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ICoverCalibratorV2 Interface

class CoverCalibrator

Interface: ASCOM.DeviceInterface.ICoverCalibratorV2

ASCOM Standard ICoverCalibratorV2 Interface

Methods

CoverCalibrator.Action(ActionName: str, ActionParameters)

Invoke the specified device-specific custom action

Parameters:

  • ActionName (str) – A name from SupportedActions that represents the action to be carried out.

  • ActionParameters (str) – List of required arguments or empty string if none are required.

Returns:

Action response. The meaning of returned strings is set by the driver author. See notes below.

Return type:

string

Raises:

Important

Note

  • Action names must be case insensitive, so for example SelectWheel, selectwheel and SELECTWHEEL all refer to the same action.

  • An example of a string response: Suppose filter wheels start to appear with automatic wheel changers; new actions could be QueryWheels and SelectWheel. The former returning a formatted list of wheel names and the second taking a wheel name and making the change, returning appropriate values to indicate success or failure.

async CoverCalibrator.CalibratorOff()

Turns the calibrator off if the device has calibration capability.

Non-blocking: Test CalibratorChanging to detect completion of the changes. See Notes.

Raises:

Important

This is a mandatory method for a calibrator device.

Note

async CoverCalibrator.CalibratorOn(BrightnessVal: int)

Turns the calibrator on or changes its brightness, if the device has calibration capability.

Non-Blocking test CalibratorChanging to detect completion of the changes. See Notes.

Parameters:
BrightnessVal:

The calibrator illumination brightness to be set

Raises:

Important

This is a mandatory method for a calibrator device.

Note

  • Asynchronous (non-blocking): If the calibrator requires time to safely stabilise after use, CalibratorState must return NotReady and set CalibratorChanging to True, then when brightness change is complete CalibratorState must change to Ready and CalibratorChanging must change to False.

  • When the calibrator is ready for use, CalibratorState must return Ready.

  • For devices with both cover and calibrator capabilities, this method may change the CoverState if necessary.

  • If an error condition arises while turning on the calibrator, CalibratorState must be set to Error rather than Unknown.

async CoverCalibrator.CloseCover()

Initiates cover closing if a cover is present.

Non-blocking Use CoverMoving to detect completion. See Notes

Raises:

Note

  • Asynchronous (non-blocking) Upon return from CloseCover(), while the cover is closing, CoverMoving must return True, and CoverState must return Moving. See CoverStatus enum.

  • When the cover is closed, CoverMoving must return False, and CoverState must return Closed, indicating successful completion.

  • If an error condition arises while moving between states, CoverState must be set to Error rather than Unknown.

CoverCalibrator.CommandBlind(Command: str, Raw: bool)

Deprecated since version 2: Use the more flexible Action() and SupportedActions mechanic. See Notes below.

Transmit an arbitrary string to the device and does not wait for a response.

Parameters:

  • Command (str) – The literal command string to be transmitted.

  • Raw (bool) – If True, command is transmitted ‘as-is’. If False, then protocol framing characters may be added prior to transmission.

Returns:

Nothing

Raises:

  • MethodNotImplementedException – If the method is not implemented

  • NotConnectedException – If the device is not connected

  • DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Note

The CommandXXX methods are a historic mechanic that provides clients with direct and unimpeded access to change device hardware configuration. While highly enabling for clients, this mechanic is inherently risky because clients can fundamentally change hardware operation without the driver being aware that a change is taking / has taken place.

The newer Action and SupportedActions mechanic provides discrete, named, functions that can deliver any functionality required.They do need driver authors to make provision for them within the driver, but this approach is much lower risk than using the CommandXXX methods because it enables the driver to resolve conflicts between standard device interface commands and extended commandsprovided as Actions.The driver is always aware of what is happening and can adapt more effectively to client needs.

CoverCalibrator.CommandBool(Command: str, Raw: bool)

Deprecated since version 2: Use the more flexible Action() and SupportedActions mechanic. See Notes below.

Transmit an arbitrary string to the device and wait for a boolean response.

Parameters:

  • Command (str) – The literal command string to be transmitted.

  • Raw (bool) – If True, command is transmitted ‘as-is’. If False, then protocol framing characters may be added prior to transmission.

Returns:

True/False response from the command

Return type:

boolean

Raises:

  • MethodNotImplementedException – If the method is not implemented

  • NotConnectedException – If the device is not connected

  • DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Attention

Deprecated, may result in MethodNotImplementedException

Note

The CommandXXX methods are a historic mechanic that provides clients with direct and unimpeded access to change device hardware configuration. While highly enabling for clients, this mechanic is inherently risky because clients can fundamentally change hardware operation without the driver being aware that a change is taking / has taken place.

The newer Action and SupportedActions mechanic provides discrete, named, functions that can deliver any functionality required.They do need driver authors to make provision for them within the driver, but this approach is much lower risk than using the CommandXXX methods because it enables the driver to resolve conflicts between standard device interface commands and extended commandsprovided as Actions.The driver is always aware of what is happening and can adapt more effectively to client needs.

CoverCalibrator.CommandString(Command: str, Raw: bool)

Deprecated since version 2: Use the more flexible Action() and SupportedActions mechanic. See Notes below.

Transmit an arbitrary string to the device and wait for a string response.

Parameters:

  • Command (str) – The literal command string to be transmitted.

  • Raw (bool) – If True, command is transmitted ‘as-is’. If False, then protocol framing characters may be added prior to transmission.

Returns:

String response from the command

Return type:

string

Raises:

  • MethodNotImplementedException – If the method is not implemented

  • NotConnectedException – If the device is not connected

  • DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Attention

Deprecated, may result in MethodNotImplementedException

Note

The CommandXXX methods are a historic mechanic that provides clients with direct and unimpeded access to change device hardware configuration. While highly enabling for clients, this mechanic is inherently risky because clients can fundamentally change hardware operation without the driver being aware that a change is taking / has taken place.

The newer Action and SupportedActions mechanic provides discrete, named, functions that can deliver any functionality required.They do need driver authors to make provision for them within the driver, but this approach is much lower risk than using the CommandXXX methods because it enables the driver to resolve conflicts between standard device interface commands and extended commandsprovided as Actions.The driver is always aware of what is happening and can adapt more effectively to client needs.

async CoverCalibrator.Connect()

Added in version 2: Preferred asynchronous connection mechanic. See Important section below.

Connect to the device asynchronously. Use this to connect to a device rather than setting Connected to True.

Returns:

Nothing

Raises:

DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Important

  • Non-Blocking. On return, Connecting must be True unless already disconnected. Disconnect has successfully completed when Connecting becomes (or is) False.

  • This is a mandatory method and must not throw a MethodNotConnectedException.

  • Use this to connect to a device rather than setting Connected to True.

async CoverCalibrator.Disconnect()

Added in version 2: Preferred asynchronous connection mechanic. See Important section below.

Disconnect from the device asynchronously. Use this to disconnect from a device rather than setting Connected to False.

Returns:

Nothing

Raises:

DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Important

  • Non-Blocking. On return, Connecting must be True unless already connected. Connection has successfully completed when Connecting becomes (or is) False.

  • This is a mandatory method and must not throw a MethodNotImplementedException.

  • Use this to disconnect from a device rather than setting Connected to False.

CoverCalibrator.HaltCover()

Stops any cover movement that may be in progress if a cover is present and cover movement can be interrupted.

Raises:

  • MethodNotImplementedException – When CoverState returns NotPresent, or if cover movement cannot be interrupted. See CoverStatus

  • NotConnectedException – If the device is not connected

  • DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes hardware or communication errors.

Attention

This must be a short-lived method.

Note

async CoverCalibrator.OpenCover()

Initiates cover opening if a cover is present.

Non-blocking Use CoverMoving to detect completion. See Notes

Raises:

  • MethodNotImplementedException – When CoverState returns NotPresent. See CoverStatus

  • NotConnectedException – If the device is not connected

  • DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes hardware or communication errors.

Note

  • Asynchronous (non-blocking) Upon return from OpenCover(), while the cover is opening, CoverMoving must return True, and CoverState must return Moving. See CoverStatus enum.

  • When the cover is open, CoverMoving must return False, and CoverState must return Open, indicating successful completion.

  • If an error condition arises while moving between states, CoverState must be set to Error rather than Unknown.

CoverCalibrator.SetupDialog()

Launches a configuration dialogue box for the driver. The call will not return until the user clicks OK or cancels manually.

Please note that this method is only valid for COM drivers. Alpaca devices should provide configuration through the Alpaca HTML endpoints and should not implement a SetupDialog endpoint.

Returns:

Nothing

Raises:

DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Attention

Must be implemented, must not throw a MethodNotImplementedException

Note

  • Blocking It is permissible that the configuration dialog is modal, and for the driver not to respond to other calls while this dialog is open.

Properties

property CoverCalibrator.Brightness: integer

Added in version 2: Member added.

The current calibrator brightness in the range 0 (completely off) to MaxBrightness (fully on)

Raises:

Important

This is a mandatory property that must always return a value for a calibrator device

Note

property CoverCalibrator.CalibratorChanging: boolean

True whenever the Calibrator is not ready to be used (illumination not yet stabilized), or not completely shut down.

Raises:

  • NotConnectedException – If the device is not connected

  • DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes hardware or communication errors.

Important

This is a mandatory property that must always return a value for a calibrator device

Note

property CoverCalibrator.CalibratorState: enum CalibratorStatus
Returns:

The state of the calibration device, if present, otherwise returns NotPresent

Return type:

CalibratorStatus

Raises:

  • NotConnectedException – If the device is not connected

  • DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes hardware or communication errors.

Important

This is a mandatory property that must always return a value for a calibrator device.

Note

  • Whenever the calibrator is changing, both CalibratorChanging must be True, and CalibratorState must be Changing.

  • If no calibrator is present, the state must be NotPresent. Must not throw a PropertyNotImplementedException.

  • The Brightness value must be 0 when CalibratorState is Off.

  • The Unknown CoverState must only be returned if the device is unaware of the calibrator’s state, e.g., if the hardware does not report the device’s state and the calibrator has just been powered on. Clients do not need to take special action if this state is returned, as they must carry on as usual, calling CalibratorOn() and CalibratorOf() methods as required.

  • If the calibrator hardware cannot report its state, the device might mimic this by recording the last configured state and returning that. Driver authors or device manufacturers may also wish to offer users the capability of powering up in a known state and driving the hardware to this state when Connected is set True.

  • This property is intended to be available under all but the most disastrous driver conditions. If something has gone wrong, the CalibratorState must be Error rather than throwing an exception.

property CoverCalibrator.Connected: boolean

Changed in version 2: Writing to change connection state superseded by asynchronous Connect(), Disconnect(), and Connecting.

(Read/Write) Retrieve or set the connected state of the device. Writing is deprecated, use the newer Connect() and Disconnect() methods, and the newer Connecting property. See remarks below.

Set True to connect to the device hardware. Set False to disconnect from the device hardware. You can also read the property to check whether it is connected. This reports the current hardware state. See Notes below.

Returns:

True if connected to the hardware, else false.

Raises:

DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Deprecation Notice

Property-write is deprecated as of CoverCalibrator V2. Starting with Platform 7 and the interface revisions contained therein, writing to Connected is discouraged. To connect and disconnect, use the newer non-blocking Connect() and Disconnect() methods, with the new Connecting property serving as the completion property.

Attention

Must be implemented

Note

  • Do not use a NotConnectedException here, that exception is for use in other methods that require a connection in order to succeed.

  • The Connected property sets and reports the state of connection to the device hardware. For a hub this means that Connected will be True when the first driver connects and will only be set to False when all drivers have disconnected. A second driver may find that Connected is already True and setting Connected to False does not report Connected as False. This is not an error because the physical state is that the hardware connection is still True.

  • Multiple calls setting Connected to True or False will not cause an error.

property CoverCalibrator.Connecting: Boolean

Added in version 2: Preferred asynchronous connection mechanic. See Notes below.

Returns:

Returns True while the device is undertaking an asynchronous connect or disconnect operation.

Raises:

DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Attention

Must be implemented, must not throw a PropertyNotImplementedException

Note

  • This is the correct property for determing when the non-blocking methods Connect() or Disconnect() have completed. Completion is when Connecting becomes False after calling either of these methods.

  • New in ICoverCalibratorV2

property CoverCalibrator.CoverMoving: boolean

Added in version 2: Preferred asynchronous connection mechanic. See Notes below.

Returns:

True while the cover is moving. Used to determine completion of a non-blocking OpenCover() or CloseCover() operation

Return type:

boolean

Raises:

  • NotConnectedException – If the device is not connected

  • DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes hardware or communication errors.

Attention

Must be implemented, must not throw a PropertyNotImplementedException

Note

This is the correct property to use when determining completion of a non-blocking OpenCover() or CloseCover() operation

property CoverCalibrator.CoverState: enum CoverStatus
Returns:

The state of the device cover.

Return type:

CoverStatus

Raises:

  • NotConnectedException – If the device is not connected

  • DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes hardware or communication errors.

Important

This is a mandatory property that must always return a value for a calibrator device.

Note

  • Whenever the cover is opening of closing, both CoverMoving must be True, and CoverState must be Moving.

  • If no cover is present, the CoverState must be NotPresent. You must not throw a PropertyNotImplementedException.

  • CoverState = Unknown must only be returned if the device is unaware of the cover’s state e.g. if the hardware does not report the open/closed state and the cover has just been powered on. Clients do not need to take special action if this state is returned, as they must carry on as usual, calling OpenCover() and CloseCover() methods as required.

  • If the calibrator hardware cannot report its state, the device might mimic this by recording the last configured state and returning that. Driver authors or device manufacturers may also wish to offer users the capability of powering up in a known state and driving the hardware to this state when Connected is set True.

  • This property is intended to be available under all but the most disastrous driver conditions. If something has gone wrong, the CoverState must be Error rather than throwing an exception.

property CoverCalibrator.Description: String
Returns:

Description of the device such as manufacturer and model number. Any ASCII characters may be used.

Return type:

string

Raises:

  • NotConnectedException – If the device is not connected

  • DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Attention

Must be implemented, must not throw a PropertyNotImplementedException

Note

  • This describes the device, not the driver. See the DriverInfo property for information on the ASCOM driver.

  • The description length must be a maximum of 64 characters so that it can be used in FITS image headers, which are limited to 80 characters including the header name.

property CoverCalibrator.DeviceState: List[StateValue]

Added in version 2: To allow reduction of status polling

Returns:

List of StateValue objects representing the operational properties of this device. See What is the “read all” feature and what are its rules?.

Return type:

List

This device must return the following operational properties if they are known:

Note

property CoverCalibrator.DriverInfo: String
Returns:

Descriptive and version information about the ASCOM driver

Return type:

string

Raises:

DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Attention

Must be implemented, must not throw a PropertyNotImplementedException

Note

This string may contain line endings and may be hundreds to thousands of characters long.It is intended to display detailed information on the ASCOM driver, including version and copyright data. See the Description property for information on the device itself.To get the driver version in a parse-able string, use the DriverVersion property.

property CoverCalibrator.DriverVersion: String
Returns:

String containing only the major and minor version of the driver.

Return type:

string

Raises:

DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Attention

Must be implemented, must not throw a PropertyNotImplementedException

Note

  • This must be in the form “n.n”. It should not to be confused with the InterfaceVersion property, which is the version of this specification supported by the driver.

  • On systems with a comma as the decimal point you may need to make accommodations to parse the value.

property CoverCalibrator.InterfaceVersion: Integer
Returns:

ASCOM Device interface definition version that this device supports. Should return 2 for this interface version.

Return type:

integer

Raises:

DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Attention

Must be implemented, must not throw a PropertyNotImplementedException

Note

  • This is a single “short” integer indicating the version of this specific ASCOM universal interface definition. For example, for ICameraV4, this will be 4. It should not to be confused with the DriverVersion property, which is the major.minor version of the driver for this device.

property CoverCalibrator.MaxBrightness: Integer
Returns:

The Brightness value that makes the calibrator deliver its maximum illumination.

Return type:

integer

Raises:

  • MethodNotImplementedException – When CalibratorState returns NotPresent.

  • NotConnectedException – If the device is not connected

  • DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes hardware or communication errors.

Important

This is a mandatory property for a calibrator device that must always return a value within the integer range 1 to 2,147,483,647 (32-bit integer)

Note

The value will always be a positive integer, indicating the available maximum value. Examples:

  • A value of 1 indicates that the calibrator can only be “off” or “on”

  • A value of 10 indicates that the calibrator has 10 discrete illumination levels in addition to “off”.

property CoverCalibrator.Name: String
Returns:

The short name of the driver, for display purposes.

Return type:

string

Raises:

DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Attention

Must be implemented, must not throw a PropertyNotImplementedException

Note

The Description property is used to return info about the device rather than the driver.

property CoverCalibrator.SupportedActions: COM: ArrayList of String elements, Alpaca: Array of String

Returns the list of custom action names supported by this driver, to be used with Action(),

Returns:

The list of custom action names supported by this driver

Return type:

COM: ArrayList of String elements, Alpaca: Array of String

Raises:

DriverException – An error occurred that is not described by one of the more specific ASCOM exceptions. Include sufficient detail in the message text to enable the issue to be accurately diagnosed by someone other than yourself. Includes communication errors.

Attention

Must be implemented, must not throw a PropertyNotImplementedException

Note

  • This method, combined with Action(), is the supported mechanic for adding non-standard functionality.

  • SupportedActions is a “discovery” mechanism that enables clients to know which Actions a device supports without having to exercise the Actions themselves. This mechanism is necessary because there could be people / equipment safety issues if actions are called unexpectedly or out of a defined process sequence. It follows from this that SupportedActions must return names that match the spelling of custom action names exactly, without additional descriptive text. However, returned names may use any casing because the ActionName parameter of Action() is case insensitive.

Enumerated Constants

CalibratorStatus: integer

Describes the state of a calibration device.

Symbol

Val

Description

NotPresent

0

This device does not have a calibration capability

Off

1

The calibrator is off

NotReady

2

The calibrator is stabilising or is not yet in the commanded state

Ready

3

The calibrator is ready for use

Unknown

4

The calibrator state is unknown

Error

5

The calibrator encountered an error when changing state
CoverStatus: integer

Describes the state of a telescope cover

Symbol

Val

Description

NotPresent

0

This device does not have a cover that can be closed independently

Closed

1

The cover is closed

Moving

2

The cover is moving to a new position

Open

3

The cover is open

Unknown

4

The state of the cover is unknown

Error

5

The device encountered an error when changing state