tomoscan.py and tomoscan_13bm.py do not obey Python case conventions

[MarkRivers]

When I wrote tomoscan.py and tomoscan_13bm.py I used mixed case for variable names and class method names. I used all lower-case for class names. This was based on my C++ experience.

I just read the Python style guide recommendations here: https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/

This section says that class names should begin each word with an uppercase character. https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/#class-names

So the classes should be TomoScan and TomoScan13BM, not tomoscan and tomoscan_13bm.

The exceptions should also begin each word with uppercase.

This section says to use lowercase with underscores for method names and class variables: https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/#method-names-and-instance-variables

That means that all method names and class variables should be renamed.

Module names should be all lower-case, so tomoscan is fine for the module name.

It would probably be a good idea to follow these naming conventions, and to do this now before we start to use the software?

[decarlof]

There is also some confusion between the python library name tomoscan (same as the folder which is correct) and the file containing the tomoscan class (tomoscan.py).

Perhaps we should also consider calling the python library "scans" and rename the tomoscan folder as "scans", so we have scans/tomoscan.py

This way the import will be from scans import tomoscan which is nicer.

Let me play with the scan code as is at 2-BM and once I have it running there I will do a pull request with this and the above style convention.

[decarlof]

which also brings the question of where tomoScanApp and iocBoot should go. In python when there is other than python usually a 'source" folder is used. In this case we could do the following: set the library name to 'scans' crate a source folder then move inside:

source/scans/tomoscan/tomo2bm.py source/scans/tomoscan/tomo13bm.py ... source/scans/tomoScanApp/ source/scans/iocBoot

or

source/scans/tomoscan/tomoScanApp/ source/scans/tomoscan/iocBoot

so we are ready for adding other technique scans (?)

any demo should go in the docs (under demo or example) and contain the appropriate import from scans import tomo13.py this way it will not be be included in the api docs and only show in the example section.

Again I can propose these changes through a pull request after I run it at 2-BM

[MarkRivers]

I have made the changes I proposed above. Prior to these changes pylint was generating a very large number of warnings, and a very poor score. I have made many changes to make pylint happy. The remaining pylint messages are things I am happy with.

All variable, method, and class names have changed. I have updated the docs/ documentation to match these changes.

@decarlof you should use this version for 2-BM, don't spend time on the previous version because many names have changed.

[MarkRivers]

which also brings the question of where tomoScanApp and iocBoot should go

I think the standard EPICS module directories should stay where they are: tomoscan/configure tomoscan/tomoScanApp tomoscan/iocBoot

I am fine with changing that "tomoscan" repository name, but we should keep the standard EPICS module layout within the repository. I don't think we should change the repository name to "scans" however, because that is not specific enough to what it does.

It is fine to move the Python code to some better place in the repository.

[decarlof]

OK, will use the current version. In the meanwhile, I was able to get the tomoScan.template to run on a soft IOC I used for the old userInfo PVs but the way I know how to do this is too cumbersome (manually copy adl and db in the right place and edit the existing st.cmd etc., then fix the various macros). Can you point me to documentation on how to install an epics App properly? I looked at here but I am not sure is current.

[MarkRivers]

Can you point me to documentation on how to install an epics App properly?

The simplest thing to do to get running at 2-BM quickly is just to use the xxx application from APSshare, which should already be mounted on your Linux machine. I have pushed new versions of tomoscan/iocBoot/iocTomoScan/st.cmd and start_IOC. They each have commented out lines to run from APSshare rather than the locally built tomoScanApp for the executable and dbd files. I have tested running from APSshare with those and it works fine.

[MarkRivers]

If you want to build the tomoscan module, here is a basic recipe.

• I have documented what Linux packages need to be installed to build EPICS base and synApps. https://docs.epics-controls.org/projects/how-tos/en/latest/getting-started/linux-packages.html. You can either build base or get it from /APSshare, and you need to build least the autosave and busy modules from synApps.
• You can use EPICS base from /APSshare if you want, which saves the following steps.

If you want to build EPICS base:

• Download EPICS base. I suggest using the latest release, 7.0.3.1. https://github.com/epics-base/epics-base.
• You can put it in some place like /usr/local/epics or /home/decarlo/epics.
• You should not need to configure anything in the configure/ or configure/os/ directories.
• You will need to install the packages for EPICS base I listed in the link above if they are not already installed.
• Run the following command at the top-level of EPICS base

  make -sj

To build a minimal synApps:

• Download this script: https://github.com/EPICS-synApps/support/blob/master/assemble_synApps.sh. Again, you could put it in /usr/local/epics/ or /home/decarlo/epics.
• Edit the assemble_synApps.sh script as follows:
  • Set FULL_CLONE=True
  • Set EPICS_BASE to point to the location of EPICS base. This could be on APSshare (the default), or a local version you built.
  • For tomoscan you only need BUSY and AUTOSAVE. You can comment out all of the other modules (ALLENBRADLEY, ALIVE, etc.)
• Run the script. It will create a synApps/ directory.
• cd to synApps/support/
• Edit busy-R1-7-2/configure/RELEASE and comment out the ASYN line since you did not install asyn.
• Clone the tomoscan module into synApps/support:

  git clone https://github.com/tomography/tomoscan

• Edit configure/RELEASE and add this line to the end:

  TOMOSCAN=$(SUPPORT)/tomoscan

• Edit Makefile and add this line to the end of the MODULE_LIST

  MODULE_LIST += TOMOSCAN

• Run the following commands:

  make release
  make -sj

  make -sj runs parallel make silently so you will see only any warnings or errors.

I just did the above and it worked for me.

[decarlof]

@MarkRivers I could not get the simplest to work (cannot find tomoscan anywhere under APSshare (find /APSshare/epics/ -type d -name "iocTomoScan" returned nothing) but the second set of instructions is exactly what I was looking for and it worked perfectly. Thanks a lot.

[MarkRivers]

@decarlof I was not clear, you don't need tomoscan under APSshare, you just need xxx. You run from the tomoscan/iocBoot/iocTomoScan directory on your local system, but it gets the 2 needed files (xxx executable and iocxxxLinux.dbd) from APSshare.

The xxx executable is built with the 3 things you need:

• EPICS base
• synApps busy module
• synApps autosave module

The new versions of st.cmd and start_IOC should work fine to get those files from APSshare if you change what is commented out. Depending on where APSshare is mounted on your system you might need to change /APSshare to /mnt/APSshare or something like that.

Glad to hear my build instructions worked!

[MarkRivers]

The changes proposed here have been completed.