Command-line options

QtEDM can be executed from the command line in the general form:

qtedm [options] [display-files]

Options are:

Option	Description
-help, -h, -?	Display usage information and exit
-version	Display version information and exit
-x	Start in EXECUTE mode (default is EDIT mode)
--read-only	Start in EXECUTE mode with global observe-only write inhibition. A persistent red indicator is shown and all CA, PVA, and soft-PV puts are blocked and audit logged.
--session name	Explicitly restore a named version-1 session. Session restore defaults to EXECUTE mode, validates every display, reports omissions, and clamps windows to connected screens.
-local	Run in local mode (default)
-attach	On X11, send requested displays to an existing compatible QtEDM instance
-cleanup	On X11, replace stale single-instance request state and become the receiving instance
-macro "xxx=aaa,yyy=bbb,..."	Define macro substitutions for PV names in EXECUTE mode
-dg geometry	Specify display geometry (WxH+X+Y format)
-displayGeometry geometry	Long-form alias for -dg
-displayFont alias|scalable	Select font mode: alias (MEDM-compatible) or scalable
-noMsg	Do not raise the message window on startup
-nolog	Disable audit logging of control widget value changes
-bigMousePointer	Use a larger mouse pointer for accessibility
-cmap	Use a private colormap (compatibility option)

Examples

Start QtEDM with a display in execute mode:

qtedm -x main.adl

Start with macro substitutions:

qtedm -x -macro "P=ioc1:,R=motor1" motor.adl

Open multiple displays:

qtedm -x display1.adl display2.adl display3.adl

Remote Display via SSH

When running QtEDM over an SSH connection with X11 forwarding, it is highly recommended to use the -C option to enable compression. This significantly improves display update performance and provides a smoother experience, especially when monitoring rapidly changing process variables.

ssh -C -X user@host
qtedm -x display.adl

The -C option compresses all data sent over the SSH connection, which reduces the bandwidth required for X11 protocol traffic. Without compression, high-frequency widget updates can overwhelm the connection and cause sluggish or jerky display behavior.

-attach and -cleanup use an X11 root-window request protocol and fall back to local mode on Wayland, macOS, and Windows.