Speaker
Description
BEC Widgets is a highly modular Qt-based GUI framework developed together with Beamline Experiment Control (BEC) at the Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute. The main goal of the platform is to simplify the interaction between scientists and their experimental setup, so they can focus on the science with as little friction as possible.
At the core of the system is the modular BECDockArea, where users can construct and use widgets from a large library covering high-performance data visualization, experiment control, automation and scripting-driven workflows. Widgets can be combined on the fly, even during a running experiment, to create GUIs adapted to the current experimental needs. The same widgets can also be controlled from the BEC command-line scripting interface, allowing users to combine scripted experiment logic with dynamic GUI elements in a running session. The new BEC Widgets property system also allows users to freeze a GUI setup into reusable profiles, which can later be restored for specific use cases.
Recent development focuses on turning this widget framework into a full desktop experience through the BEC Application. Users can still build experimental workspaces with the docking system, but they also get additional application views developed for more advanced workflows. Beamline scientists can integrate new EPICS devices through autogenerated GUI forms for most EPICS based devices, manage experimental accounts, configure message notifications such as automatic Signal or Microsoft Teams messages, and use an integrated development environment for writing macros and scripting BEC and GUI behavior. The editor is aware of the currently running BEC session, including loaded devices and available scans, and can provide context-aware autocompletion.
