EPICS Component Reference Manual


EPICS Reference: Event Record (event) §

The normal use for this record type is to post a soft-event and/or process a forward link. Soft Channel device support is provided to allow the soft-event name to be read from an input link. Hardware device support for this record can provide an interrupt handler routine to trigger processing of the record when an I/O Intr event occurs.

Parameter Fields §

The record-specific fields are described below, grouped by functionality.

Scan Parameters §

The event record has the standard fields for specifying under what circumstances it should be processed. These fields are described in Scan Fields.

FieldSummaryTypeDCT DefaultReadWriteCA PP
SCANScan MechanismMENU (menuScan)Yes YesYesNo
PHASScan PhaseSHORTYes YesYesNo
EVNTEvent NameSTRING [40]Yes YesYesNo
PRIOScheduling PriorityMENU (menuPriority)Yes YesYesNo
PINIProcess at iocInitMENU (menuPini)Yes YesYesNo

Event Name Parameters §

The VAL field is a string (prior to the Base-3.15.1 release it was a short integer) providing the name of an IOC soft-event. This named soft-event gets posted whenever the record is processed.

When the soft-event name is known at design time, the VAL field should be set to the name in a loaded database file. Soft-event names do not have to be registered before use, a handle for the name is automatically created and stored when a name is first seen and the same handle returned later if the same name is re-used.

The EPVT field holds the handle for the soft-event named in the VAL field. Looking up the handle for a soft-event name is fast and uses a hash table.

For records that use the default Soft Channel device support, the soft-event name can be fetched through the INP field link, written to the VAL field and the handle looked up during record processing.

FieldSummaryTypeDCT DefaultReadWriteCA PP
VALEvent Name To PostSTRING [40]Yes YesYesNo
EPVTEvent privateNOACCESSNo NoNoNo

Input Specification §

The device support routines use the address in this record to obtain input. For records that provide an interrupt handler, the INP field should specify the address of the I/O card, and the DTYP field should specify a valid device support module.

The address format differs according to the card type used. See Address Specification for information on the format of hardware addresses and specifying links.

For soft records, the INP field can be a constant, a database link, or a channel access link, and the DTYP field should be empty or set to Soft Channel.

FieldSummaryTypeDCT DefaultReadWriteCA PP
INPInput SpecificationINLINKYes YesYesNo
DTYPDevice TypeDEVICEYes YesYesNo

Operator Display Parameters §

See Fields Common to All Record Types for more on the record name (NAME) and description (DESC) fields.

FieldSummaryTypeDCT DefaultReadWriteCA PP
NAMERecord NameSTRING [61]No YesNoNo
DESCDescriptorSTRING [41]Yes YesYesNo

Alarm Parameters §

The Event record has the alarm parameters common to all record types. Alarm Fields lists other fields related to alarms that are common to all record types.

FieldSummaryTypeDCT DefaultReadWriteCA PP
STATAlarm StatusMENU (menuAlarmStat)NoUDFYesNoNo
SEVRAlarm SeverityMENU (menuAlarmSevr)No YesNoNo
AMSGAlarm MessageSTRING [40]No YesNoNo
NSTANew Alarm StatusMENU (menuAlarmStat)No YesNoNo
NSEVNew Alarm SeverityMENU (menuAlarmSevr)No YesNoNo
NAMSGNew Alarm MessageSTRING [40]No YesNoNo
ACKSAlarm Ack SeverityMENU (menuAlarmSevr)No YesNoNo
ACKTAlarm Ack TransientMENU (menuYesNo)YesYESYesNoNo
UDFUndefinedUCHARYes1YesYesYes

Simulation Mode Parameters §

The following fields are used to operate the event record in the simulation mode. See Fields Common to Input Record Types for more information on these fields.

FieldSummaryTypeDCT DefaultReadWriteCA PP
SIOLSim Input SpecifctnINLINKYes YesYesNo
SVALSimulation ValueSTRING [40]No YesYesNo
SIMLSim Mode LocationINLINKYes YesYesNo
SIMMSimulation ModeMENU (menuYesNo)No YesYesNo
SIMSSim mode Alarm SvrtyMENU (menuAlarmSevr)Yes YesYesNo
SSCNSim. Mode ScanMENU (menuScan)Yes65535YesYesNo
SDLYSim. Mode Async DelayDOUBLEYes-1.0YesYesNo

Record Support §

Record Support Routines §

init_record §

This routine initializes SIMM with the value of SIML if SIML type is a CONSTANT link or creates a channel access link if SIML type is PV_LINK. SVAL is likewise initialized if SIOL is CONSTANT or PV_LINK.

If device support includes init_record(), it is called.

The string in VAL is converted to a soft-event handle in EPVT.

process §

See next section.

special §

When the VAL field is set, the new string is converted to a soft-event handle in EPVT.

Record Processing §

Routine process() implements the following algorithm:

  1. readValue() is called. See Input Records for more information.

  2. If PACT has changed to TRUE, the device support read routine has started but has not completed reading a new soft-event name. In this case, the processing routine returns immediately, leaving PACT TRUE.

  3. Set PACT to TRUE.

  4. Post the soft-event whose handle is in EPVT.

  5. Check to see if monitors should be invoked. Alarm monitors are invoked if the new alarm status or severity are non-zero.

  6. Scan forward link if set, set PACT to FALSE, and return.

Device Support §

Fields of Interest To Device Support §

Each record must have an associated set of device support routines. The device support routines are primarily interested in the following fields:

FieldSummaryTypeDCT DefaultReadWriteCA PP
PACTRecord activeUCHARNo YesNoNo
DPVTDevice PrivateNOACCESSNo NoNoNo
UDFUndefinedUCHARYes1YesYesYes
NSEVNew Alarm SeverityMENU (menuAlarmSevr)No YesNoNo
NSTANew Alarm StatusMENU (menuAlarmStat)No YesNoNo
INPInput SpecificationINLINKYes YesYesNo
PRIOScheduling PriorityMENU (menuPriority)Yes YesYesNo
VALEvent Name To PostSTRING [40]Yes YesYesNo
EPVTEvent privateNOACCESSNo NoNoNo

Device Support Routines §

Device support consists of the following routines:

report §

  long report(int level)

This optional routine is called by the IOC command dbior and is passed the report level that was requested by the user. It should print a report on the state of the device support to stdout. The level parameter may be used to output increasingly more detailed information at higher levels, or to select different types of information with different levels. Level zero should print only a 1-line summary.

init §

  long init(int after)

This optional routine is called twice at IOC initialization time. The first call happens before any of the init_record() calls are made, with the integer parameter after set to 0. The second call happens after all of the init_record() calls have been made, with after set to 1.

init_record §

  long init_record(precord)

This routine is optional. If provided, it is called by the record support init_record() routine.

get_ioint_info §

  long get_ioint_info(int cmd, struct dbCommon *precord, IOSCANPVT *ppvt)

This routine is called by the dbScan system each time the record is added or deleted from an I/O event scan list. cmd has the value (0, 1) if the record is being (added to, deleted from) an I/O event list. The get_ioint_info routine is optional, but must be provided by any device support that implements I/O Intr scanning for the event record type.

read_event §

  long read_event(precord)

This routine returns the following values:

Device Support For Soft Records §

A Soft Channel device support module is available. The INP link field is used to fetch the soft-event name.

The read_event() routine reads a string through INP and stores it in VAL, then looks up the named soft-event handle and sets EPVT.

See Input Records for details on soft input.


EPICS Component Reference Manual