doc: environment

artiq/language/environment.py

@@ -285,6 +285,10 @@ class Experiment:
 
 
 class EnvExperiment(Experiment, HasEnvironment):
+    """Base class for experiments that use the ``HasEnvironment`` environment
+    manager.
+
+    Most experiment should derive from this class."""
     pass
 
 

doc/manual/environment.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+The environment
+===============
+
+Experiments interact with an environment that consists of devices, parameters, arguments and results. Access to the environment is handled by the class :class:`artiq.language.environment.EnvExperiment` that experiments should derive from.
+
+.. _ddb:
+
+The device database
+-------------------
+
+The device database contains information about the devices available in a ARTIQ installation, what drivers to use, what controllers to use and on what machine, and where the devices are connected.
+
+The master (or ``artiq_run``) instantiates the device drivers (and the RPC clients in the case of controllers) for the experiments based on the contents of the device database.
+
+The device database is stored in the memory of the master and is backed by a PYON file typically called ``ddb.pyon``.
+
+The device database is a Python dictionary whose keys are the device names, and values can have several types.
+
+Local devices
++++++++++++++
+
+Local device entries are dictionaries that contain a ``type`` field set to ``local``. They correspond to device drivers that are created locally on the master (as opposed to going through the controller mechanism). The fields ``module`` and ``class`` determine the location of the Python class that the driver consists of. The ``arguments`` field is another (possibly empty) dictionary that contains arguments to pass to the device driver constructor.
+
+Controllers
++++++++++++
+
+Controller entries are dictionaries whose ``type`` field is set to ``controller``. When an experiment requests such a device, a RPC client (see :class:`artiq.protocols.pc_rpc`) is created and connected to the appropriate controller. Controller entries are also used by controller managers to determine what controllers to run.
+
+The ``best_effort`` field is a boolean that determines whether to use :class:`artiq.protocols.pc_rpc.Client` or :class:`artiq.protocols.pc_rpc.BestEffortClient`. The ``host`` and ``port`` fields configure the TCP connection. The ``target`` field contains the name of the RPC target to use (you may use ``artiq_rpctool`` on a controller to list its targets). Controller managers run the ``command`` field in a shell to launch the controller, after replacing ``{port}`` and ``{bind}`` by respectively the TCP port the controller should listen to (matches the ``port`` field) and an appropriate bind address for the controller's listening socket.
+
+Aliases
++++++++
+
+If an entry is a string, that string is used as a key for another lookup in the device database.
+
+The parameter database
+----------------------
+
+The parameter database is a key-value store that is global to all experiments. It is stored in the memory of the master and is backed by a PYON file typically called ``pdb.pyon``. It may be used to communicate values across experiments; for example, a periodic calibration experiment may update a parameter read by payload experiments.
+
+Arguments
+---------
+
+Arguments are values that parameterize the behavior of an experiment and are set before the experiment is executed.
+
+Requesting the values of arguments can only be done in the build phase of an experiment. The value requests are also used to define the GUI widgets shown in the explorer when the experiment is selected.
+
+Results
+-------
+
+Results are the output of an experiment. They are archived after in the HDF5 format after the experiment is run. Experiments may define real-time results that are (additionally) distributed to all clients connected to the master; for example, the ARTIQ GUI may plot them while the experiment is in progress to give rapid feedback to the user. Real-time results are a global key-value store (similar to the parameter database); experiments should use distinctive real-time result names in order to avoid conflicts.

doc/manual/getting_started.rst

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ As a very first step, we will turn on a LED on the core device. Create a file ``
 
 The central part of our code is our ``LED`` class, that derives from :class:`artiq.language.environment.EnvExperiment`. Among other features, ``EnvExperiment`` calls our ``build`` method and provides the ``attr_device`` method that interfaces to the device database to create the appropriate device drivers and make those drivers accessible as ``self.core`` and ``self.led``. The ``@kernel`` decorator tells the system that the ``run`` method must be executed on the core device (instead of the host). The decorator uses ``self.core`` internally, which is why we request the core device using ``attr_device`` like any other.
 
-Copy the files ``ddb.pyon`` and ``pdb.pyon`` (containing the device and parameter databases) from the ``examples`` folder of ARTIQ into the same directory as ``led.py`` (alternatively, you can use the ``-d`` and ``-p`` options of ``artiq_run.py``). You can open the database files using a text editor - their contents are in a human-readable format. You will probably want to set the IP address of the core device in ``ddb.pyon`` so that the computer can connect to it (it is the ``host`` parameter of the ``comm`` entry).
+Copy the files ``ddb.pyon`` and ``pdb.pyon`` (containing the device and parameter databases) from the ``examples`` folder of ARTIQ into the same directory as ``led.py`` (alternatively, you can use the ``-d`` and ``-p`` options of ``artiq_run.py``). You can open the database files using a text editor - their contents are in a human-readable format. You will probably want to set the IP address of the core device in ``ddb.pyon`` so that the computer can connect to it (it is the ``host`` parameter of the ``comm`` entry). See :ref:`ddb` for more information.
 
 Run your code using ``artiq_run``, which is part of the ARTIQ front-end tools: ::
 

doc/manual/index.rst

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ Contents:
     installing
     getting_started
     management_system
+    environment
     core_device
     core_language_reference
     core_drivers_reference