I'm new here...

[MSte <steiner@nscl.msu.edu>]

Mesdames, Messieurs:

I'm in the early stages of developing a user interface for accelerator
and beamline controls here at the NSCL/Michigan State.  We will undergo
a two-year shutdown and upgrade starting this summer. As a
radioactive-beam facility, we spend a lot of time tuning beamlines, and
having complete and responsive controls is essential.

Currently, we are happily using VISTA for high-level beamline controls,
but I'm considering moving over to EPICS, since that will be our
'native' control system once the upgrade is completed.

I have some very basic questions, and I'd appreciate any insights y'all
might be able to offer.  

- What should I use to build control screens?  MEDM? Java?  
I like to have one 'master screen', which shows beamline/accelerator
status at one glance.  That means it's packed -- say, 600 control tools
on one page.  This approach has worked very well.

- I'm looking for 'symbols' in VISTA speak, i.e. displays that
change      based on the value of underlying channel values.
For instance, a magnet can turn white if it's 'off'.
Or, if a detector is in the beam, it is prominently displayed on
the         screen.   Is there such a tool in EPICS?

- Is there a 'picture-in-picture' function?  This has turned out to be
really useful...


Thanks in advance for your advice.

Regards,
	Mathias

---------------
Mathias Steiner
Physicist
Nat'l Superconducting Cyclotron Lab
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1321
ph. (517) 333-6423
e-mail steiner@nscl.msu.edu