Tables

Table Definition Files

Table definition files define the binary tables that can be displayed in COSMOS Table Manager . Table definitions are defined in the target's tables/config directory and are typically named after the table such as PPSSelectionTable_def.txt. The _def.txt extension helps to identify the file as a table definition. Table definitions can be combined using the TABLEFILE keyword. This allows you to build individual table components into a larger binary.

The Table definition files share a lot of similarity with the Command Configuration. You have the same data types: INT, UINT, FLOAT, STRING, BLOCK. These correspond to integers, unsigned integers, floating point numbers, strings and binary blocks of data.

Table Keywords

TABLEFILE

Specify another file to open and process for table definitions

Parameter	Description	Required
File Name	Name of the file. The file will be looked for in the directory of the current definition file.	True

TABLE

Start a new table definition

Parameter	Description	Required
Name	Name of the table in quotes. The name will appear on the GUI tab.	True
Endianness	Indicates if the data in this table is in Big Endian or Little Endian format Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN	True
Display	Indicates the table contains KEY_VALUE rows (e.g. each row is unique), or a ROW_COLUMN table with identical rows containing different values. Valid Values: KEY_VALUE, ROW_COLUMN	False

When Display is KEY_VALUE the remaining parameters are:

Parameter	Description	Required
Description	Description of the table in quotes. The description is used in mouseover popups and status line information.	False

When Display is ROW_COLUMN the remaining parameters are:

Parameter	Description	Required
Rows	The number of rows in the table	False
Description	Description of the table in quotes. The description is used in mouseover popups and status line information.	False

TABLE Modifiers

The following keywords must follow a TABLE keyword.

PARAMETER

Defines a parameter in the current table

Parameter	Description	Required
Name	Name of the parameter. Must be unique within the table.	True
Bit Offset	Bit offset into the table of the Most Significant Bit of this parameter. May be negative to indicate on offset from the end of the table. Always use a bit offset of 0 for derived parameters.	True
Bit Size	Bit size of this parameter. Zero or Negative values may be used to indicate that a string fills the packet up to the offset from the end of the packet specified by this value. If Bit Offset is 0 and Bit Size is 0 then this is a derived parameter and the Data Type must be set to 'DERIVED'.	True
Data Type	Data Type of this parameter Valid Values: INT, UINT, FLOAT, DERIVED, STRING, BLOCK	True

When Data Type is INT, UINT, FLOAT, DERIVED the remaining parameters are:

Parameter	Description	Required
Minimum Value	Minimum allowed value for this parameter	True
Maximum Value	Maximum allowed value for this parameter	True
Default Value	Default value for this parameter. You must provide a default but if you mark the parameter REQUIRED then scripts will be forced to specify a value.	True
Description	Description for this parameter which must be enclosed with quotes	False
Endianness	Indicates if the data in this command is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format. See guide on Little Endian Bitfields. Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN	False

When Data Type is STRING, BLOCK the remaining parameters are:

Parameter	Description	Required
Default Value	Default value for this parameter. You must provide a default but if you mark the parameter REQUIRED then scripts will be forced to specify a value.	True
Description	Description for this parameter which must be enclosed with quotes	False
Endianness	Indicates if the data in this command is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN	False

PARAMETER Modifiers

The following keywords must follow a PARAMETER keyword.

FORMAT_STRING

Adds printf style formatting

Parameter	Description	Required
Format	How to format using printf syntax. For example, '0x%0X' will display the value in hex.	True

Example Usage:

FORMAT_STRING "0x%0X"

UNITS

Add displayed units

Parameter	Description	Required
Full Name	Full name of the units type, e.g. Celsius	True
Abbreviated	Abbreviation for the units, e.g. C	True

Example Usage:

UNITS Celsius C
UNITS Kilometers KM

DESCRIPTION

Override the defined description

Parameter	Description	Required
Value	The new description	True

Parameter	Description	Required
Meta Name	Name of the metadata to store	True
Meta Values	One or more values to be stored for this Meta Name	False

OVERLAP

(Since 4.4.1)

This item is allowed to overlap other items in the packet

If an item's bit offset overlaps another item, OpenC3 issues a warning. This keyword explicitly allows an item to overlap another and suppresses the warning message.

KEY

(Since 5.0.10)

Defines the key used to access this raw value in the packet.

Keys are often JSONPath or XPath strings

Parameter	Description	Required
Key string	The key to access this item	True

Example Usage:

KEY $.book.title

VARIABLE_BIT_SIZE

(Since 5.18.0)

Marks an item as having its bit size defined by another length item

Parameter	Description	Required
Length Item Name	The name of the associated length item	True
Length Bits Per Count	Bits per count of the length item. Defaults to 8	False
Length Value Bit Offset	Offset in Bits to Apply to Length Field Value. Defaults to 0	False

REQUIRED

Parameter is required to be populated in scripts

When sending the command via Script Runner a value must always be given for the current command parameter. This prevents the user from relying on a default value. Note that this does not affect Command Sender which will still populate the field with the default value provided in the PARAMETER definition.

MINIMUM_VALUE

Override the defined minimum value

Parameter	Description	Required
Value	The new minimum value for the parameter	True

MAXIMUM_VALUE

Override the defined maximum value

Parameter	Description	Required
Value	The new maximum value for the parameter	True

DEFAULT_VALUE

Override the defined default value

Parameter	Description	Required
Value	The new default value for the parameter	True

STATE

Defines a key/value pair for the current command parameter

Key value pairs allow for user friendly strings. For example, you might define states for ON = 1 and OFF = 0. This allows the word ON to be used rather than the number 1 when sending the command parameter and allows for much greater clarity and less chance for user error.

Parameter	Description	Required
Key	The string state name	True
Value	The numerical state value	True
Hazardous / Disable Messages	Indicates the state is hazardous. This will cause a popup to ask for user confirmation when sending this command. For non-hazardous states you can also set DISABLE_MESSAGES which will not print the command when using that state. Valid Values: HAZARDOUS	False
Hazardous Description	String describing why this state is hazardous	False

Example Usage:

APPEND_PARAMETER ENABLE 32 UINT 0 1 0 "Enable setting"
  STATE FALSE 0
  STATE TRUE 1
APPEND_PARAMETER STRING 1024 STRING "NOOP" "String parameter"
  STATE "NOOP" "NOOP" DISABLE_MESSAGES
  STATE "ARM LASER" "ARM LASER" HAZARDOUS "Arming the laser is an eye safety hazard"
  STATE "FIRE LASER" "FIRE LASER" HAZARDOUS "WARNING! Laser will be fired!"

WRITE_CONVERSION

Applies a conversion when writing the current command parameter

Conversions are implemented in a custom Ruby or Python file which should be located in the target's lib folder. The class must inherit from Conversion. It must implement the initialize (Ruby) or __init__ (Python) method if it takes extra parameters and must always implement the call method. The conversion factor is applied to the value entered by the user before it is written into the binary command packet and sent.

Multiple write conversions on command parameters

When a command is built, each item gets written (and write conversions are run) to set the default value. Then items are written (again write conversions are run) with user provided values. Thus write conversions can be run twice. Also there are no guarantees which parameters have already been written. The packet itself has a given_values() method which can be used to retrieve a hash of the user provided values to the command. That can be used to check parameter values passed in.

Parameter	Description	Required
Class Filename	The filename which contains the Ruby or Python class. The filename must be named after the class such that the class is a CamelCase version of the underscored filename. For example, 'the_great_conversion.rb' should contain 'class TheGreatConversion'.	True
Parameter	Additional parameter values for the conversion which are passed to the class constructor.	False

Ruby Example:

WRITE_CONVERSION the_great_conversion.rb 1000

Defined in the_great_conversion.rb:

require 'openc3/conversions/conversion'
module OpenC3
  class TheGreatConversion < Conversion
    def initialize(multiplier)
      super()
      @multiplier = multiplier.to_f
    end
    def call(value, packet, buffer)
      return value * multiplier
    end
  end
end

Python Example:

WRITE_CONVERSION the_great_conversion.py 1000

Defined in the_great_conversion.py:

from openc3.conversions.conversion import Conversion
class TheGreatConversion(Conversion):
    def __init__(self, multiplier):
        super().__init__()
        self.multiplier = float(multiplier)
    def call(self, value, packet, buffer):
        return value * self.multiplier

POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION

Adds a polynomial conversion factor to the current command parameter

The conversion factor is applied to the value entered by the user before it is written into the binary command packet and sent.

Parameter	Description	Required
C0	Coefficient	True
Cx	Additional coefficient values for the conversion. Any order polynomial conversion may be used so the value of 'x' will vary with the order of the polynomial. Note that larger order polynomials take longer to process than shorter order polynomials, but are sometimes more accurate.	False

Example Usage:

POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION 10 0.5 0.25

SEG_POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION

Adds a segmented polynomial conversion factor to the current command parameter

This conversion factor is applied to the value entered by the user before it is written into the binary command packet and sent.

Parameter	Description	Required
Lower Bound	Defines the lower bound of the range of values that this segmented polynomial applies to. Is ignored for the segment with the smallest lower bound.	True
C0	Coefficient	True
Cx	Additional coefficient values for the conversion. Any order polynomial conversion may be used so the value of 'x' will vary with the order of the polynomial. Note that larger order polynomials take longer to process than shorter order polynomials, but are sometimes more accurate.	False

Example Usage:

SEG_POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION 0 10 0.5 0.25 # Apply the conversion to all values < 50
SEG_POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION 50 11 0.5 0.275 # Apply the conversion to all values >= 50 and < 100
SEG_POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION 100 12 0.5 0.3 # Apply the conversion to all values >= 100

GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_START

Start a generic write conversion

Adds a generic conversion function to the current command parameter. This conversion factor is applied to the value entered by the user before it is written into the binary command packet and sent. The conversion is specified as Ruby or Python code that receives two implied parameters. 'value' which is the raw value being written and 'packet' which is a reference to the command packet class (Note, referencing the packet as 'myself' is still supported for backwards compatibility). The last line of code should return the converted value. The GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_END keyword specifies that all lines of code for the conversion have been given.

Multiple write conversions on command parameters

warning

Generic conversions are not a good long term solution. Consider creating a conversion class and using WRITE_CONVERSION instead. WRITE_CONVERSION is easier to debug and higher performance.

Ruby Example:

APPEND_PARAMETER ITEM1 32 UINT 0 0xFFFFFFFF 0
  GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_START
    return (value * 1.5).to_i # Convert the value by a scale factor
  GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_END

Python Example:

APPEND_PARAMETER ITEM1 32 UINT 0 0xFFFFFFFF 0
  GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_START
    return int(value * 1.5) # Convert the value by a scale factor
  GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_END

GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_END

Complete a generic write conversion

OVERFLOW

Set the behavior when writing a value overflows the type

By default OpenC3 throws an error if you try to write a value which overflows its specified type, e.g. writing 255 to a 8 bit signed value. Setting the overflow behavior also allows for OpenC3 to 'TRUNCATE' the value by eliminating any high order bits. You can also set 'SATURATE' which causes OpenC3 to replace the value with the maximum or minimum allowable value for that type. Finally you can specify 'ERROR_ALLOW_HEX' which will allow for a maximum hex value to be written, e.g. you can successfully write 255 to a 8 bit signed value.

Parameter	Description	Required
Behavior	How OpenC3 treats an overflow value. Only applies to signed and unsigned integer data types. Valid Values: ERROR, ERROR_ALLOW_HEX, TRUNCATE, SATURATE	True

Example Usage:

OVERFLOW TRUNCATE

HIDDEN

Indicates that the parameter should not be shown to the user in the Table Manager GUI

Hidden parameters still exist and will be saved to the resulting binary. This is useful for padding and other essential but non-user editable fields.

UNEDITABLE

Indicates that the parameter should be shown to the user but not editable.

Uneditable parameters are useful for control fields which the user may be interested in but should not be able to edit.

APPEND_PARAMETER

Defines a parameter in the current table

Parameter	Description	Required
Name	Name of the parameter. Must be unique within the table.	True
Bit Size	Bit size of this parameter. Zero or Negative values may be used to indicate that a string fills the packet up to the offset from the end of the packet specified by this value. If Bit Offset is 0 and Bit Size is 0 then this is a derived parameter and the Data Type must be set to 'DERIVED'.	True
Data Type	Data Type of this parameter Valid Values: INT, UINT, FLOAT, DERIVED, STRING, BLOCK	True

When Data Type is INT, UINT, FLOAT, DERIVED the remaining parameters are:

Parameter	Description	Required
Minimum Value	Minimum allowed value for this parameter	True
Maximum Value	Maximum allowed value for this parameter	True
Default Value	Default value for this parameter. You must provide a default but if you mark the parameter REQUIRED then scripts will be forced to specify a value.	True
Description	Description for this parameter which must be enclosed with quotes	False
Endianness	Indicates if the data in this command is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format. See guide on Little Endian Bitfields. Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN	False

When Data Type is STRING, BLOCK the remaining parameters are:

Parameter	Description	Required
Default Value	Default value for this parameter. You must provide a default but if you mark the parameter REQUIRED then scripts will be forced to specify a value.	True
Description	Description for this parameter which must be enclosed with quotes	False
Endianness	Indicates if the data in this command is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN	False

SELECT_TABLE

Select an existing table for editing, typically done to override an existing definition

Parameter	Description	Required
Table	The name of the existing table	True

DEFAULT

Specify default values for a SINGLE row in a multi-column table

If you have multiple rows you need a DEFAULT line for each row. If all your rows are identical consider using ERB as shown in the OpenC3 demo.

Parameter	Description	Required
Default values	A STATE value or data value corresponding to the data type	False

Example File

Example File: TARGET/tables/config/MCConfigurationTable_def.txt

TABLE "MC_Configuration" BIG_ENDIAN KEY_VALUE "Memory Control Configuration Table"
  APPEND_PARAMETER "Scrub_Region_1_Start_Addr" 32 UINT 0 0x03FFFFFB 0
    FORMAT_STRING "0x%0X"
  APPEND_PARAMETER "Scrub_Region_1_End_Addr" 32 UINT 0 0x03FFFFFF 0x03FFFFFF
    FORMAT_STRING "0x%0X"
  APPEND_PARAMETER "Scrub_Region_2_Start_Addr" 32 UINT 0 0x03FFFFB 0
    FORMAT_STRING "0x%0X"
  APPEND_PARAMETER "Scrub_Region_2_End_Addr" 32 UINT 0 0x03FFFFF 0x03FFFFF
    FORMAT_STRING "0x%0X"
  APPEND_PARAMETER "Dump_Packet_Throttle_(sec)" 32 UINT 0 0x0FFFFFFFF 2 "Number of seconds to wait between dumping large packets"
  APPEND_PARAMETER "Memory_Scrubbing" 8 UINT 0 1 1
    STATE DISABLE 0
    STATE ENABLE 1
  APPEND_PARAMETER "SIOC_Memory_Config" 8 UINT 1 3 3
  APPEND_PARAMETER "Uneditable_Text" 32 UINT MIN MAX 0xDEADBEEF "Uneditable field"
    FORMAT_STRING "0x%0X"
    UNEDITABLE
  APPEND_PARAMETER "Uneditable_State" 16 UINT MIN MAX 0 "Uneditable field"
    STATE DISABLE 0
    STATE ENABLE 1
    UNEDITABLE
  APPEND_PARAMETER "Uneditable_Check" 16 UINT MIN MAX 1 "Uneditable field"
    STATE UNCHECKED 0
    STATE CHECKED 1
    UNEDITABLE
  APPEND_PARAMETER "Binary" 32 STRING 0xDEADBEEF "Binary string"
  APPEND_PARAMETER "Pad" 16 UINT 0 0 0
    HIDDEN

Table Definition Files​

Table Keywords

TABLEFILE​

TABLE​

TABLE Modifiers​

PARAMETER​

PARAMETER Modifiers​

FORMAT_STRING​

UNITS​

DESCRIPTION​

META​

OVERLAP​

KEY​

VARIABLE_BIT_SIZE​

REQUIRED​

MINIMUM_VALUE​

MAXIMUM_VALUE​

DEFAULT_VALUE​

STATE​

WRITE_CONVERSION​

POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION​

SEG_POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION​

GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_START​

GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_END​

OVERFLOW​

HIDDEN​

UNEDITABLE​

APPEND_PARAMETER​

SELECT_TABLE​

DEFAULT​

Example File​

Table Definition Files

TABLEFILE

TABLE

TABLE Modifiers

PARAMETER

PARAMETER Modifiers

FORMAT_STRING

UNITS

DESCRIPTION

META

OVERLAP

KEY

VARIABLE_BIT_SIZE

REQUIRED

MINIMUM_VALUE

MAXIMUM_VALUE

DEFAULT_VALUE

STATE

WRITE_CONVERSION

POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION

SEG_POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION

GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_START

GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_END

OVERFLOW

HIDDEN

UNEDITABLE

APPEND_PARAMETER

SELECT_TABLE

DEFAULT

Example File