable
experiment Experiment description run-variable
period Seconds beetween scaler readouts run-variable
run Run number of current run run-variable
starttime Time at which most recent run started const-variable
state State of the run Active | Paused | Inactive const-variable
title Run title run-variable
tkloaded true if --window mode const-variable
words Number of words of data taken since last begin const-variable

The sample script below sets the run number, experiment description, scaler readout period and title for the next run. This script will fail if the run is active: 

   set run 123
   set experiment "Some radioactive beam experiment"
   set period 2     ;# Readout scalers every 2 seconds.
   set title {Run with blank for beam background tests}

Note that tcl accepts quoting either with " and " or with { and }

Readout extends the command set of tcl wih commands that allow you to control the readout run. To get started you can use the commands (note all commands are case sensitive:

Subset of run control commands

Command Function
begin Start a run.
end End a run.
exit Exit the program only if run is halted

Report documentation errors to Ron Fox (fox@nscl.msu.edu)or NSCL's Bugzilla page

Operating the readout softwareGetting StartedCAMAC trigger requirementsRunning your readout software