Open your first display

Start with a built QtEDM executable and an existing .adl display. A live display also needs network access to its EPICS process variables.

Open the editor

From the repository root on Linux:

bin/Linux-x86_64/qtedm

QtEDM starts in EDIT mode. Open an existing ADL file or create a display, then use the object and resource palettes to configure its objects. See Edit and execute displays for the available operations.

Monitor an existing display

bin/Linux-x86_64/qtedm -x path/to/display.adl

Replace path/to/display.adl with an actual display file. -x starts EXECUTE mode and connects its widgets to their configured channels. The screen should show the display's objects and live values for reachable PVs. If values are missing, check the configured PV names, protocol, and network connection.

Supply macros and display paths

For a display that uses $(P) and $(R) substitutions:

bin/Linux-x86_64/qtedm -x -macro "P=SR:,R=Orbit" path/to/display.adl

Choose macro values that match your display and facility. EPICS_DISPLAY_PATH supplies directories for display lookup, separated by : on Unix or ; on Windows. See Environment variables and Macros and dynamic behavior.

Observe without writes

bin/Linux-x86_64/qtedm --read-only path/to/display.adl

--read-only starts execute mode with a persistent red indicator. Monitoring and navigation remain available while CA, PVA, soft-PV, snapshot-restore, and plugin-provider writes are blocked.

Next steps

• Find a widget and its configuration fields.
• Read the command-line reference for additional startup options.
• Work with sessions and snapshots to restore a workspace or manage configured PV snapshots.