NICOS 3.9 has been released

NICOS 3.9 is now available for download.

Changes in this release series:

  • Core

    • nicos.conf files are now in TOML format. The toml library is a new dependency.

    • Added general NeXuS support (taken from SINQ implementation).

    • The lowlevel device parameter has been replaced by a new parameter visibility, which can specify the visibility for different categories, e.g. the user namespace or the measurement metadata.

    • A new mixin HasAutoDevices can be used to consistently handle auto-subdevices and their properties.

  • Commands

    • Added stddev statistics function for the environment to record the standard deviation of a device’s value during acquisition.

    • Added the ListUsers command.

    • Added the ListDatasinks command.

  • Devices

    • Added a generic “calculated readable” device that combines the values of two other devices.

    • The Epics integration now supports different protocols via the caproto and p4p libraries.

    • The Tango devices depending on the MLZ interface specification have been moved to nicos.devices.entangle.

    • The McStas support for virtual devices has been extended to cover single detectors/counters and now includes a separate device to configure parameters related to McStas.

  • GUI

    • NICOS Scan files can now be re-read and displayed in the scan window.

    • The key expressions for history plots (and monitor widgets) can now be any Python expression involving key names, e.g. (cryo + 5) * 3 or sin(motor)**2.

    • The dry results can’t be collapsed anymore but closed.

    • Display 3D data by summing in z direction as 2D pictures in live data panel.

    • Added interface to initialize control elements in live data panel.

    • Live plot images can now be easily added to the elog.

    • Expert mode can now be pre-set in a connection profile.

    • The live data window can now use colormaps from the colorcet library, as well as custom ones defined by the user.

  • Other

    • A new IPython client interface has been added. See doc/iPython.rst for usage and details.
  • Docs

    • Updated and expanded the “set up a new instrument” howto guide.