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Local configuration

To avoid having to provide each time the full configuration of an instrument (connection type, address, port, slots, ...) to load a Device, Autolab proposes to store it locally for further use.

More precisely, this configuration is stored in a local configuration file named devices_config.ini, which is located in the local directory of Autolab. Both this directory and this file are created automatically in your home directory the first time you use the package (the following messages will be displayed, indicating their exact paths).

INFORMATION: The local directory of AUTOLAB has been created: C:\Users\<USER>\autolab
INFORMATION: The devices configuration file devices_config.ini has been created: C:\Users\<USER>\autolab\devices_config.ini

A device configuration is composed of several parameters:

  • The name of the device, which is usually the nickname of your instrument in Autolab.
  • The name of the associated Autolab driver.
  • All the connection parameters (connection, address, port, slots, ...)

To see the list of the available devices configurations, call the function list_devices.

>>> autolab.list_devices()

To know what parameters have to be provided for a particular Device, use the function config_help with the name of corresponding driver.

>>> autolab.config_help('yenista_TUNICS')

Edit the configuration file

You can manually edit the devices configuration file devices_config.ini.

This file is structured in blocks, each of them containing the configuration of an instrument. Each block contains a header (the configuration name / nickname of the instrument in square brackets [ ]). The parameters and values are then listed below line by line, separated by an equal sign =.

[<NICKNAME_OF_YOUR_DEVICE>]
driver = <DRIVER_NAME>
connection = <CONNECTION_TYPE>
address = <ADDRESS>
slot1 = <MODULE_NAME>
slot1_name = <MY_MODULE_NAME>

To see a concrete example of the block you have to append in the configuration file for a given driver, call the function config_help with the name of the driver. You can then directly copy and paste this exemple into the configuration file, and customize the value of the parameters to suit those of your instrument. Here is an example for the Yenista Tunics light source:

[my_tunics]
driver = yenista_TUNICS
connection = VISA
address = GPIB0::2::INSTR

Save the configuration file, and go back to Autolab. You don't need to restart Autolab, the configuration file will be read automatically at the next request.

>>> laserSource = autolab.get_device('my_tunics')