Expand Auto-binding capabilities

Auto-binding has the potential to improve productivity significantly by removing the need for complex IO referencing scripts as well as allowing users to test IO assignment in runtime. Auto-binding today can only use the assigned IO device and Scan group with the object name and attribute name, this needs to be more flexible

The idea would be to improve or expand existing aspects of the AUtobinding functionality:

Aspect I: The IO reference syntax

Today the Auto-bind syntax looks like this: <IODevice>.$TemplateName.AttributeName

• <> to denotes variables used to assemble the IO reference. These can be special reserved keywords or System Platform (AppServer) attribute references.

• This needs at least four reserved keywords

  • <MyDIObject>

  • <MyScangroup>

  • <IODevice> (this already exists, but since <MyDIObject>.<MyScangroup> will have the same result, we can deprecate it if we want)

  • <Attribute>

  • Consider other building blocks as well:

    • <ObjectName>

    • <HierarchicalName>

    • <AreaName>

    • etc.

• Provide a mechanism to allow using object attributes directly as well as plain text. This means you can build an Input source as:

  • <MyDIObject>.<MyScangroup>.<me.AnotherAttribute>.<Attribute>.Array[<me.ArrayIndex>].PV

Aspect II: Design-time experience

• The IO Devices pane usage remains the same

  • User can assign an object to a Scan group on a specific DI Object

  • We should allow a user to designate a default DI Object and Scan group (similar to default area, engine and platform)

• The Mapping pane should function as it does today, that is: it should attempt to use the assembled IO reference, connect and show live data.