v5

Command Configuration

Command Definition Files

Command definition files define the command packets that can be sent to COSMOS targets. One large file can be used to define the command packets, or multiple files can be used at the user’s discretion. Command definition files are placed in the target’s cmd_tlm directory and are processed alphabetically. Therefore if you have some command files that depend on others, e.g. they override or extend existing commands, they must be named last. The easist way to do this is to add an extension to an existing file name. For example, if you already have cmd.txt you can create cmd_override.txt for commands that depends on the definitions in cmd.txt. Also note that due to the way the ASCII Table is structured, files beginning with capital letters are processed before lower case letters.

When defining command parameters you can choose from the following data types: INT, UINT, FLOAT, STRING, BLOCK. These correspond to integers, unsigned integers, floating point numbers, strings and binary blocks of data. The only difference between a STRING and BLOCK is when COSMOS reads the binary command log it stops reading a STRING type when it encounters a null byte (0). This shows up in the text log produced by Data Extractor. Note that this does NOT affect the data COSMOS writes as it’s still legal to pass null bytes (0) in STRING parameters.

Command Keywords

COMMAND

Defines a new command packet

Parameter Description Required
Target Name of the target this command is associated with True
Command Name of this command. Also referred to as its mnemonic. Must be unique to commands to this target. Ideally will be as short and clear as possible. True
Endianness Indicates if the data in this command is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format

Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN
True
Description Description of this command which must be enclosed with quotes False

Example Usage:

COMMAND INST COLLECT BIG_ENDIAN "Start collect"

SELECT_COMMAND

Selects an existing command packet for editing

Typically used in a separate configuration file from where the original command is defined to override or add to the existing command definition

Parameter Description Required
Target Name Name of the target this command is associated with True
Command Name Name of the command to select True

Example Usage:

SELECT_COMMAND INST COLLECT

COMMAND Modifiers

The following keywords must follow a COMMAND keyword.

PARAMETER

Defines a command parameter in the current command packet

Parameter Description Required
Name Name of the parameter. Must be unique within the command. True
Bit Offset Bit offset into the command packet of the Most Significant Bit of this parameter. May be negative to indicate on offset from the end of the packet. Always use a bit offset of 0 for derived parameters. True
Bit Size Bit size of this parameter. Zero or Negative values may be used to indicate that a string fills the packet up to the offset from the end of the packet specified by this value. If Bit Offset is 0 and Bit Size is 0 then this is a derived parameter and the Data Type must be set to ‘DERIVED’. True
Data Type Data Type of this parameter

Valid Values: INT, UINT, FLOAT, DERIVED, STRING, BLOCK
True

When Data Type is INT, UINT, FLOAT, DERIVED the remaining parameters are:

Minimum Value Minimum allowed value for this parameter True
Maximum Value Maximum allowed value for this parameter True
Default Value Default value for this parameter. You must provide a default but if you mark the parameter REQUIRED then scripts will be forced to specify a value. True
Description Description for this parameter which must be enclosed with quotes False
Endianness Indicates if the data in this command is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format

Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN
False

When Data Type is STRING, BLOCK the remaining parameters are:

Default Value Default value for this parameter. You must provide a default but if you mark the parameter REQUIRED then scripts will be forced to specify a value. True
Description Description for this parameter which must be enclosed with quotes False
Endianness Indicates if the data in this command is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format

Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN
False

Example Usage:

PARAMETER SYNC 0 32 UINT 0xDEADBEEF 0xDEADBEEF 0xDEADBEEF "Sync pattern"
PARAMETER DATA 32 32 INT MIN MAX 0 "Data value"
PARAMETER VALUE 64 32 FLOAT 0 10.5 2.5
PARAMETER LABEL 96 96 STRING "COSMOS" "The label to apply"
PARAMETER BLOCK 192 0 BLOCK 0x0 "Block of binary data"

APPEND_PARAMETER

Defines a command parameter in the current command packet

Parameter Description Required
Name Name of the parameter. Must be unique within the command. True
Bit Size Bit size of this parameter. Zero or Negative values may be used to indicate that a string fills the packet up to the offset from the end of the packet specified by this value. If Bit Offset is 0 and Bit Size is 0 then this is a derived parameter and the Data Type must be set to ‘DERIVED’. True
Data Type Data Type of this parameter

Valid Values: INT, UINT, FLOAT, DERIVED, STRING, BLOCK
True

When Data Type is INT, UINT, FLOAT, DERIVED the remaining parameters are:

Minimum Value Minimum allowed value for this parameter True
Maximum Value Maximum allowed value for this parameter True
Default Value Default value for this parameter. You must provide a default but if you mark the parameter REQUIRED then scripts will be forced to specify a value. True
Description Description for this parameter which must be enclosed with quotes False
Endianness Indicates if the data in this command is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format

Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN
False

When Data Type is STRING, BLOCK the remaining parameters are:

Default Value Default value for this parameter. You must provide a default but if you mark the parameter REQUIRED then scripts will be forced to specify a value. True
Description Description for this parameter which must be enclosed with quotes False
Endianness Indicates if the data in this command is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format

Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN
False

Example Usage:

APPEND_PARAMETER SYNC 32 UINT 0xDEADBEEF 0xDEADBEEF 0xDEADBEEF "Sync pattern"
APPEND_PARAMETER VALUE 32 FLOAT 0 10.5 2.5
APPEND_PARAMETER LABEL 0 STRING "COSMOS" "The label to apply"

ID_PARAMETER

Defines an identification command parameter in the current command packet

ID parameters are used to identify the binary block of data as a particular command. A command packet may have one or more ID_PARAMETERs and all must match the binary data for the command to be identified.

Parameter Description Required
Name Name of the parameter. Must be unique within the command. True
Bit Offset Bit offset into the command packet of the Most Significant Bit of this parameter. May be negative to indicate on offset from the end of the packet. Always use a bit offset of 0 for derived parameters. True
Bit Size Bit size of this parameter. Zero or Negative values may be used to indicate that a string fills the packet up to the offset from the end of the packet specified by this value. If Bit Offset is 0 and Bit Size is 0 then this is a derived parameter and the Data Type must be set to ‘DERIVED’. True
Data Type Data Type of this parameter

Valid Values: INT, UINT, FLOAT, DERIVED, STRING, BLOCK
True

When Data Type is INT, UINT, FLOAT, DERIVED the remaining parameters are:

Minimum Value Minimum allowed value for this parameter True
Maximum Value Maximum allowed value for this parameter True
ID Value Identification value for this parameter. The binary data must match this value for the buffer to be identified as this packet. True
Description Description for this parameter which must be enclosed with quotes False
Endianness Indicates if the data in this command is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format

Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN
False

When Data Type is STRING, BLOCK the remaining parameters are:

Default Value Default value for this parameter. You must provide a default but if you mark the parameter REQUIRED then scripts will be forced to specify a value. True
Description Description for this parameter which must be enclosed with quotes False
Endianness Indicates if the data in this command is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format

Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN
False

Example Usage:

ID_PARAMETER OPCODE 32 32 UINT 2 2 2 "Opcode identifier"

APPEND_ID_PARAMETER

Defines an identification command parameter in the current command packet

ID parameters are used to identify the binary block of data as a particular command. A command packet may have one or more ID_PARAMETERs and all must match the binary data for the command to be identified.

Parameter Description Required
Name Name of the parameter. Must be unique within the command. True
Bit Size Bit size of this parameter. Zero or Negative values may be used to indicate that a string fills the packet up to the offset from the end of the packet specified by this value. If Bit Offset is 0 and Bit Size is 0 then this is a derived parameter and the Data Type must be set to ‘DERIVED’. True
Data Type Data Type of this parameter

Valid Values: INT, UINT, FLOAT, DERIVED, STRING, BLOCK
True

When Data Type is INT, UINT, FLOAT, DERIVED the remaining parameters are:

Minimum Value Minimum allowed value for this parameter True
Maximum Value Maximum allowed value for this parameter True
ID Value Identification value for this parameter. The binary data must match this value for the buffer to be identified as this packet. True
Description Description for this parameter which must be enclosed with quotes False
Endianness Indicates if the data in this command is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format

Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN
False

When Data Type is STRING, BLOCK the remaining parameters are:

Default Value Default value for this parameter. You must provide a default but if you mark the parameter REQUIRED then scripts will be forced to specify a value. True
Description Description for this parameter which must be enclosed with quotes False
Endianness Indicates if the data in this command is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format

Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN
False

Example Usage:

APPEND_ID_PARAMETER OPCODE 32 UINT 2 2 2 "Opcode identifier"

ARRAY_PARAMETER

Defines a command parameter in the current command packet that is an array

Parameter Description Required
Name Name of the parameter. Must be unique within the command. True
Bit Offset Bit offset into the command packet of the Most Significant Bit of this parameter. May be negative to indicate on offset from the end of the packet. Always use a bit offset of 0 for derived parameters. True
Item Bit Size Bit size of each array item True
Item Data Type Data Type of each array item

Valid Values: INT, UINT, FLOAT, STRING, BLOCK, DERIVED
True
Array Bit Size Total Bit Size of the Array. Zero or Negative values may be used to indicate the array fills the packet up to the offset from the end of the packet specified by this value. True
Description Description which must be enclosed with quotes False
Endianness Indicates if the data is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format

Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN
False

Example Usage:

ARRAY_PARAMETER ARRAY 64 64 FLOAT 640 "Array of 10 64bit floats"

APPEND_ARRAY_PARAMETER

Defines a command parameter in the current command packet that is an array

Parameter Description Required
Name Name of the parameter. Must be unique within the command. True
Item Bit Size Bit size of each array item True
Item Data Type Data Type of each array item

Valid Values: INT, UINT, FLOAT, STRING, BLOCK, DERIVED
True
Array Bit Size Total Bit Size of the Array. Zero or Negative values may be used to indicate the array fills the packet up to the offset from the end of the packet specified by this value. True
Description Description which must be enclosed with quotes False
Endianness Indicates if the data is to be sent in Big Endian or Little Endian format

Valid Values: BIG_ENDIAN, LITTLE_ENDIAN
False

Example Usage:

APPEND_ARRAY_PARAMETER ARRAY 64 FLOAT 640 "Array of 10 64bit floats"

SELECT_PARAMETER

Selects an existing command parameter for editing

Parameter Description Required
Parameter Name of the parameter to select for modification True

Example Usage:

SELECT_COMMAND INST COLLECT
  SELECT_PARAMETER DURATION

DELETE_PARAMETER

(Since 4.4.1)

Deletes an existing command parameter from the packet definition

Deleting a parameter from the command definition does not remove the defined space for that parameter. Thus unless you redefine a new parameter, there will be a “hole” in the packet where the data is not accessible. You can use SELECT_COMMAND and then PARAMETER to define a new parameter.

Parameter Description Required
Parameter Name of the parameter to delete True

Example Usage:

SELECT_COMMAND INST COLLECT
  DELETE_PARAMETER DURATION

HIDDEN

Hides this command from all COSMOS tools such as Command Sender and Handbook Creator

Hidden commands do not appear in the Script Runner popup helper when writing scripts. The command still exists in the system and can be sent by scripts.

DISABLED

Disables this command from being sent

Hides the command and also disables it from being sent by scripts. Attempts to send DISABLED commands result in an error message.

DISABLE_MESSAGES

Disable the Server from printing cmd(…) messages. Commands are still logged.

META

Stores metadata for the current command

Meta data is user specific data that can be used by custom tools for various purposes. One example is to store additional information needed to generate source code header files.

Parameter Description Required
Meta Name Name of the metadata to store True
Meta Values One or more values to be stored for this Meta Name False

Example Usage:

META FSW_TYPE "struct command"

HAZARDOUS

Designates the current command as hazardous

Sending a hazardous command causes a dialog asking for confirmation before sending the command

Parameter Description Required
Description Description for why the command is hazardous which must be enclosed with quotes False

PARAMETER Modifiers

The following keywords must follow a PARAMETER keyword.

FORMAT_STRING

Adds printf style formatting

Parameter Description Required
Format How to format using printf syntax. For example, ‘0x%0X’ will display the value in hex. True

Example Usage:

FORMAT_STRING "0x%0X"

UNITS

Add displayed units

Parameter Description Required
Full Name Full name of the units type, e.g. Celsius True
Abbreviated Abbreviation for the units, e.g. C True

Example Usage:

UNITS Celsius C
UNITS Kilometers KM

DESCRIPTION

Override the defined description

Parameter Description Required
Value The new description True

META

Stores custom user metadata

Meta data is user specific data that can be used by custom tools for various purposes. One example is to store additional information needed to generate source code header files.

Parameter Description Required
Meta Name Name of the metadata to store True
Meta Values One or more values to be stored for this Meta Name False

Example Usage:

META TEST "This parameter is for test purposes only"

OVERLAP

(Since 4.4.1)

This item is allowed to overlap other items in the packet

If an item’s bit offset overlaps another item, COSMOS issues a warning. This keyword explicitly allows an item to overlap another and supresses the warning message.

REQUIRED

Parameter is required to be populated in scripts

When sending the command via Script Runner a value must always be given for the current command parameter. This prevents the user from relying on a default value. Note that this does not affect Command Sender which will still populate the field with the default value provided in the PARAMETER definition.

MINIMUM_VALUE

Override the defined minimum value

Parameter Description Required
Value The new minimum value for the parameter True

MAXIMUM_VALUE

Override the defined maximum value

Parameter Description Required
Value The new maximum value for the parameter True

DEFAULT_VALUE

Override the defined default value

Parameter Description Required
Value The new default value for the parameter True

STATE

Defines a key/value pair for the current command parameter

Key value pairs allow for user friendly strings. For example, you might define states for ON = 1 and OFF = 0. This allows the word ON to be used rather than the number 1 when sending the command parameter and allows for much greater clarity and less chance for user error.

Parameter Description Required
Key The string state name True
Value The numerical state value True
Hazardous Indicates the state is hazardous. This will cause a popup to ask for user confirmation when sending this command.

Valid Values: HAZARDOUS
False
Hazardous Description String describing why this state is hazardous False

Example Usage:

APPEND_PARAMETER ENABLE 32 UINT 0 1 0 "Enable setting"
  STATE FALSE 0
  STATE TRUE 1
APPEND_PARAMETER STRING 1024 STRING "NOOP" "String parameter"
  STATE "NOOP" "NOOP"
  STATE "ARM LASER" "ARM LASER" HAZARDOUS "Arming the laser is an eye safety hazard"
  STATE "FIRE LASER" "FIRE LASER" HAZARDOUS "WARNING! Laser will be fired!"

WRITE_CONVERSION

Applies a conversion when writing the current command parameter

Conversions are implemented in a custom Ruby file which should be located in the target’s lib folder and required by the target’s target.txt file (see REQUIRE). The class must require ‘cosmos/conversions/conversion’ and inherit from Conversion. It must implement the initialize method if it takes extra parameters and must always implement the call method. The conversion factor is applied to the value entered by the user before it is written into the binary command packet and sent.

Multiple write conversions on command parameters

When a command is built, each item gets written (and write conversions are run) to set the default value. Then items are written (again write conversions are run) with user provided values. Thus write conversions can be run twice. Also there are no guarantees which parameters have already been written. The packet itself has a given_values() method which can be used to retrieve a hash of the user provided values to the command. That can be used to check parameter values passed in.

Parameter Description Required
Class Filename The filename which contains the Ruby class. The filename must be named after the class such that the class is a CamelCase version of the underscored filename. For example, ‘the_great_conversion.rb’ should contain ‘class TheGreatConversion’. True
Parameter Additional parameter values for the conversion which are passed to the class constructor. False

Example Usage:

WRITE_CONVERSION the_great_conversion.rb 1000

Defined in the_great_conversion.rb:

require 'cosmos/conversions/conversion'
module Cosmos
  class TheGreatConversion < Conversion
    def initialize(multiplier)
      super()
      @multiplier = multiplier.to_f
    end
    def call(value, packet, buffer)
      return value * multiplier
    end
  end
end

POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION

Adds a polynomial conversion factor to the current command parameter

The conversion factor is applied to the value entered by the user before it is written into the binary command packet and sent.

Parameter Description Required
C0 Coefficient True
Cx Additional coefficient values for the conversion. Any order polynomial conversion may be used so the value of ‘x’ will vary with the order of the polynomial. Note that larger order polynomials take longer to process than shorter order polynomials, but are sometimes more accurate. False

Example Usage:

POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION 10 0.5 0.25

SEG_POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION

Adds a segmented polynomial conversion factor to the current command parameter

This conversion factor is applied to the value entered by the user before it is written into the binary command packet and sent.

Parameter Description Required
Lower Bound Defines the lower bound of the range of values that this segmented polynomial applies to. Is ignored for the segment with the smallest lower bound. True
C0 Coefficient True
Cx Additional coefficient values for the conversion. Any order polynomial conversion may be used so the value of ‘x’ will vary with the order of the polynomial. Note that larger order polynomials take longer to process than shorter order polynomials, but are sometimes more accurate. False

Example Usage:

SEG_POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION 0 10 0.5 0.25 # Apply the conversion to all values < 50
SEG_POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION 50 11 0.5 0.275 # Apply the conversion to all values >= 50 and < 100
SEG_POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION 100 12 0.5 0.3 # Apply the conversion to all values >= 100

GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_START

Start a generic write conversion

Adds a generic conversion function to the current command parameter. This conversion factor is applied to the value entered by the user before it is written into the binary command packet and sent. The conversion is specified as ruby code that receives two implied parameters. ‘value’ which is the raw value being written and ‘packet’ which is a reference to the command packet class (Note, referencing the packet as ‘myself’ is still supported for backwards compatibility). The last line of ruby code given should return the converted value. The GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_END keyword specifies that all lines of ruby code for the conversion have been given.

Multiple write conversions on command parameters

When a command is built, each item gets written (and write conversions are run) to set the default value. Then items are written (again write conversions are run) with user provided values. Thus write conversions can be run twice. Also there are no guarantees which parameters have already been written. The packet itself has a given_values() method which can be used to retrieve a hash of the user provided values to the command. That can be used to check parameter values passed in.

Generic conversions are not a good long term solution. Consider creating a conversion class and using WRITE_CONVERSION instead. WRITE_CONVERSION is easier to debug and higher performance.

Example Usage:

APPEND_PARAMETER ITEM1 32 UINT 0 0xFFFFFFFF 0
  GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_START
    (value * 1.5).to_i # Convert the value by a scale factor
  GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_END

GENERIC_WRITE_CONVERSION_END

Complete a generic write conversion

OVERFLOW

Set the behavior when writing a value overflows the type

By default COSMOS throws an error if you try to write a value which overflows its specified type, e.g. writing 255 to a 8 bit signed value. Setting the overflow behavior also allows for COSMOS to ‘TRUNCATE’ the value by eliminating any high order bits. You can also set ‘SATURATE’ which causes COSMOS to replace the value with the maximum or minimum allowable value for that type. Finally you can specify ‘ERROR_ALLOW_HEX’ which will allow for a maximum hex value to be writen, e.g. you can successfully write 255 to a 8 bit signed value.

Parameter Description Required
Behavior How COSMOS treats an overflow value. Only applies to signed and unsigned integer data types.

Valid Values: ERROR, ERROR_ALLOW_HEX, TRUNCATE, SATURATE
True

Example Usage:

OVERFLOW TRUNCATE

Example File

Example File: TARGET/cmd_tlm/cmd.txt

COMMAND TARGET COLLECT_DATA BIG_ENDIAN "Commands my target to collect data"
  PARAMETER CCSDSVER 0 3 UINT 0 0 0 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER VERSION NUMBER"
  PARAMETER CCSDSTYPE 3 1 UINT 1 1 1 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER PACKET TYPE"
  PARAMETER CCSDSSHF 4 1 UINT 0 0 0 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER SECONDARY HEADER FLAG"
  ID_PARAMETER CCSDSAPID 5 11 UINT 0 2047 100 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER APPLICATION ID"
  PARAMETER CCSDSSEQFLAGS 16 2 UINT 3 3 3 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER SEQUENCE FLAGS"
  PARAMETER CCSDSSEQCNT 18 14 UINT 0 16383 0 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER SEQUENCE COUNT"
  PARAMETER CCSDSLENGTH 32 16 UINT 4 4 4 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER PACKET LENGTH"
  PARAMETER ANGLE 48 32 FLOAT -180.0 180.0 0.0 "ANGLE OF INSTRUMENT IN DEGREES"
  POLY_WRITE_CONVERSION 0 0.01745 0 0
  PARAMETER MODE 80 8 UINT 0 1 0 "DATA COLLECTION MODE"
    STATE NORMAL 0
    STATE DIAG 1
COMMAND TARGET NOOP BIG_ENDIAN "Do Nothing"
  PARAMETER CCSDSVER 0 3 UINT 0 0 0 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER VERSION NUMBER"
  PARAMETER CCSDSTYPE 3 1 UINT 1 1 1 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER PACKET TYPE"
  PARAMETER CCSDSSHF 4 1 UINT 0 0 0 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER SECONDARY HEADER FLAG"
  ID_PARAMETER CCSDSAPID 5 11 UINT 0 2047 101 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER APPLICATION ID"
  PARAMETER CCSDSSEQFLAGS 16 2 UINT 3 3 3 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER SEQUENCE FLAGS"
  PARAMETER CCSDSSEQCNT 18 14 UINT 0 16383 0 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER SEQUENCE COUNT"
  PARAMETER CCSDSLENGTH 32 16 UINT 0 0 0 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER PACKET LENGTH"
  PARAMETER DUMMY 48 8 UINT 0 0 0 "DUMMY PARAMETER BECAUSE CCSDS REQUIRES 1 BYTE OF DATA"
COMMAND TARGET SETTINGS BIG_ENDIAN "Set the Settings"
  PARAMETER CCSDSVER 0 3 UINT 0 0 0 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER VERSION NUMBER"
  PARAMETER CCSDSTYPE 3 1 UINT 1 1 1 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER PACKET TYPE"
  PARAMETER CCSDSSHF 4 1 UINT 0 0 0 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER SECONDARY HEADER FLAG"
  ID_PARAMETER CCSDSAPID 5 11 UINT 0 2047 102 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER APPLICATION ID"
  PARAMETER CCSDSSEQFLAGS 16 2 UINT 3 3 3 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER SEQUENCE FLAGS"
  PARAMETER CCSDSSEQCNT 18 14 UINT 0 16383 0 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER SEQUENCE COUNT"
  PARAMETER CCSDSLENGTH 32 16 UINT 0 0 0 "CCSDS PRIMARY HEADER PACKET LENGTH"
  <% 5.times do |x| %>
  APPEND_PARAMETER SETTING<%= x %> 16 UINT 0 5 0 "Setting <%= x %>"
  <% end %>