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![banner_opti](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/44e483be-3f0d-4eb0-bd98-613157456b81)
# BEC Widgets
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A modular PySide6(Qt6) toolkit for [BEC (Beamline Experiment Control)](https://github.com/bec-project/bec). Create
high-performance, dockable GUIs to move devices, run scans, and stream live or disk data—powered by Redis and a modular
plugin system.
## Highlights
- **No-code first** — For ~90% of day-to-day workflows, you can compose, operate, and save workspaces **without writing
a single line of code**. Just launch, drag widgets, and do your experiment.
- **Flexible layout composition** — Build complex experiment GUIs in seconds with the `BECDockArea`: drag‑dock, tab,
split, and export profiles/workspaces for reuse.
- **CLI / scripting** — Control your beamline experiment from the command line a robust RPC layer using
`BECIPythonClient`.
- **Designer integration** — Use Qt Designer plugins to drop BEC widgets next to any Qt control, then launch the `.ui`
with the custom BEC loader for a zero‑glue workflow.
- **Operational integration** — Widgets stay in sync with your running BEC/Redis as the single source of truth:
Subscribe to events from BEC and create dynamically updating UIs. BECWidgets also grants you easy access the
acquisition history.
- **Extensible by design** — Build new widgets with minimal boilerplate using `BECWidget` and `BECDispatcher` for BEC data and
messaging. Use the generator command to scaffold RPC interfaces and Designer plugin stubs; beamline plugins can extend
or override behavior as needed.
## Table of Contents
- [Installation](#installation)
- [Features](#features)
- [1. Dock area interface: build GUIs in seconds](#1-dock-area-interface-build-guis-in-seconds)
- [2. Qt Designer plugins + BEC Launcher (no glue)](#2-qt-designer-plugins--bec-launcher-no-glue)
- [3. Robust RPC from CLI & remote scripting](#3-robust-rpc-from-cli--remote-scripting)
- [4. Rapid development (extensible by design)](#4-rapid-development-extensible-by-design)
- [Widget Library](#widget-library)
- [Documentation](#documentation)
- [License](#license)
## Installation
Use any of the following setups:
### Stable release
Use the package manager [pip](https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/) to install BEC Widgets:
```bash
pip install bec_widgets
```
### From source (recommended for development)
For development purposes, you can clone the repository and install the package locally in editable mode:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/bec-project/bec_widgets.git
cd bec_widgets
pip install -e .[dev]
```
## Features
### 1. Dock area interface: build GUIs in seconds
The fastest way to explore BEC Widgets. Launch the BEC IPython client with simply `bec` in terminal and the **BECDockArea** opens as the default UI:
drag widgets, dock/tab/split panes, and explore. Everything is live—widgets auto-connect to BEC/Redis, so you can
operate immediately and refine later with RPC or Designer if needed.
![dock_area_example](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/219a2806-19a8-4a07-9734-b7b554850833)
### 2. Qt Designer plugins + BEC Launcher (no glue)
All BEC Widgets ship as **Qt Designer plugins** with our custom Qt Designer launchable by `bec-designer`. Design your UI
visually in Designer, save a `.ui`, then launch it with
the **BEC Launcher**—no glue code. Widgets auto‑connect to BEC/Redis on startup, so your UI is operational immediately.
![designer_opti](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fed4843c-1cce-438a-b41f-6636fa5e1545)
### 3. Robust RPC from CLI & remote scripting
Operate and automate BEC Widgets directly from the `BECIPythonClient`. Create or attach to GUIs, address any sub-widget
via a simple hierarchical API with tab-completion, and script event-driven behavior that reacts to BEC (scan lifecycle,
active devices, topics)—so your UI can be heavily automated.
- Create & control GUIs: launch, load profiles, open/close panels, tweak properties—all from the shell.
- Hierarchical addressing: navigate widgets and sub-widgets with discoverable paths and tab-completion.
- Event scripting: subscribe to BEC events (e.g., scan start/finish, device readiness, topic updates) and trigger
actions,switch profiles, open diagnostic views, or start specific scans.
- Remote & headless: run automation on analysis nodes or from notebooks without a local GUI process.
- Plays with no-code: Use the Dock Area / BEC Designer to set up the layout and add automation with RPC when needed.
![rpc_opti](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/666be7fb-9a0d-44c2-8d44-2f9d1dae4497)
### 4. Rapid development (extensible by design)
Build new widgets fast: Inherit from `BECWidget`, list your RPC methods in `USER_ACCESS`, and use `bec_dispatcher` to
bind endpoints. Then run `bw-generate-cli --target <your-plugin-repo>`. This generates the RPC CLI bindings and a Qt
Designer plugin that are immediately usable with your BEC setup. Widgets
come online with live BEC/Redis wiring out of the box. 
<details>
<summary> View code: Example Widget </summary>
```python
from typing import Literal
from qtpy.QtWidgets import QWidget, QLabel, QPushButton, QHBoxLayout, QVBoxLayout, QApplication
from qtpy.QtCore import Slot
from bec_lib.endpoints import MessageEndpoints
from bec_widgets import BECWidget, SafeSlot
class SimpleMotorWidget(BECWidget, QWidget):
USER_ACCESS = ["move"]
def __init__(self, parent=None, motor_name="samx", step=5.0, **kwargs):
super().__init__(parent=parent, **kwargs)
self.motor_name = motor_name
self.step = float(step)
self.get_bec_shortcuts()
self.value_label = QLabel(f"{self.motor_name}: —")
self.btn_left = QPushButton("◀︎ -5")
self.btn_right = QPushButton("+5 ▶︎")
row = QHBoxLayout()
row.addWidget(self.btn_left)
row.addWidget(self.btn_right)
col = QVBoxLayout(self)
col.addWidget(self.value_label)
col.addLayout(row)
self.btn_left.clicked.connect(lambda: self.move("left", self.step))
self.btn_right.clicked.connect(lambda: self.move("right", self.step))
self.bec_dispatcher.connect_slot(self.on_readback, MessageEndpoints.device_readback(self.motor_name))
@SafeSlot(dict, dict)
def on_readback(self, data: dict, meta: dict):
current_value = data.get("signals").get(self.motor_name).get('value')
self.value_label.setText(f"{self.motor_name}: {current_value:.3f}")
@Slot(str, float)
def move(self, direction: Literal["left", "right"] = "left", step: float = 5.0):
if direction == "left":
self.dev[self.motor_name].move(-step, relative=True)
else:
self.dev[self.motor_name].move(step, relative=True)
if __name__ == "__main__":
import sys
app = QApplication(sys.argv)
w = SimpleMotorWidget(motor_name="samx", step=5.0)
w.setWindowTitle("MotorJogWidget")
w.resize(280, 90)
w.show()
sys.exit(app.exec_())
```
</details>
## Widget Library
A large and growing catalog—plug, configure, run:
### Plotting
Waveform, MultiWaveform, and Image/Heatmap widgets deliver responsive plots with crosshairs and ROIs for live and
history data.
<img width="1108" height="838" alt="plotting_hr" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f50462a5-178d-44d4-aee5-d378c74b107b" />
### Scan orchestration and motion control.
Start and stop scans, track progress, reuse parameter presets, and browse history from a focused control surface.
Positioner boxes and tweak controls handle precise moves, homing, and calibration for day‑to‑day alignment.
<img width="1496" height="1388" alt="control" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d4fb2e2e-04f9-4621-8087-790680797620" />
## Documentation
The documentation can be found [here](https://bec.readthedocs.io/).
## License
[BSD-3-Clause](https://choosealicense.com/licenses/bsd-3-clause/)