The original Trigger-API functionality is used to create a puls to signal start and/or stop of a measurement/trial. The slope and the duration of the signal can be configured in the options menu.

Furthermore there are additional methods to control external systems in a more complex process, e.g. waiting that an external system is ready (nextCycle()).

Multiple implementations of the following SPI are possible and can be used to adjust to external systems:

package de.orat.dataaquisition.measurementsystem.spi;
 
import de.orat.motionData.PropertyGroup;
import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
 
/**
 * @author Oliver Rettig
 */
public interface iTrigger {
 
    /**
     * Initialisation of the trigger implementation functionality.
     * 
     * This method is invoked, befor recording is started with the trial type the trigger
     * is configured and
     * - if the trigger functionality is activated in the trigger options panel
     * - maybe further explicitly by an init-button in the trigger options panel.
     * 
     * @param configuration
     * @return false, if the initialisation failed
     */
    public boolean init(PropertyGroup configuration);
 
    /**
     * Get the name of the trigger. 
     * 
     * This name is also used as a configuration property group name.
     * 
     * @return name of the trigger implementation
     */
    public String getName();
 
    public void dispose();
 
    /**
     * Set the signal, which is used to control start triggering.
     * 
     * Generally this method is used to create a signal with a defined duration
     * and slope. To do this this method is invoked twice in a short distance 
     * with the oppositite parameter value.<b>
     * 
     * But a specific implementation e.g. ROSTrigger can implement this method to
     * do something else, e.g. using the first invocation to invoke an RPC and ignoring
     * the second invocation.<b>
     * 
     * @param on true, to set the signals bit to 1, else 0.
     */
    public void startTriggerSignal(boolean on);
 
    /**
     * Set the signal, which is used to control stop triggering.
     * 
     * Can be used to define the end of a measurement process for variable length
     * recording. 
     * 
     * Currently only used by the QuancomIOTrigger implementation as WORKAROUND.
     * 
     * @param on 
     */
    public void stopTriggerSignal(boolean on);
 
    /**
     * Waiting until starting next cycle is possible.
     * 
     * @return properties of the next cycle or null if waiting is failed.
     * @throws ExcecutionExceptin if nextCycle fails fatal an the recording must be stopped.
     */
    public PropertyGroup nextCycle() throws ExecutionException;
 
    /**
     *
     * Used to close a robot program before loading a new one.
     *
     * @return 
     * 
     */
     public boolean close();
}

Implementing the nextCycle()-method allows to ask for an external system to be ready before starting the measurement of the next trial in multicycle recordings.

A trigger implementation is used only, if it is included in a trial type. To do this a property group with the name of the trigger must be included into the trial type configuration. This property group can include implementation specific properties to config the trigger.

...
<TrialType name="takeover" duration="2"
              labelset="Input.xml" measurementSystemConfigIds="default">
  <PropertyGroup name="ROSTrigger">
        <!-- ROS trigger specific properties-->
        <Property name="robot_cmd_node_name" value="robot_command_server"/>
        <Property name="robot_cmd_service_name" value="robotCommand"/>
        <Property name="nextcycle_cmd_node_name" value="robot_nextcycle"/>
        <Property name="nextcycle_cmd_service_name" value="nextCycle"/>
  </PropertyGroup>
  ...

It is possible to use more than one trigger for a trial type.

Generic configuration of the trigger functionality can be done via the options dialog in the misceleanous tab.