This chapter provides some suggestions that describe how to put the pieces together into a coherent data acquisition system for your experiment. If you think of the previous chapters as a presentation of the parts of a whole, this chapter describes the glue that helps you stick those pieces together into a coherent whole for your experiment and for others.
Integration of the NSCL DAQ system makes heavy use of scripts: both shell and Tcl/Tk scripts. In order to make the best use of this chapter you should have a basic knowledge of:
The Unix Bourne Again SHell (bash).
The Tcl scripting language
The Tk widget set and how to use it.
If, as you read this chapter you realize you are not prepared to understand the examples, skip ahead to the Other Resources section. That section provides pointers to resources to help you plug you knowledge gaps.
This chapter contains the following sections:
An introduction to scripting, and how to make script files directly executable.
Some suggestions to consider prior to getting started.
The organization of the data taken by the NSCL DAQ. This is followed by an introduction to the Readout Gui, how it maintains the NSCL DAQ system data organization and how to write scripts to start it.
A description of SpecTcl integration topics including:
SpecTcl's startup sequence and how to customize it.
How to write a SpecTcl startup script.
How to add a custom SpecTcl control panel to your tailored SpecTcl
A description of KDE desktop shortcuts, how to create them, some pitfalls and trouble shooting techniques.
A list of additional resources