Parameters

YGOR Fundamentals
Menu Bar
State/Status Frame
Lock/Unlock Frame
Parameters
Samplers
Error Traps

On a typical CLEO screen that connects to an YGOR manager for a device, you will usually find numerous widgets that allow you to inspect or change the value of parameters.  

Look of Parameter Widgets

When you open an application that connects to an YGOR manager, the screen will probably be locked (see the documentation on the Lock/Unlock frame).  Locked and unlocked parameters have a different background colors as do samplers and feedback parameters.  The color coding of widget background colors is given by the following table:

When a screen unlocks, the widgets associated with control parameters are enabled and their background is turned to light gray or white, depending upon the widget type.  Only feedback parameters and samplers retains respectively their thistle and light blue background.

For example, here is part of one of the screens associated with one of the Analog Filter Rack (AFR) screens.  The Select and CFFilter columns are locked control parameters and State is a column of feedback parameters.  CFPower is a column of samplers.  The blue buttons generate I.F. Manager information.

Here's a part of the screen for the 12-18 GHz Receiver.  The unlocked buttons labeled 3000/3500 control parameters for filters and LO Power is a sampler.  The dark blue buttons generate I.F. Manager information.

Parameter Widget Highlight Borders

Entry, Combobox, and Spinbox Widgets

Entry, Combobox, and Spinbox widgets allow one to type in a value for a parameter.  We've added a few features to these standard widget to make them easier to use, more reflective of what is going on, and less prone to user error.  

We will use the Holography screen as an example application.  The screen has three entry widgets and two spin boxes.  The Integration Time widget accept positive floating point numbers while the remaining items take positive integer values.

• The enhanced CLEO entry widgets checks the value the user is entering to make sure it is of a legal type.  For example, if a parameter takes on only integer values cannot type in anything but numbers, not even a decimal point.  If it's afloating point parameter, thenyou can enter numbers, a decimal point, exponential notation, and a sign (+ or -).  Entries that are for parameters that take on a limited length string values will not allow you to enter more than the proper number of characters. 
• In addition, when you start changing the value of an entry widget, the color of the text turns from black to magenta indicating the currently displayed value does not represent what is in the control system.  For example, the Test Atten parameter on the above Holography screen.  One must hit the 'Enter' key to send the value to the control system.  At that point the text turns back to black.  Thus, you will have a good indication if you have forgotten to hit a carriage return inside an entry widget.
• If you start to modify an entry widget, but wish to return its value to what it was before you started editing its value, hit the Esc key and the value will revert back to that in the control system and the text color should return to black.

Parameter Gadget:

When you right double click on any parameter on any CLEO screen, for example the Integration Time entry on the Holography screen, a popup parameter gadget will appear.   The gadget reports back everything CLEO knows about the parameter.  From top to bottom, the gadget reports:

• The YGOR name of the parameter.
• The type of the parameter.
• The relationship of the parameter to other parameters in the manager.
• The attributes of the parameter (e.g., does it have an illegal value?  Has its value been touched and therefore doesn't reflect what is in the hardware?).
• The type (Boolean, enumeration, float, integer,..) of the parameter.
• The units of the parameter (Volts, milliamps, etc.).
• The range of legal values.
• The number of elements if it is an array.
• A brief description of the parameter.
• The current value as well as a field that will allow you to alter the value of the parameter and to 'invoke' (i.e., forcefully reset) the parameter's value.
  

I.F. Manager Buttons:

On all of the GBT receiver, L.O., I.F. and backend applications you will find dark blue button that will generate information about the I.F. or L.O. at various points within the signal path of the GBT.   Examples of these buttons can be found on the AFR screen above and 12-18 GHz Rcvr screens on the left.  Sometimes, as in the case of the receiver screen, the button is associated with a label that tells you the cabling to and from a device.  For example,  the L2 point on the receiver screen is cabled to the J42 spicket on the I.F. Router.

If you were to click on the L2 blue button, and after a short pause while the I.F. manager starts up, you will be presented with a screen that contains information similar to that presented on the right.  The information is that derived from the set of parameters in the I.F. Manager that describe what has happened to the I.F. (or L.O.) signal upstream from, in this particular case, the L2 point.  Please examine the documentation for the  I.F. Manager for more details.

Copyright © 2000 Associated Universities, Inc. Washington D.C., USA
Modified: 14 May, 2000 by Ronald J. Maddalena