Hi all,
this post just to know if there's any plan in the near future to get an Ignition platform with a Python debugger.
Consider next scenario: you are 5 developers on the same gateway, each implementing his own Python highly complicated logic and each printing debug messages to the gateway plus exceptions prints out. Question: how can you imagine to get the job done in a reasonably short time if you must go through 100s of log prints to find your own mistakes?
Sorry for my complain, but I'm really getting desperate and frustrated!
Now back to my starting question: when the debugger? I know it's not that easy, but a framework like Ignition, that you can really do anything you want with, needs urgently a debugger to be 100% enjoyable!
I don't expect it will ever happen. It is difficult enough to use a java debugger, much less any kind of nested debugger.
But, this is the real problem:
Develop on isolated gateways--each developer on their own. Designers on a production gateway should be deploying well-tested projects, not developing new ones.
If you're using the same logger name on the same gateway then yes this will be difficult, but if you use different logger names then you can filter by that in the gateway logs. That's the first easy suggestion I would suggest if you don't want to change anything else about your workflow.
Your suggestions are appreciated, but think your same suggestions goes to someone that is developing a non trivial .NET application with MS Visual Studio? I cannot really imagine the answer! And I think that Ignition development is really as powerful as .NET development, even more, I would say ... but for debugging!
Not really. Python is an interpreted language. .NET languages, as far as I am aware, are all compiled languages, so not really a 1-1.
Add to that, that the scripting language in Ignition is running on the JVM, you've just added a whole other layer of complication. Jython can, and should tie into the Java layer, and so a debugger would be expected to be able to step into java functions, and in order to do that you would need a decompiler to go from Byte Code back to Java Class. It's just not a simple thing.
I know it's really complicated, but such a wonderful platform as Ignition does need it, to be 100% fit for all purposes!
I'm not comparing the two platforms as far as the technology is concerned, but as far as the power and therefore intended audience: Ignition platform could by a choice wherever .NET is, in my opinion, with the added advantage that you can communicate with the shop floor with ease.
From and Industrial SCADA perspective, absolutely. But, that's not really the domain of those languages, just like JAVA.
You want to treat Ignition like an IDE, but that isn't what it is.
Don't get me wrong, if IA were to come along and introduce a debugger, I would be among the first to adopt it's use and claim it's awesomeness. I just don't see it happening. There are too many other things that have a way higher priority to most users, myself included.