make dynamic catalogs the default.

[simoneliuzzo]

Description, motivation and use case
simpler configuration and no catalog files for new users

Proposed solution
make dynamic catalogs the default

Example

This configuration

type: pyaml.accelerator
facility: ESRF
machine: sr
energy: 6e9
controls:
  - type: pyaml_cs_oa.controlsystem
    prefix: //ebs-simu-3:10000/
    name: live
    catalog: 
      - type: pyaml_cs_oa.dynamic_catalog
        backend: Tango
data_folder: /data/store
devices:
  - type: pyaml.bpm.bpm
    name: BPM_C04-01
    x_pos: srdiag/bpm/c04-01/SA_HPosition
    y_pos: srdiag/bpm/c04-01/SA_VPosition

and this configuration (for example)

type: pyaml.accelerator
facility: ESRF
machine: sr
energy: 6e9
controls:
  - type: pyaml_cs_oa.tango_controlsystem
    prefix: //ebs-simu-3:10000/
    name: live
data_folder: /data/store
devices:
  - type: pyaml.bpm.bpm
    name: BPM_C04-01
    x_pos: srdiag/bpm/c04-01/SA_HPosition
    y_pos: srdiag/bpm/c04-01/SA_VPosition

Would give the same identical results.

Checklist

• I've assigned this issue to a project
• I've @-mentioned relevant people

[TeresiaOlsson]

What does it mean to make the dynamic catalog default? I thought the type of catalog is only defined in the configuration file and if you don't include the catalog field you get the dynamic catalog? So then it is already the default?

[TeresiaOlsson]

What does it mean to make the dynamic catalog default? I thought the type of catalog is only defined in the configuration file and if you don't include the catalog field you get the dynamic catalog? So then it is already the default?

Ah, no. I only know this from reading a docstring once that said if the catalog field is missing it means dynamic catalog. But maybe it doesn't actually build a dynamic catalog?

[simoneliuzzo]

Dear @TeresiaOlsson ,

@gupichon explained to me yesterday that this is not the case yet, but may be I did not understand well.

To my understanding the catalog is a tool to simplify the configuration file. It allows to remove the "type: tango.pyaml.attribute" and similar from the configuration file, making it more user friendly and light to read.

The dynamic catalog does not need to write additional files, it speaks to tango and epics directly.

So, including dynamic catalogs as default (user does not have to specify it), would make the configuration simpler for the user, and this is going in the correct direction.

[JeanLucPons]

@simoneliuzzo
I add in your example that you have to specifcy that it is tango somewhere.

Fir instance:

type: pyaml.accelerator
facility: ESRF
machine: sr
energy: 6e9
controls:
  - type: pyaml_cs_oa.tango_controlsystem
    prefix: //ebs-simu-3:10000/
    name: live
data_folder: /data/store
devices:
  - type: pyaml.bpm.bpm
    name: BPM_C04-01
    x_pos: srdiag/bpm/c04-01/SA_HPosition
    y_pos: srdiag/bpm/c04-01/SA_VPosition

[JeanLucPons]

I also confirm that the catalog field is required for the moment and there is no default.

[simoneliuzzo]

@simoneliuzzo I add in your example that you have to specifcy that it is tango somewhere.

Fir instance:

type: pyaml.accelerator
facility: ESRF
machine: sr
energy: 6e9
controls:

• type: pyaml_cs_oa.tango_controlsystem
  prefix: //ebs-simu-3:10000/
  name: live
  data_folder: /data/store
  devices:
• type: pyaml.bpm.bpm
  name: BPM_C04-01
  x_pos: srdiag/bpm/c04-01/SA_HPosition
  y_pos: srdiag/bpm/c04-01/SA_VPosition

Thanks @JeanLucPons , I fixed the description.

[simoneliuzzo]

Dear @JeanLucPons ,

may be with the dynamic catalog also type: pyaml.bpm.bpm would disappear from the configuration?

[JeanLucPons]

No there you have to specific the type (or class) of the object.
We can image using introspection (or a lookup talbe) to guess the module to reach something similar to our concurrent CATAP:

# example file in ./yaml/BPM/DEVICE-01.yaml

controls_information:
    pv_record_map:
        X:
            type: scalar
            description: "X position readback for the BPM"
            units: "mm"
            pv: "BPM-DEVICE-01:X"
        Y:
            type: statistical
            auto_buffer: true
            buffer_size: 100
            description: "X position readback for the BPM"
            units: "mm"
            pv: "BPM-DEVICE-01:Y"
properties:
    name: DEVICE-01
    hardware_type: BPM
    subtype: STRIPLINE
    machine_area: A1
    position: 1.0

[TeresiaOlsson]

I also confirm that the catalog field is required for the moment and there is no default.

Okay. Then we just have wrong docstring here: https://pyaml-cs-oa.readthedocs.io/en/stable/api/pyaml_cs_oa.controlsystem.html#pyaml_cs_oa.controlsystem.ConfigModel.catalog

It currently says "Catalog instance or catalog name used to resolve PyAML device keys. If None specified a dynamic catalog is used." But then I guess what we want is for that docstring to be true?

[TeresiaOlsson]

Does it mean that the only thing the users need to do when using a dynamic catalog when not on the control system network is to remember to start the twin? Which they anyway need to do if they want to do tests other than on simulator.

If that's the only thing, then I think we can even say in the documentation that the static catalog only exists for tests and the dynamic catalog is what all users should use. Or do you see any other use case for the static catalog?

[TeresiaOlsson]

@simoneliuzzo I add in your example that you have to specifcy that it is tango somewhere.

Fir instance:

type: pyaml.accelerator
facility: ESRF
machine: sr
energy: 6e9
controls:

• type: pyaml_cs_oa.tango_controlsystem
  prefix: //ebs-simu-3:10000/
  name: live
  data_folder: /data/store
  devices:
• type: pyaml.bpm.bpm
  name: BPM_C04-01
  x_pos: srdiag/bpm/c04-01/SA_HPosition
  y_pos: srdiag/bpm/c04-01/SA_VPosition

I understand what you mean by this now. I was confused when looking at the JSON schema why you nowhere need to specify if you want to use TANGO or EPICS when using pyaml_cs_oa. But it's because it's currently done as part of specifying which catalog to use.

So the change doesn't just require specifying a default but also changing OphydAsyncControlSystem a bit to be able to specify which control system to use?