Adding Monitors

From Clam

This document describes the current steps to have a new graphical monitor working. The number of steps is large and we are in the process of reducing it so this is subject to change.

Contents

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Getting the monitor working on the NetworkEditor

  • Create a Monitor class (MyViewMonitor) with double inheritance from:
    • PortMonitor templated by the port data (MyToken):
      • provides input ports of the proper class, and
      • offers thread safe access to the data from the GUI thread.
    • XXXXDataSource:
      • abstract interface to be used by the visualization to get data and metadata (units, sizes, limits...)
        • one must reimplement such interface to map MyToken into a DSP agnostic type
        • reusing an existing data source will increase the usability of the port
        • some interfaces examples: sampled functions (float arrays), point defined envelopes, list of placed values, segmentations...
    • See examples at NetworkEditor/src/monitors
    • The implementation should implement XXXXDataSource interface to map DSP data to visualization, and metadata (units, sizes, limits...)
    • Such implementation should access the data using the PortMonitor thread safe interface (freeze and release).
    • Be carefull with the freeze and release policy:
      • Every call do not get data more than once by keep references or copying it
      • Don't forget to release data before exiting the function.
      • Don't release if you didn't get it.
      • Do not use reference after release, copy data to thread if you want to.
  • Create a view widget (MyView) which uses the XXXXDataSource interface
    • See examples at NetworkEditor/src/monitors
    • The widget should freeze the Monitor and use/copy the data
    • Use QDESIGNER_WIDGET_EXPORT macro after 'class' keyword: 
      #include <QtDesigner/QDesignerExportWidget>
      class QDESIGNER_WIDGET_EXPORT Oscilloscope : public QWidget
    • Don't forget the Q_OBJECT macro for the widget.
    • Define as Q_PROPERTY the editable attributes from designer 
      http://doc.trolltech.com/latest/properties.html
    • If you use the QGLWidget remember to undefine GetClassName for Windows(tm) glory
    • Define a constructor passing a datasource as parameter default to null pointer
    • When null pointer it's being called by Designer so make it point to an static dummy data source with dummy data which is useful for dummy display on designer.
  • Register in the factory the monitor with the name of the view (Why?)
    • The GetClassName for the PortMonitor should match the view name too. (Why?)
  • Add the PortMonitor to the ProcessingTree (indeed the view name).
  • Add an entry on the embededWidgetFor() function at ProcessingBox.cxx which on the given name creates the view and relates to the monitor. 
   if (className=="MyView")
       return new MyView(canvas, dynamic_cast<MyViewMonitor*>(processing));
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Getting the Monitor working on Qt Designer

Once you have it working on NetworkEditor let's plugin:

  • Create a plugin file such the ones in src/clamWidgetsPlugins
    • Copy an example in src/clamWidgetsPlugins and adapt the class names to the one of the Widget
    • If the view has a namespace you should use it as part of the name (why?)
    • Don't forget to change the example name on the doXml and the icon which are lowercase
    • Add an icon on the images.qrc file and refer it on the icon() method and change it
  • Include the plugin on the aggregated plugin at CLAMWidgets.cxx.
  • Add the widget source into the plugin sources on the SConstruct 
    pluginsources.append(os.path.join('src','chordWidgets','MyView.cxx'))
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Getting the Monitor working on Prototyper

  • On PrototypeLoader::ConnectWithNetwork() add a line with: 
   ConnectWidgetsWithPorts<CLAM::VM::MyView,MyViewMonitor>
       ("OutPort__.*", "CLAM::VM::MyView");
  • And of course the needed includes


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How it is gonna change?

See the development notes on the process rewrite: Devel/Adding Monitors Simplification

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