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gSTED-sFCS

Python-based control GUI and analysis software for our optical measurement system.

How this project works:

GUI

  1. .ui files are created graphically using Qt Designer, and are dynamically compiled into Python from within the gui.py module.

  2. Signals/slots (similar to callbacks) are coded as methods for the classes that are named after the windows (MainWindow, SettingsWindow, etc.).

  3. Finally, when running the project (main.py), a MainWindow() object is instantiated and the window is shown on screen.

Implemetation

  1. The./logic package contains everything other than the most basic GUI - any button press triggers a slot in gui.py which in turn calls a function from the slot_implementations.py module, which in turn calls upon any of the other modules. In this way the GUI is completely seperated from the implementation and the physical devices.

Physical Device Control

  1. The devices.py module contains a high-level API for communicating with the instruments, subclassed from the more general drivers.py, where existing packages (pyVISA, nidaqmx, instrumental etc.) are imported.

What's here/Noteworthy files:

  • ./sfcs_sted.epj - 'Eric IDE' project file, which nicely ties everything together.

  • ./gui/gui.py - GUI module, containing strictly user interaction signals and slots, the slots implemented in logic.py.

  • ./logic/slot_implementations.py - general implementations, slowly taking shape when things are moved to seperate modules. Currently contains mostly implementations of the main application stuff (App() class) and the GUI windows (i.e. MainWin() class).

  • ./logic/devices.py - module implementing front-end device interaction with logic.py and back-end driver communication with physical instruments through subclassing driver implementations in drivers.py

  • ./logic/helper.py - general helper functions used throughout the project.

  • ./settings/default_settings.csv - default setting file, initial values for all editable GUI widgets.

  • .pre-commit-config.yaml, .flake8, pyproject.toml - these are configuration files for git pre-commit hooks (stuff performed right before commiting). They enforce better code quality (and let us focus on the content).

Notable Dependencies:

  • Python 3.10.10

  • Eric IDE (optional, but was invalueable during development) - very useful for Python GUI projects.

  • PyQt5 - Qt-Python API, used for the GUI (installed with Eric IDE).

  • qasync - to make PyQt5 work with Python's asyncio library.

  • NumPy.

  • matplotlib - used for plotting.

  • pyVISA - communication with VISA-supported devices.

  • nidaqmx - communication with NI-DAQmx supported devices.

  • DCx Camera interfaces, Instrumental-lib, nicelib, - communication with DC480 cameras.

  • ftd2xx - communication with UM232, which is a usb port to the FPGA (TDC data).

Installing Eric IDE on Windows:

Eric IDE is notoriously complicated to install properly. I've tried to make it easier with the following steps (assuming Python is installed and added to PATH):

  1. Download Eric IDE distribution and extract to temporary folder.

  2. In Command Prompt:

    • Go to a directory where you want to install Eric (along with a virtual environment), e.g. cd c:\Python

    • Create a virtual environment, e.g. python -m venv eric_env

    • Activate virtual environment, e.g. eric_env\Scripts\activate.bat (or & .\activate in powershell). (eric_env) should appear on left of text.

    • Install eric via pip e.g. pip install eric-ide.

    • Run install.py from the distribution (still in the virtual environment) e.g. python C:\temporary folder\eric6-20.10\install.py.

    • To have access to Qt Designer from within Eric IDE, go to 'settings' --> 'Qt' --> 'Qt Tools' and set 'Tools Directory' to \eric_env\Lib\site-packages\qt5_applications\Qt\bin.

  3. That's it, icons should appear on desktop.

Compiling the Software Correlator Dynamic Library

Windows:

  1. Install MinGW

  2. add /bin to Path

  3. in cmd or PowerShell, cd to /SoftCorrelatorDynamicLib

  4. Compile: g++ -o SoftCorrelatorDynamicLib_win32.so -shared -fPIC -O2 SoftCorrelatorDynamicLib.cpp Correlator.cpp CountCorrelator.cpp CPhDelayCrossCorrelator.cpp CPhDelayLifeTimeCrossCorrelator.cpp