Program to display messages from

on-line monitoring and slow control code

S.Trusov , 02.06.2002

This program replaces readmess. It must run on pcdirac02 and it displays messages added to the file /home/run/log/monitoring.log by monitoring and SC code.

The script readinfo allows you to start, restart and stop the underlying code to display messages. To use it you must be logged in as run user.

readinfo start - starts the code. In case of success a "Monitoring window" opened and will be kept during of predefined time, now it is 40 s or until you will push a button;
readinfo start - starts the code. In case of success a "Monitoring window" opened and will be kept during of predefined time, now it is 40 s or until you will push a button;
readinfo stop - kill (if any) running processes to display monitoring messages.

If messages were added to home/run/log/monitoring.log they will be displayed. Below you can see an example:

Few fields are available for a message:

Diamond button to inform the program that you have seen the message.
Message itself
If available it indicates how many times the message was repeated. In fact if the same message comes in predefined time-out (now 40 s) a counter is incremented and time-out is reset.

Messages may be of three types which are served in slightly different ways, see Table:

Message type	Font color	Background color	Sound
INFO	black	white	"Run is running", "Run stopped", "Run paused", ... or standard sentence "Monitoring message".
WARNING	black	yellow	"Monitoring message", if there is no dedicated one.
ALARM	white	red	"Monitoring message" , if there is no dedicated one.

How often the code produces sounds and when a message will disappear from a window depends on the button status, message type and predefined period of window refresh (see table below). The last set to 5 s, it may be change by recompiling the code only.

Message type	Pre sound	Disappears	Post sound
Info	Dedicated or "Monitoring message" only one time	As button pushed or just as time-out expired (40 s)	no sound
Warning Alarm	"Monitoring message" until button will not be pushed with period of window refreshing	If button pushed and there was no the same message in a time-out (40 s)	"OK"

If there is no active messages to be displayed the "Monitoring window" is closed. You can move the window but cannot close or re-size it. The window is opened on the active virtual display.

Few advises.

1. Please, do not disconnect the loudspeakers. If you are troubled by sounds just stop readinfo. But, please, do not forget to restart it when you are leaving the electronics room.

2. The simplest way to check is readinfo running: just do readinfo restart. You should hear a sound and see an opened window, of course if the loudspeakers are not disconnected by somebody, who feels her/himself an expert.

3. If you have no message at all, even when a run is started or stopped, it may be due to reasons:

automon is not running on pcdirac06. So, check it.
readinfo is not running on pcdirac02. Restart it.
user run lost Xauthority. Ask experts for help. It was not happened very long time and let us hope will not happen in future.

4. If messages come in a short period, the sound one of them may be lost. A look at the window allows you get complete information. If you left electronics room for a time, please check by Run Display or omon, that run is still running. as "Run stopped" message leaves a window in 40 s.