INI file issues

[grandixximo]

LINEAR_UNITS = 1.0
ANGULAR_UNITS = 1.0

don't work anymore after #3921

[BsAtHome]

That is actually intentional. The value of [TRAJ]LINEAR_UNITS and [TRAJ]ANGULAR_UNITS are supposed to be enumerated types. The type must be a numerical value or an enum string. This has become an enumerated type and you cannot have it both ways.

[TRAJ]LINEAR_UNITS = {mm,metric,in,inch,imperial}
[TRAJ]ANGULAR_UNITS = {deg,degree,grad,gon,rad,radian}

If you want 1.0 mapping, then you need to use mm/metric and deg/degree.

(or are you supposed to enter any value you like?)

[grandixximo]

Ok, for some reason I thought 0 1 were documented as working
It's an ini file that a forum user shared with me. I guess it does not work anymore, fair enough.

[BsAtHome]

It is not a boolean... The enum is translated into a factor that is used as scaling.

The real problem has been a very weak enforcement (see the boolean inconsistency discussion of #3863 and why the new parser was written). That has been fixed by using type enforcement while reading. You should get error messages while loading if something is wrong. If the documentation is wrong, please inform me or fix the docs. I did fix quite a few entries in the documentation, but not all. Some values/entries are (still) not documented at all, it seems.

[grandixximo]

I do get error messages, if I had to be picky, it's not an immediate hard close, it kind of hangs around trying to do stuff, and it was not incredibly clear to me, that the issue was the units, but I did find it pretty quick.

I first did rebuild like 5 times over 😆

You can maybe see why I got a bit confused in the following, where it spits out the error multiple times
and then keeps waiting for joints and kins, and if you look at the debug and print file, they don't mention there being an issue with the INI file related to the units, it kind of mislead me to ini.traj_max_velocity

LINUXCNC - 2.10.0~pre1
Machine configuration directory is '/home/luca/ruediger5axis'
Machine configuration file is 'axis_mm_scurve-5-axis-TP2.ini'
check_config: Unchecked: [KINS]KINEMATICS=5axiskins
linuxcnc TPMOD=tpmod HOMEMOD=homemod EMCMOT=motmod
Note: Using POSIX non-realtime
Found file(REL): ./axis_mm_scurve-5-axis.hal

!!! switchkins-type 0 is 5axiskins
Kinematics Module emc/kinematics/5axiskins.c
  module name = 5axiskins
  coordinates = XYZBCW  Requires: [KINS]JOINTS>=6
  sparm       = NOTSPECIFIED
  default pivot-length = 250.000

identityKinematicsSetup: coordinates:XYZBCW
   Joint 0 ==> Axis X
   Joint 1 ==> Axis Y
   Joint 2 ==> Axis Z
   Joint 3 ==> Axis B
   Joint 4 ==> Axis C
   Joint 5 ==> Axis W


userkKinematicsSetup:
   emc/kinematics/userkfuncs.c <XYZBCW> max_joints=16 allow_duplicates=1

No isolated CPU's found, expect some latency or set RTAPI_CPU_NUMBER to select CPU
emcTrajSetUnits failed to set [TRAJ]LINEAR_UNITS or [TRAJ]ANGULAR_UNITS
emcMotionInit: emcTrajInit failed
emcTrajSetUnits failed to set [TRAJ]LINEAR_UNITS or [TRAJ]ANGULAR_UNITS
emcMotionInit: emcTrajInit failed
emcTrajSetUnits failed to set [TRAJ]LINEAR_UNITS or [TRAJ]ANGULAR_UNITS
emcMotionInit: emcTrajInit failed
emcTrajSetUnits failed to set [TRAJ]LINEAR_UNITS or [TRAJ]ANGULAR_UNITS
emcMotionInit: emcTrajInit failed
emcTrajSetUnits failed to set [TRAJ]LINEAR_UNITS or [TRAJ]ANGULAR_UNITS
emcMotionInit: emcTrajInit failed
emcTrajSetUnits failed to set [TRAJ]LINEAR_UNITS or [TRAJ]ANGULAR_UNITS
emcMotionInit: emcTrajInit failed
emcTrajSetUnits failed to set [TRAJ]LINEAR_UNITS or [TRAJ]ANGULAR_UNITS
emcMotionInit: emcTrajInit failed
emcTrajSetUnits failed to set [TRAJ]LINEAR_UNITS or [TRAJ]ANGULAR_UNITS
emcMotionInit: emcTrajInit failed
emcTrajSetUnits failed to set [TRAJ]LINEAR_UNITS or [TRAJ]ANGULAR_UNITS
emcMotionInit: emcTrajInit failed
emcTrajSetUnits failed to set [TRAJ]LINEAR_UNITS or [TRAJ]ANGULAR_UNITS
emcMotionInit: emcTrajInit failed
ini.traj_max_velocity still 0.0 after 11 seconds

Warning: Missing required specifier (has angular joint or axis):
    [DISPLAY]MAX_ANGULAR_VELOCITY
or  [TRAJ]MAX_ANGULAR_VELOCITY
See the 'INI Configuration' documents

note: MAXV     max: 500.000 units/sec 30000.000 units/min
note: LJOG     max: 500.000 units/sec 30000.000 units/min
note: LJOG default: 500.000 units/sec 30000.000 units/min
note: AJOG     max: 1.000 units/sec 60.000 units/min
note: AJOG default: 1.000 units/sec 60.000 units/min
waiting for s.joints<0>, s.kinematics_type<0>
waiting for s.joints<0>, s.kinematics_type<0>
waiting for s.joints<0>, s.kinematics_type<0>
emc/task/emctaskmain.cc 3008: can't initialize motion
waiting for s.joints<0>, s.kinematics_type<0>
waiting for s.joints<0>, s.kinematics_type<0>
waiting for s.joints<0>, s.kinematics_type<0>
waiting for s.joints<0>, s.kinematics_type<0>
waiting for s.joints<0>, s.kinematics_type<0>
waiting for s.joints<0>, s.kinematics_type<0>
A configuration error is preventing LinuxCNC from starting.
More information may be available when running from a terminal.
Shutting down and cleaning up LinuxCNC...
Note: Using POSIX non-realtime
LinuxCNC terminated with an error.  You can find more information in the log:
    /home/luca/linuxcnc_debug.txt
and
    /home/luca/linuxcnc_print.txt
as well as in the output of the shell command 'dmesg' and in the terminal

/home/luca/linuxcnc_debug.txt

ini.traj_max_velocity still 0.0 after 11 seconds
242074
Stopping realtime threads
Unloading hal components

/home/luca/linuxcnc_print.txt

RUN_IN_PLACE=yes
LINUXCNC_DIR=
LINUXCNC_BIN_DIR=/home/luca/github/aitekcnc/bin
LINUXCNC_TCL_DIR=/home/luca/github/aitekcnc/tcl
LINUXCNC_SCRIPT_DIR=
LINUXCNC_RTLIB_DIR=/home/luca/github/aitekcnc/rtlib
LINUXCNC_CONFIG_DIR=
LINUXCNC_LANG_DIR=/home/luca/github/aitekcnc/src/objects
INIVAR=inivar
HALCMD=halcmd 
LINUXCNC_EMCSH=/usr/bin/wish8.6
INIFILE=/home/luca/ruediger5axis/axis_mm_scurve-5-axis-TP2.ini
VERSION=1.1
PARAMETER_FILE=scurve_example.var
TPMOD=
HOMEMOD=
TASK=milltask
HALUI=halui
HALBRIDGE=
DISPLAY=axis
COORDINATES=X Y Z B C W
KINEMATICS=5axiskins
Starting LinuxCNC server program: linuxcncsvr
Loading Real Time OS, RTAPI, and HAL_LIB modules
Starting TASK program: milltask
Starting HAL User Interface program: halui
ini.traj_max_velocity still 0.0 after 11 seconds
Starting DISPLAY program: axis
Removing HAL_LIB, RTAPI, and Real Time OS modules
Removing NML shared memory segment

[grandixximo]

It's not a problem with the docs, more a problem with my memory of the docs, I think I conflated two things in my head, seeing users using 1.0 for units, with the docs actually stating that you could do that.
Because of the previous lack of enforcement, there are INI that do NOT respect the docs, probably clearer errors will be nicer...

[BsAtHome]

I fully agree that better error messages would be a big improvement. There are now a few more messages than before... but that does not excuse the actual problem.

This is a general problem throughout the code. Error handling and error/warning communication towards the user is substantially subpar. This also touches the problem of a lacking flexible channelized debug, info, etc. messages interface where you can enable/disable messages from parts of the code easily. This has been on my wish list for a long time, but I can't be everywhere.

[andypugh]

Would it make sense for update_ini to switch numeric values to strings?

[BsAtHome]

Would it make sense for update_ini to switch numeric values to strings?

Yes it would, if it can identify/match the value to the enumerated type string. The map is in:

linuxcnc/src/emc/ini/initraj.cc

Line 37 in fcd8ed1

static double findLinearUnits(const IniFile &ini, const std::string &var, const std::string &sec, double def)

linuxcnc/src/emc/ini/initraj.cc

Line 55 in fcd8ed1

static double findAngularUnits(const IniFile &ini, const std::string &var, const std::string &sec, double def)

It should be possible to match 1.0 and 0.9. However, 1/25.4 and M_PI/180.0 are expressions. You can try to match ~0.03937008 and ~0.01745329, but that is also a bit tricky (how close do you need it to be?).

[andypugh]

update_ini uses regex and textual matching. However I don't think that "UNITS = 1/25.4" would appear in any INI file. Does/did the INI parser even allow expressions?

[BsAtHome]

Expressions are not allowed. The old parser would simply see it as a string. The other code then, I think, failed to parse/match and defaulted to 1.0 (or maybe it did a sscanf fallback). Anyway, it would have been a problem before if you'd used an expression.

IMO, it is an error if anybody has a number in the [TRAJ]LINEAR_UNITS or [TRAJ]ANGULAR_UNITS entries.