Plugin Profile

You can define COM component plugins to implement search algorithms that are not included in Astrogator. For information about creating plugin search profiles, please refer to the AgSearch plugin section of the Integration help system. Plugin search profiles, once registered, will appear alongside the standard target profiles when you add a profile to a target sequence.

A plugin search profile is comprised of five tabs:

Variables

Like the Differential Corrector profile, there are two types of variables that can be selected and defined for a plugin search profile - control parameters (independent variables) and results (dependent variables).

The control parameters and results that have been selected for the target sequence are displayed in their respective areas of the Variables tab, and the properties that have been registered for the currently highlighted control parameter and result are displayed beneath them. Double-click a property to edit its value.

Independent Variables

Any element of a nested MCS segment or linked component that is available for selection as an independent variable will be identified by a target icon appearing adjacent to it. To select a given element as an independent variable, simply click the associated target icon. Your selection will be confirmed by the appearance of a check mark over the icon. If you change your mind, click the icon again; the check mark will disappear. You can select independent variables in more than one nested segment and, in each, you can select as many independent variables as you wish.Plugins publish their inputs to Astrogator, so that you can also select these inputs as independent variables. To target a given input, it may be necessary to double-click it to expose the window for editing its value. The target icon will appear in that window next to the editable field.

If the "Restore nominal values as soon as target sequence completes" MCS Option is selected and an element of a linked component is selected as an independent variable, the changed value that is produced will only be applied to subsequent segments nested within the same target sequence. Segments that are outside of the target sequence will use the value that the element held at the beginning of the MCS. If you apply corrections after running the MCS, then on the next run all segments within the MCS will use the value produced by the target sequence.

Each independent variable you have selected is listed in the Controls area, along with the following information:

  • Name -- The name of the element selected as an independent variable.
  • Initial Value -- The nominal value of the element.
  • Current Value -- The element's final value from the last run of the profile; if the profile hasn't run, this value is the same as the initial value.
  • Object -- The segment or component to which the element belongs.
  • Custom Display Unit -- Select to use a unit other than the default when displaying results in the status window and graphs.
  • Display Unit -- The unit to be displayed if the Custom Display Unit option has been selected.

    • Graphs cannot display DMS or HMS angle units and will use the scenario unit instead

If you have multiple independent variables, select the Hide Inactive field to hide independent variables that are not currently selected for use.

Dependent Variables

Dependent variables are defined in terms of Astrogator's extensive repertoire of Calculation Objects (to which you can add). To select dependent variables for a given nested MCS segment, click Results.... This will bring up the User-Selected Results window for that segment. Here, Calculation Objects are selected for dependent variable definition.

Each dependent variable you have selected is listed in the Results area, along with the following information:

  • Name -- The name of the element selected as an independent variable.
  • Current Value -- The element's final value from the last run of the profile; if the profile hasn't run, this value is the same as the initial value.
  • Object -- The segment or component to which the element belongs.
  • Custom Display Unit -- Select to use a unit other than the default when displaying results in the status window and graphs.
  • Display Unit -- The unit to be displayed if the Custom Display Unit option has been selected.

    • Graphs cannot display DMS or HMS angle units and will use the scenario unit instead

If you have multiple dependent variables, select the Hide Inactive field to hide dependent variables that are not currently selected for use.

Plugin Properties

The Plugin Properties tab displays the properties that have been registered for the plugin. Double-click a property to edit its value. Select Reset controls before each run to automatically reset the profile's controls each time that it is run, discarding information that was computed the last time it was run.

Log

You can configure a plugin search profile to write to a log file generated by Astrogator. The File name field displays the path and name of the log file, if one is being used by the profile. The log is displayed below the file name and contains the raw output of the profile, which may be useful for debugging or troubleshooting.

Graphs

The Graphs tab allows you to define a variety of graphs of the profile's performance that can be generated manually when desired or automatically whenever the MCS is run. The tab is divided into two general areas - a table that displays the graphs that have been assigned to the profile and the collection of properties that define the graph that is currently selected in the table.

Graphs Table

You can add, copy, delete and perform other actions on graphs by right-clicking in the table that lists them or by using the following toolbar buttons:

Button Name Function
New... Inserts a new graph with default properties settings.
Cut Removes the currently selected graph from the list and copies it to the clipboard.
Copy Makes a copy of the currently selected graph to the clipboard.
Paste Inserts a copy of the graph that is currently on the clipboard.
Delete Deletes the currently selected graph.

The graphs table displays the following information for each graph:

  • Name -- The name given by the user to the graph or, if one was not given, the default name.
  • Generate on run -- Select to have Astrogator generate the graph automatically each time that the MCS is run.
  • User Comment -- a description of the graph supplied by the user or, if one was not supplied, a default description.

Graph Properties

Each graph can display the values of any number of the active Controls and Results defined for the profile against an X axis of the number of iterations performed or any single active Control or Result defined for the profile.

The Independent variable field defines the X axis of the graph. If the X axis is one of the active Controls or Results, you can select Label Iterations to have each of the points on the graph labeled according to its iteration number. If the X axis is one of the active Results and the plugin results have a DesiredValue property, you can select Show Desired Value to display the goal for that result; likewise, if the plugin results have a Tolerance property, you can select Show Tolerance Band to display the tolerance for the desired value in the graph.

The active Controls defined for the profile are listed in a table that you can use to specify their display characteristics in the graph:

  • Name -- The name of the element selected as a control.
  • Object -- The segment or component to which the element belongs.
  • Graph Value -- Select to include the value in the graph.
  • Line Color -- The color of line that will be used to represent the control's value in the graph.
  • Point Style -- The style of marker that will be used to represent iteration points along the control's line in the graph.
  • Y Axis -- Select Y1 or Y2 to display a range of values suitable to the control on the left or right side, respectively, of the graph.

The active Results defined for the profile are also listed in a table that you can use to specify their display characteristics in the graph:

  • Name -- The name of the Calculation Object used as a result.
  • Object -- The segment or component for which this result has been selected.
  • Graph Option -- Select Don't graph to leave the result out of the graph, Graph difference to use the difference between the result's value and the desired value in the graph, or Graph value to use the result's value in the graph.
  • Show Desired Value -- Select to display the result's desired value in the graph, if the result has a DesiredValue property.
  • Line Color -- The color of line that will be used to represent the result's value in the graph.
  • Point Style -- The style of marker that will be used to represent iteration points along the result's line in the graph.
  • Y Axis -- Select Y1 or Y2 to display a range of values suitable to the result on the left or right side, respectively, of the graph.
  • Show Tolerance Band -- Select to display the tolerance for the result's desired value in the graph, if the result has a Tolerance property.

Click Generate Graph to produce the currently selected graph. To produce a report of the graph data, click Generate Report.

Scripting

The Scripting tab contains an embedded instance of the Scripting Tool. A script entered here will be executed before the sequence is run. The script will be executed each time that the profile runs the sequence. Parameters that are defined in the Scripting Tool are available for use as controls by the plugin profile.

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