Using Panels¶

Lightfall uses a flexible dockable panel system. Panels can be rearranged, tabbed together, or floated as separate windows. This guide describes each panel and how to use it.

Managing Panels¶

Opening Panels¶

To open a panel:

• Go to View > Panels and select the panel

• Or use the toolbar quick-access buttons (if configured)

Rearranging Panels¶

Panels can be customized to fit your workflow:

• Move: Drag a panel’s title bar to reposition it

• Tab: Drop a panel onto another to create tabs

• Float: Drag a panel outside the main window

• Resize: Drag panel borders to adjust size

Saving Layout¶

Your panel layout is saved automatically when you close Lightfall. To explicitly save or restore layouts:

• File > Save Layout - Save current arrangement

• File > Restore Default Layout - Reset to default

Available Panels¶

Bluesky Panel¶

Purpose: Select and execute data acquisition plans

Features:

• Plan browser with search and categories

• Dynamic parameter configuration

• Run/Pause/Abort controls

• User plan creation and management

Typical Use: Primary interface for running experiments. Select a plan, configure parameters, and execute.

See Running Plans for detailed usage.

Devices Panel¶

Purpose: Browse and control hardware devices

Features:

• Tree view of all devices organized by category

• Search and filter by name or type

• Device details: current value, status, metadata

• Control widgets for adjustable devices

• Context menu for device actions

Typical Use: Monitor hardware status, check motor positions, adjust device parameters.

Device Information Shown:

• Name and type

• Current value and units

• Connection status

• Component hierarchy (for complex devices)

• Category and tags

Controlling Devices:

1. Select a device in the tree

2. The details pane shows current state

3. For controllable devices, a control widget appears

4. Enter new values and apply

Logbook Panel¶

Purpose: Document experiments automatically and manually

Features:

• Automatic entries from plans and device changes

• User notes with rich text editing

• Protected system entries (cannot be accidentally modified)

• Active project/logbook header

• Export capabilities

Typical Use: Review experiment history, add notes about observations, document procedures.

Automatic Entries:

• Plan start with parameters

• Plan completion or abort

• Device state changes

• System events

Adding Notes:

1. Click Add Note in the toolbar

2. Enter your observation or comment

3. The note is timestamped and saved

Entry Protection: System-generated entries are protected from editing. User notes can be edited freely. The protection system prevents accidental data loss.

Claude Assistant Panel¶

Purpose: AI-powered help and natural language control

Features:

• Chat interface with Claude AI

• Understands Lightfall context and capabilities

• Can control panels and devices via MCP tools

• Provides help and explanations

• Executes multi-step procedures

Typical Use: Get help with procedures, control the application via natural language, automate repetitive tasks.

See Claude Assistant for detailed usage.

Documents Panel¶

Purpose: View raw Bluesky event documents

Features:

• Real-time document streaming during acquisition

• Document type filtering

• Detailed view of document contents

Typical Use: Debug data acquisition issues, understand document flow, inspect raw metadata.

IPython Panel¶

Purpose: Interactive Python console

Features:

• Full IPython REPL

• Direct access to Lightfall objects (main_window, app)

• Widget targeting mode (select UI elements for inspection)

• Command history

Typical Use: Advanced scripting, debugging, automation development, one-off calculations.

Pre-loaded Objects:

main_window  # Main application window
app          # LFApplication instance

Widget Targeting:

1. Enable crosshair mode in the toolbar

2. Click any UI element

3. A reference appears in the console for inspection

Logging Panel¶

Purpose: View application logs

Features:

• Real-time log display

• Log level filtering (DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR)

• Search and filter capabilities

• Copy and export logs

Typical Use: Diagnose issues, monitor system health, debug problems.

Tiled Browser Panel¶

Purpose: Browse data stored in Tiled catalog

Features:

• Query data by date range

• Filter by plan type or exit status

• Pagination for large datasets

• Data preview

Typical Use: Find previous experiment data, review historical results, locate specific acquisitions.

Requires: Tiled server configuration in Preferences.

Threads Panel¶

Purpose: Monitor application threads and async tasks

Features:

• List of active threads

• Thread state and stack information

• Task status monitoring

Typical Use: Advanced debugging of threading issues or hung operations.

Panel Reference¶