Window-based organization allows for complete reconstruction of layout of main window of Houston CC Application SW (hereinafter referred to as HA SW) on user’s preference. There supported such functions:

• hide/display toolbar (standard or user-defined),
• change toolbar size,
• change toolbar location,
• unattach toolbars from main window,
• display toolbars as folders.

Change in HA SW main window’s layout may be saved in file to be downloaded any future moment. See the Example HA SW main window at Figure below.

Figure’s digits are defined as:

1. HA SW Main menu;
2. Toolbar;
3. Connection state bar;
4. Satellite map;
5. Command editor;
6. Command queue;
7. Bus exchange history;
8. Message display window;
9. User-defined instruments toolbar;
10. Raw data of 16-th Unican packet’s view window.

Main menu provides basic functionalities for management of layout of HA SW main window, and access to help file. Below are descriptions for main menu items.

Upon choosing of main menu’s File item, there provided access to such functions:

• Open log… – choose log-file for viewing;
• Save layout – save parameters of main window’s layout;
• Load layout – download parameters of main window’s layout;
• Switch layout direction – switching of aligning of menu location via right or left edge of the main window of HA SW;
• Parameters – viewing and editing of values of HA SW parameters;
• Quit – quitting of HA SW.

Upon choosing of log-file, saving and downloading of main window’s layout parameters, there will be displayed standard OS Windows’ window for choosing files to save or download. After parameters’ editing is done, you should press ОK button. Pressing Cancel button, the parameters’ edition results will be discarded and Parameters window will be closed. View and edit window for editing of HA SW parameters values see on Figure below.

Upon choosing of main menu’s View item, there provided access to such functions for management of tabbed windows:

• Animated docks – not used in current version;
• Allow nested docks – allow to place windows beside each other (not only along the edges of main window);
• Allow tabbed docks – allow to create tabs of windows;
• Force tabbed docks – forcedly create tabs, not allowing new windows to occupy the space inside main window;
• Vertical tabs – display list of tabs vertically (not horizontally).

Upon choosing of main menu’s Window item, there provided access to windows for edit of properties of HA SW bars, properties of the instrument panels previously created and to functions for bar’s creation and deletion. At Figure, on the left roll-up window there displayed the list of bars opened at HA SW main window; on the right roll-up window there displayed the set of properties for the bar chosen at left window. Bar’s properties will be set or unset via click of the mouse.

Bar properties window allow such:

Bar name (Tree, for example); Raise – put the bar to the front; Change Size Hints – set the limit for allowed bar size Closable – bar may be closed; Movable – bar may be moved; Floatable – bar size change; Floating – unattach from main window; Vertical title bar – vertical alignment of bar name and control buttons; Allow on Left – allowed shift to left; Allow on Right – allowed shift to right; Allow on Top – allow shift to top; Allow on Bottom – allow shift to bottom; Place on Left – place on the left side of the main window; Place on Right – place on the right side of the main window; Place on Top – place on the top side of the main window; Place on Bottom – place on the bottom side of the main window; Split horizontally into – place the bars in horizontal row; in the list displayed you should specify subsequent to which bar you want to place the current bar; Split vertically into – ace the bars in vertical row; in the list displayed you should specify under which bar you want to place the current bar; Tab into – include the bar to tabs set; in the list displayed you should specify at right of which bar’s tab you want to place the current bar’s tab. Modified – modifiable bar.

Properties change for instruments bars will be performed the same way. “Destroy dock widget” item is designed for deletion of bars that are active at the moment of choosing this item.

Upon choosing of main menu’s Help item there provided access to such functions:

• Hot keys… – displaying of window with list of quick access keys;
• About Qt… – displaying of window with information on Qt version;
• About… – displaying of window with information on HA SW version value.

Connection status bar display the current status of connection of client and server, also of server’s connection to satellite’s cable network. At HA SW start it attempts to connect to server via IP-address and port. User may perform connection/disconnection manually pressing Connect/Disconnect.

Possible statuses of connection to server, displayed in pop-up window at cursor over pictogram:

• No connection – no connection;
• Pending – attempt to establish connection;
• Connected – connection established;
• Error – error during connection establishing.

Statuses are corresponding to pictogram’s states. At connection established there will be active the pictogram depicting connection of server to hardware used for connection to satellite’s CAN-bus. At cursor over position, in pop-up window there will be displayed such statuses:

• Connected – connection established;
• Pending – attempt to establish connection;
• Error – error during connection establishing.

HA SW cannot perform the management of connection of server to satellite. To change IP-address of server or port you must restart the software.

At log-files bar there present the Start/Stop log registration button designed for start/stop of recording to log file, and Select new file for regular docs pictogram which opens standard save window to choose the folder and name of new log-file.

Upon pressing the pictogram there will be displayed Tree panel with satellite map (see Fig. 18). Input line is designed for entering of the filtering conditions for choosing the devices to be displayed (filtering will be performed via command names written in Latin characters). Upon pressing [X] button there will be deleted the filtering conditions. Filter unknown flag is designed for prevention of entering into history the commands without descriptions.

Tree panel provides to user full description of satellite’s cable network and possible data packets that may be sent to devices connected to network and known Houston CC SW. Satellite’s devices are grouped logically via modules and systems. Satellite map specifies devices addresses, earth station address entitled to transfer management to satellite, also codes for data (commands and telemetry) packets that are sent by satellite for processing via HA SW.

Filtration allows for identification of contents of the messages received. For a large volume of information at bus, the limitation of contents of received messages avoids losses during messages reception and improves data visualization’s user-friendliness. The marker of reception’s authorization will be set besides every record of the tree, change of the mark at any node will change such mark at any sub-node. Filter may be applied to systems, modules and devices, also to certain types of messages. By default, at application’s start there allowed the reception of all messages at bus. Hot keys are: “right arrow” – send the command to queue, и “Ctrl+G” – send command directly to server.

Upon pressing the pictogram [i] there will be displayed Fields panel for editing commands, where there will be generated commands for satellite’s system in Unican packet form according to description of device protocol and satellite map. Protocol description will be read off satellite’s map via device address, followed by via message code there will be downloaded header and command fields’ descriptions.

At Fields tab (to the left) there will be displayed header including:

• 2-bytes code for command (example: 1F-4200) and name (example: «set_AllConfiguration»);
• Message description (example: «Задать полную конфигурацию УКВ…»/ “Specify full configuration for VHF…”);
• Sender address (Base station address);
• Receiver address (Device address).

Sender and Receiver addresses will be downloaded from file with satellite’s network map, they may be edited before sending. At center there will be displayed the command’s fields (if they are exist).

Input element of the field value depends on the data type specified in file of device protocol description. Data values with types Integer unsigned and Float are entered from input lines, for the data of Bit type there must be set flags.

Message may be put in editor from different sources: device tree, History exchange, Repeat Command and command Queue. To open the message in editor simply choose required command by mouse in any aforementioned source, herewith the filed values for messages from device tree will be taken “by default” (from protocol files), otherwise there will be left the early values included in message.

Upon opening the message in editor there will be created message’s copy (new message for devices tree), that will be put in queue upon pressing «Create» button. Create button is active only for messages where protocol description file specify «command» type.

Update button is designed for updating fields in Queue table and Schedule; it is active only for messages from queue, because only such messages may be updated before sending to satellite.

To Schedule button designed for inclusion of the generated command to cyclogram that will be sent to satellite. To server button is designed for sending of the generated command to server omitting command Queue.

Messages from history and messages with «datain» type (telemetry) may be put into Fields panel, but they cannot be changed.

Via pictogram Output there will be displayed HA SW events’ message display panel.

Clear button is designed for deletion of all messages from Output tab.

HA SW equipped with messages of three types:

• Information – require no user’s actions, usually contains some confirmation on successfully performed actions;
• warnings (marked WARNING) – informs user on changes in system’s behavior that must be considered;
• errors (marked ERROR) – non-critical errors, most commonly concerning downloading data consistency or access to disc or server. Such error may substantively slow the operation of HA SW.

The number of messages displayed in Output window is limited. Besides Output panel, all HA SW messages are registered to error_log.txt file generated automatically. This file may be used for software debugging; you should send the error_log.txt file to developer upon detection of incorrect behavior of HA SW.

Command queue allows to build logically complete sequence of commands for satellite systems before sending the commands to satellite via communication channel.

Command queue allows for visual check of time schedule for all command sequence, to edit commands and control reception of any command via target device of satellite’s onboard network. During time schedule check there will be identified the accuracy of sequences of dates and periods (dates must be accurate by time aspect; they must be set not earlier than aggregated periods). There supported the option of saving of generated command queue to file, also of downloading of the earlier command queue from file.

At Queue panel there located the table for viewing queue and action buttons. In table there displayed such columns:

• Dir – direction of transfer, In – messages received at server from satellite’s CAN-bus, Out – sent by server to CAN-bus from this or other client application;
• Created – date and time of creation/reception of message by the server (will be stamped via server clock);
• Receiver – Destination field of Unican message;
• Sender – Source field of Unican message;
• Message – Unican message code;
• Packet (for identified messages) – command name from protocol file;
• Time to send – time of sending.

Choice for one or several commands will be made with mouse. To highlight all commands there designed Ctrl+A combination of keys. To view and edit commands there used Fields window.

Upon choosing the command from queue, its detailed description with values for command field will be displayed in editor panel, the buttons Update and Create becomes active. There may be edited not only command’s data fields (if they are exist), but addresses of sender and receiver too. That allows for generation of commands for devices at addresses not specified in satellite map (for example, at initializing new devises in cable network).

Send button and Enter key are assigned to send the chosen command to server. If there chosen several commands, via Send button there will be sent all highlighted commands. Via Enter key there will be sent only one command; you should press Enter key repeatedly for all highlighted commands.

Via AutoSend button there will be sent all commands from Queue table.

Via Delete (Del) button or «Del» key at numerical keyboard the chosen command will be deleted from queue.

Via Up (Ctrl + «arrow up») and Down (Ctrl + «arrow down») buttons the chosen command will be moved up and down in queue per one position.

Via Page Up and Page Down buttons the chosen command will be moved to start or end of the queue.

Via Save button there will be performed the saving of the generated queue of commands to the file of .que type. To choose file name there will be displayed standard OS Windows save window.

Open button is designed for downloading of the saved queue from file.

Upon pressing Open button, in the pull-down menu there will be displayed the list of queues saved previously in «resources\queues\» folder. To quick open the queue file from default folder simply press menu item with required file name. If the queue was saved in different folder, use From file… item and choose folder and file in standard dialog window. If before opening the file via Open button there was created some queue in Queue panel, the commands from file will be added to the end of existent queue.

There are two methods for definition of the time of sending the queue command to server:

− Specifying date and time of sending command at set Calendar time flag;

− Specifying period from command submission for sending via pressing Autosend button, to command sending execution with unset Calendar time flag.

At set Calendar time flag, date and time value for queue command will be initially set via date and time of user’s machine in UTC form.

Display of the date and time set will be performed in input line located at management buttons column. On double-click at the field in Time to send column for the chosen command in this column, there will be displayed equivalent line for input of date and time. To change date and time values you should highlight by mouse the parameter to be changed and set its value via increase/decrease buttons. The date may be set with increase only. Upon decrease of the time (without increasing of the date) the values set will be ignored with error message.

Upon finishing of setting of date and time parameters, press Set time button in input line of the management buttons column. The set values will be displayed at the field of the Time to send column of chosen command.

At unset Calendar time flag there will be performed the input of value for time period from from command submission for sending via pressing Autosend button, to command sending execution. Period value may be entered as in the input line of button column, as in the input line displayed after double-click to field in Time to send column of chosen command. Time period value will be set in seconds with accuracy of two decimal places (tens of milliseconds).

Upon finishing of setting time period press Set time button in input line of the management buttons column. The set value will be displayed at the field of the Time to send column of chosen command. At Queue panel there displayed as commands, as received messages – responses to command transfer. Responses are marked with ~ character in Packet field. Response’s parameters cannot be edited.

Hot keys for Queue panel:

• Delete – delete command from queue;
• Enter – send the highlighted command to satellite;
• Ctrl+A – highlight all commands in queue;
• Ctrl+C – copy chosen commands to clipboard;
• Ctrl+T – send chosen command without deleting it from queue.

At pictogram in History panel there will be chronologically displayed the messages transferred via satellite communication channel, including the command sent from queue.

History panel consists of parameters area, table area and status line. At parameters area there provided such functions:

• Depth – maximum allowed number of records in history table.
• Apply – change maximum size of the table according to Depth;
• Off/On – switch off/on recording of history;
• Show – not used in current version;
• Clear – clear the table;
• Autoscroll – show current records in History window;
• Repaint visible – repaint mode for the table’s visible lines only.

At table area there will be displayed such fields:

• Dir – tra direction of transfer, In – messages received at server from satellite’s CAN-bus, Out – sent by server to CAN-bus from this or other client application;
• Status – message status: Received – successfully received from CAN-bus, Sent – successfully sent by server to satellite’s CAN-bus, Error tx – error during sending from server to satellite bus, Error rx – error in message structure (message do not correspond to description in xml-file);
• Created – date and time of reception /sending of message by the server (will be stamped via server clock);
• Receiver – Destination field of Unican message;
• Sender – Source field of Unican message;
• Message – Unican message code;
• Packet (for identified messages) – command name from protocol file;
• Created by – login of user created this message.

At status lime there will be displayed the statistics from the moment of application’s start:

• In – number of incoming messages;
• Out – number of outgoing messages;
• Free – number of empty records at History panel; upon reaching of this number, older messages will be deleted.

All messages (as incoming, as outgoing) are included in History panel. If the message was sent to server via some HA SW client and broadcasted to all HA SW clients connected to this server, then this message will be displayed on all HA SW clients.

If incoming command was successfully identified (addressee found at satellite map, message code was found in corresponding protocol file), then HA SW will put to Packet field the command name from description file. For the identified commands there available all HA SW functions (field view, adding to instrument panels etc.).

To filter of the incoming messages there may be used filters installed in the Tree panel. The filters may be applied for identified commands only.

To prevent such situations for active exchange case you must perform such actions:

• Specify small Depth value;
• Set incoming messages filter;
• Hide History panel (via button at instrument panel or under other panel as a tab);
• Switch off history recording via Off button.

At history switched off, all information on exchange at satellite communication channel will be stored in message log file and may be displayed as in Houston CC SW, as via other SW (for example, Microsoft Excel).

At pictogram Hex View there displayed hexacode view panel for Unican packet. There may be displayed header and contents of any packet that is in history or queue.

As opposed to Fields editor, at hexacode view panel may display unidentified packets. Packet header fields are displayed as line where Message is double-byte message code, from – sender address, to – receiver address, len – data length (besides message code). Data (if they are exist) will be displayed at unique field at panel in hexacode.

At pictogram Repeat command there will be displayed the command repeat panel. This panel is the simple tool for generation of queue from previously generated commands and for commands to server. Upon pressing the Repeat button to the end of queue will be entered the command that is copy of chosen command, excluding its creation’s date and time. Upon pressing the to Queue button, the command will be recorded to the end of the queue.

At the command repeat panel there will be displayed such fields:

• Created – date and time of reception /sending of message by the server (will be stamped via server clock);
• Receiver – Destination field of Unican message;
• Message – Unican message code;
• Packet (for identified messages) – command name from protocol file;
• Record Id;
• Created by – login of user created this message.

Command Schedule panel – command’s schedule.

На панели Command Schedule находятся таблица просмотра расписания и кнопки действий. В таблице отображаются следующие поля:

• Created – дата и время создания/получения сообщения сервером (проставляется время часов на сервере);
• Receiver – получатель, поле Destination сообщения Unican;
• Sender – отправитель, поле Source сообщения Unican;
• Message – код сообщения Unican;
• Packet (для распознанных сообщений) – название команды из файла протокола;
• Time to send – время отправки.

At Command Schedule panel there located the table for viewing of the schedule and actions buttons. At the table there will be displayed such fields:

• Created – date and time of creation/reception of message by the server (will be stamped via server clock);
• Receiver – Destination field of Unican message;
• Sender – Source field of Unican message;
• Message – Unican message code;
• Packet (for identified messages) – command name from protocol file;
• Time to send – time stamp of sending.

Choosing of one or several commands from schedule will be performed via mouse. To highlight all commands there used Ctrl+A keys combination. To view and edit the command there used Command Editor.

Upon choosing the command from schedule its detailed description with values for command field will be displayed in editor panel, the buttons Update and Create becomes active. There may be edited not only command’s data fields (if they are exist), but addresses of sender and receiver too. That allows for generation of commands for devices at addresses not specified in satellite map (for example, at initializing new devises in cable network).

Via Send Schedule button there will be performed sending of the cyclogram via one data packet.

Via Delete (Del) button the chosen command will be deleted from schedule.

Via Up (Ctrl + «arrow up») and Down (Ctrl + «arrow down») buttons the chosen command will be moved up and down per one position.

Via Page Up and Page Down buttons the chosen command will be moved to start or end of the schedule.

Via Save button there will be performed the saving of the generated schedule of commands to the file of .sch type. To choose file name there will be displayed standard OS Windows save window.

Open button is designed for downloading of the saved schedule from file.

Upon pressing Open button in standard OS Windows dialogue window there will be opened «resources\schedules\» folder (folder name will be configured in configuration file). If the schedule was saved in different folder, use standard dialog window to choose folder and file. If before opening the file via Open button there was created some schedule in Command Schedule panel, the commands from file will be added to the end of existent schedule.

Date and Time parameters definition will be performed the same method as in Queue panel.

Hot keys:

• Ctrl+A – highlight all commands in queue;
• Ctrl+C – copy chosen commands to clipboard.

Via Up (Ctrl + «arrow up») and Down (Ctrl + «arrow down») buttons the chosen command will be moved up and down per one position. Via Page Up and Page Down buttons the chosen command will be moved to start or end of the list.