BUILT-IN COMMANDS AND FUNCTIONS

mcount(t)

Begins counting for t monitor counts. Returns true.

tcount(t)

Begins counting for t seconds. Returns true.

cnt_mne(i)

Returns the string mnemonic of counter i as given in the configuration file.

cnt_name(i)

Returns the string name of counter i as given in the configuration file.

cnt_num(mne)

Returns the counter number corresponding to the counter mnemonic mne, or -1 if there is no such counter configured. As of spec release 6.05.01, mne can be a variable or an expression. If mne is an uninitialized variable, the function returns -1.

counter_par(mne, s [, v])

Returns or sets configuration parameters for counter mne. Recognized values for the string s include:

"monitor?"

Returns 1 if the associated controller allows software reassignment of the channel used for counting to monitor presets. Returns 0 otherwise.

"monitor"

Reassigns the scaler channel used as the monitor-preset counter to the channel associated with counter mne. Rereading the hardware configuration file with the config macro or reconfig command will restore the monitor channel to that set in the config file. This feature is only available with certain counters. Counters that currently support this feature include the KS 3640 CAMAC counter, the Joerger VSC16/8 VME scaler and the generic EPICS scaler.

"timer"

Reassigns the scaler channel used as the time-preset counter to the channel associated with counter mne. Rereading the hardware configuration file with the config macro or reconfig command will restore the time channel to that set in the config file. Currently no timers support this feature.

"controller"

returns a string containing the controller name of the specified counter. The controller names are those used in spec's config files.

"unit"

returns the unit number of the specified counter. Each counter controller unit may contain more than one counter channel.

"channel"

returns the channel number of the specified counter.

"responsive"

returns a nonzero value if the counter responded to an initial presence test or appears otherwise to be working.

"disable"

returns a nonzero value if the counter has been disabled by software. If v is given and is nonzero, then the counter is disabled. If v is given and is zero, the counter becomes no longer disabled. A disabled counter channel will not be accessed by any of spec's commands. Any cdef()-defined macros will automatically exclude the portions of the macro keyed to the particular counter when the counter is software disabled.

getcounts

Loads the built-in array S[] with the scaler counts.

VARIABLES

S[]

Built-in array that holds scaler contents after a getcounts command.

COUNT

Global variable that holds the default count time used by the ct, uct and uctn macros.

COUNT_TIME

Global variable that holds the actual count time used by the ct, uct and uctn macros.

DET

Global variable that is set to the channel to be used as the detector during scans, usually set to det.

MON

Global variable that is set to channel to be treated as the monitor during scans, usually set to mon.

MON_RATE

Global variable that holds the value S[MON]/S[sec] and is updated in the count macro.

Scaler channel assignments and scaler mnemonics are set in the config file. The standard assignments for the first three channels are:

sec = channel 0

mon = channel 1

det = channel 2

MACROS

counters [new_mon new_det]

With scaler channel arguments, this macro assigns those channels to the MON and DET symbols and displays the changed scaler assignment. Without arguments, the macro displays the current counter assignments, then prompts for new counter channels for MON and DET.

ct

A macro that counts for COUNT time if invoked without arguments, or for the time given as an argument. After counting, the macro prints the scaler contents. If interrupted with a ^C, the counts at the time of the interrupt are displayed.

uct

As above, but updates the screen with the scaler contents while counting. The screen is updated every UPDATE seconds. Only the first six counter channels are displayed.

uctn

As above, but uses cursor control commands to update a multiple line display at the bottom of the screen and will work with more than six counters.

show_cnts

A macro that reads counters and displays the scaler contents on the screen.

scan_count

Normally defined as _count, it is called by all the scan macros. It is redefined in powder mode to be _pcount.

_count

Normally defined as count, redefined by the setscans macro when updated counting during scans is in effect.

count

Default routine for counting during scans. It waits for moving to end, counts, waits and reads scalers. It also uses the chk_beam macro.

chk_beam

A hook macro, normally defined as break. Can be used to wait for sufficient counts during scans. See the macro source file count.mac for details.

user_getcounts

A hook macro that allows the user to insert code, if necessary, after the call to getcounts either to postprocess the counter values, or to implement user-level counters. For example, in a configuration where the distance between the detector and the sample varies with the cosine of an angle, user_getcounts is defined to multiply S[DET] by an appropriate factor.

user_precount

A hook macro that allows the user to insert code to be run before the call to tcount() or mcount().

user_postcount

A hook macro that allows the user to insert code to be run after the call to tcount() or mcount().

A negative argument to ct, uct, uctn or count means count to monitor counts.