diff --git a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html index 56ec64251..8592c07f0 100644 --- a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html +++ b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html @@ -12,29 +12,39 @@
The (probably unwritten) rules for ai device support have always required +that any device support which sets the VAL field and returns "2" should also +perform any other operations normally performed by the ai's convert() routine. +In practice very few devices did this, but there are some which makes it +impossible to move that smoothing function into the body of the record. This +change adds the support for SMOO filtering to the soft channel device support +for the ai record. The filter is short-circuited when a link recovers from a +failure.
+Two new link flags have been introduced: MSI (maximize severity INVALID) -and MSS (maximize severity and status).
+Two new link flags have been introduced: MSI (Maximize Severity INVALID) +and MSS (Maximize Severity and Status).
-Through a link flagged as MSI the receiver side inherits the severity -(similar to the MS flag), but only if it is INVALID.
+When a link is flagged MSI the receiving record inherits the target's +severity as with the MS flag, but only if it is INVALID.
-Through a link flagged as MSS the receiver side inherits as well the -severity (similar to the MS flag) as the alarm status, thereby preserving -the alarm status through MS chains instead of setting the status to LINK -unconditionally.
+When a link is flagged MSS the receiving record inherits the target's alarm +status as well as its severity, thereby preserving the alarm status through MSS +chains instead of setting that status to LINK.
-The behavior of get_alarm_double() in several record types, which -have a value of type double and use alarm limits, has been changed.
+The get_alarm_double() routine in several record types has been changed to +make it easier for CA client applications to display the correct warning and +alarm limits for a record.
-The old behaviour (always returning the current settings of the alarm -limits fields) has been changed to returning epicsNAN (not-a-number) -if the severity of the corresponding limit is NO_ALARM. -This allows CA clients to suppress displaying of unused limits -(e.g. at bargraphs).
+Originally these routines would always return the current values from the +associated alarm limit fields, but now they will return epicsNAN (not-a-number) +instead if the severity field of the corresponding limit is NO_ALARM. This +allows CA clients to suppress the display of unused limits.
The CA commandline tool camonitor and the CA Perl interface support -the new event type. -As a first working example, the mbbi and mbbo records have been extended -to send a DBE_PROPERTY event when their status strings are updated. -A more general mechanism to specify sending DBE_PROPERTY events through -the DBD file will appear in 3.15.
+The CA commandline tool camonitor and the CA Perl interface support the new +event type. As a first working example, the mbbi and mbbo records have been +extended to send a DBE_PROPERTY event when their status strings are modified. +A more general mechanism to specify sending DBE_PROPERTY events through the DBD +file will appear in 3.15.
-Application developers are encouraged to start using DBE_PROPERTY -subscriptions.
+Client application developers are encouraged to start using DBE_PROPERTY +subscriptions to fetch channel attribute data.