Version History

Version 2.0.0

Released: 2024-08-24

Notes:

This is the first release of the 2.0 series, which contains some significant API changes. Please have a look at the documentation of the Python interface specifically to adjust any of your custom code.
This release changes the used IPC mechanism, reducing its latency greatly and also allowing for a lot more capable out-of-process modules. If you are transferring very large chunks of data (e.g. excessively large images) between OOP modules (such as PyScript), you may encounter issues if the frequency of new data is too high. Please file bugs in this case, future releases will address these potential issues.
If you are developing modules: The Syntalos core has been broken up into multiple libraries and headers with stabilized API, which should make it a lot easier to develop modules. Please consult the C++ API documentation for more information!
Operations performed by many Syntalos modules should now have a lot lower latency. Give it a try!
Some user interface components have been refined and new modules have been introduced! Please have a look below for details, or explore the interface on your own.

Features:

videotransform: Add falsecolour/histogram-normalization transformations
Implement new IPC mechanism based on Iceoryx
Refactor and rework IPC interface and OOP module bindings
Rework streaming data type system
Refactor Syntalos core into multiple libraries
python: Rework Python integration, make Python module independent of pyworker
firmata-io: Make module run in a dedicated thread to improve latency
firmata-io: Use an event loop in the dedicated thread to listen for data
firmata-io: Update device list on USB hotplug events
Refactor data types, data storage and clock/sync helpers into their own shlib
Make port editor UI a shared UI component
pyscript: Use QTermWidget for Python output
Introduce a new module state for modules that don’t participate in a run
cpp-workbench: Add new module for on-the-fly C++ module coding
engine: Allow SyThread to be backed by QThread, don’t override error state
datactl: Add some convenience initializers for FirmataControl
Add categorization for modules
Update module selection dialog with filter & categorization
Categorize all modules
Add devel.latencytest: A simple diagnostic module to test (Firmata) latency
pyscript/cpp-workbench: Disable default editor save action
pyscript/cpp-workbench: Use toolbars instead of main menu in UI
Permit modules to limit port types in the port selector
upy-workbench: Add module to easily program a microcontroller in Python
upy-wbench: Use msec precision for device, but raise to µsec in Syntalos
canvas: Move settings into the main window view
canvas: Add simple image histogram display
Add camera-arv: Aravis-based GenICam support
camera-arv: Install udev rules for access to Basler cameras
Use higher-precision µsec timestamps for frames and data blocks
Use microsecond timestamps explicitly in more places
python: Switch from our own cv::Mat<->ndarray conversion to cvnp
camera-arv: Allow user access to FLIR cameras
galdur-stim: Add new module prototype for the old RT stim processor
python: Improve support for standalone Python modules
deeplabcut: Port to new Python API
python: Auto-reload main Python file of native py-modules on changes
ui: When filtering modules, select the first match by default
intan-rhx: Update to 3.3.2
Allow user to load a project anyway even if some settings failed to load

Bugfixes:

mlink: Forward output ports, fix Python type conversions
mlink: Make sure subscribers are allowed to block producers
engine: Cleanup resources a bit earlier to save memory on idle
Only bubble up the first error to the user per-module, to avoid spam
meson: Strip interfering private library linker lines from pc file
moduleapi: return the same port again if someone tries to register it twice
miniscope: Include frame index in emitted frames
Ensure module visual error state is preserved after a failed run
Replace, not extend UI lists when re-scanning serial devices
videorecorder: Properly handle encoder GAIN and flush last packets
Make module select dialog work better with fractional scaling displays
utils: Add trailing newline when serializing TOML tables
canvas: Render images with higher bit depths correctly
table: Don’t crash if no input connection was made
camera-tis: Enable bidirectional time synchronization
camera-arv: Narrow gap between device and system timestamp via constant offset
Adjust clock-sync algorithm behavior to be more similar to freq-counter
Resolve int overflow when using hi-res times for FirmataData & in Python
debian: Use udev rules installed into /usr
timesync: clocksync: Smooth out correction offset a bit
timesync: Make fluke correction less aggressive, smoother and faster
timesync: clock: Attenuate correction speed to current framerate better
engine: Stop stream exporter later and safer
python: Improve start latency and make ‘prepare’ behave like in C++
engine: Process some UI events while waiting for threads to join
ui: Ensure graph view is always resized to make enough space for nodes
ui: Highlight last-added node after initialization
Try to work around cases where clone3 is blocked by seccomp
rtkit: Try to prefer the XDG portal over direct RtKit communication
intan-rhx: Fix rare crash if module is stopped before it was fully started

Miscellaneous:

Bump OS and compiler dependency
Refine library dependencies to speed up linking a bit
Add helper script to update shared code in module Meson definitions
intan-rhx: Bump default recording interval to 20min
modules: Disable notes for module MOC processing by default
Rename component-ID to reflect the software’s new home
docs: Move documentation to separate repository
Update imgui
tests: Add some demo projects
metainfo: Update homepage URL
Rename website and ID to syntalos.org

Version 1.1.0

Released: 2024-02-22

Notes:

The “traceplot” module has been replaced with “plot-timeseries”. Older projects may need a bit of manual adjustment to the new module.

Features:

plot-timeseries: Add efficient timeseries plotting module
sp210-pressuresense: Add module for the differential pressure sensor
Add SP210 pressure sensor firmware
jsonwriter: Add module to save data as compressed, Pandas-compatible JSON
jsonwriter: Allow encoding of NaN values as NaN
traceplot: Drop the module, plot-timeseries replaces it
Make all modules provide required metadata to work with the new timeplot module
plot-timeseries: Allow user to configure GUI update interval & buffer size
intan-rhx: Sync with upstream 3.3.1
intan-rhx: Try to sacrifice display refresh speed before buffer overrun
intan-rhx: Default to high-efficiency plotting mode
table: Make data visibility and data storage configurable
miniscope: Improve BNO block stream transfer efficiency
streams: Make suspension API accessible to variant streams
Switch to C++20
datasource: Add demo float signal data source
Load project when project file is passed as parameter

Bugfixes:

Fix module loader on older versions of Flatpak / Ubuntu 20.04
stream: Make integer sizes for signal types more clearly defined
engine: Protect better against wrong event API use with dead subscriptions
engine: Attempt emergency save in case of fatal module/thread stalls
videorecorder: Improve error reporting for bad metadata
Don’t prematurely unlock UI on module error
Don’t draw “fake” connections when user connects ports during a run
sysinfo: Don’t overflow UI if CPU supports a lot of AVX instructions
Rename a few instances of “MazeAmaze”
intan-rhx: Work around crash in GUI race condition
intan-rhx: Work around widget rendering crash upon module reload on GNOME
intan-rhx: Improve error reporting
Improve UI when raising very large, complex error messages
Fail immediately if any two modules try to write to the same EDL dataset
Disable some more UI-blocking dialog actions during a run

Miscellaneous:

docs: Add time series plotter module documentation
Increase default size of module select dialog/entries a bit
Update dependency information
docs: Add a few more examples how to read data without edlio
Set a better initial position for managed settings windows

Version 1.0.1

Released: 2023-12-22

Features:

Add signal block serialization support
canvas: Port to modern OpenGL
canvas: Port display functions to work with GLES
canvas: Add setting to highlight saturated pixels
moduleapi: Auto-name windows if window convenience methods are used

Bugfixes:

videorecorder: Set framerate correctly if AVI container is used
camera-generic: Ensure pixel format is (re)set before framerate is changed
camera-generic: Ensure image dimensions are actually applied again
deb: Set build-deps, so shlibdeps are populated correctly

Miscellaneous:

docs: Document the tsync binary format
docs: Add “Windows” installation instructions
Make options to manage custom Python modules and venvs more obvious

Version 1.0.0

Released: 2023-08-08

Features:

firmata-io: Allow variable pulse lengths and improve logging
pyscript: Add some convenience functions for Firmata handling
python: syio: Make Firmata convenience functions members of OutputPort
pyscript: Use smaller sample script, move explanations to docs
miniscope: Implement support for orientation sensor
miniscope: Require libminiscope >= 0.5.0
canvas: Implement start/stop/pause controls
videorecorder: Disable video slicing by default

Bugfixes:

utils: Don’t delay thread for too long in delay()
firmata: Ensure pin pulse lengths are clamped to a maximum length

Miscellaneous:

ci: Update action versions
Relax module ABI check slightly
Add example C++ module
Autoformat Python code
Autoformat C/C++ code
docs: Add small tutorials for beginners
docs: Add initial timing verification documentation
docs: Add simple documentation for all non-developer modules
Add help shortcut to online discussion page

Version 0.8.4

Released: 2023-05-26

Features:

Add USB connection diagram display to diagnostics toolbox
Display smaller status steps when saving a file
Allow module icons to be auto-loaded from files instead of embedded resources
Allow user to annotate experiment runs with custom comments
Drop info message when Syntalos is running in a Flatpak sandbox
Make user module locations Flatpak-aware
Add emergency fuse to stop if low on system memory
Add code for simple Pi Pico-based testpulse generator
Add simple circuit drawing for test pulse generator
audiosrc: Add simple audio signal generator
camera-tis: Port to new tcam 1.0 API
intan-rhx: Update to v3.2.0
videotransform: crop: Improve performance
videorecorder: Make AV1 codec work, allow hardware acceleration for it

Bugfixes:

Make dark/light color scheme switching work with recent Breeze versions
Try to break thread deadlocks in misbehaving modules
Set no-omit-frame-pointers explicitly when tracing
Stop using deprecated Python symbols and migrate to PyConfig
Don’t complain when eventfd read fails with EAGAIN
Allow the direct use of PipeWire in Syntalos
Mark HPET as acceptable clocksource
Display the proper project name in title, even if it has dots
camera-tis: Check for presence of udev rules when module is initialized
camera-tis: Skip save/load of read-only properties
camera-generic: Allow manually overriding exposure mode as quirk setting
camera-generic: Don’t scale settings values
camera-generic: Allow user to set a capture pixel format (if possible)
videotransform: Don’t deselect the UI when launching an experiment
intan-rhx: Add missing break statements
videorecorder: Stop hardcoding render node used for VAAPI
videorecorder: Don’t crash if deferred encoder initialization fails
videorecorder: Make combined hardware & deferred encoding work properly

Miscellaneous:

Apply some stricter compile-time checks
Move module icons out of global resources and load from files
timesync: Adjust times a bit more slowly
timesync: Re-fill buffer vector completely after time adjustment/calibration
timesync: intan: Don’t wait too long after time adjustment
Update rwqueue implementation to latest upstream
docs: Update install instructions, add Flatpak info
intan-rhx: Silence warnings due to upstream code issues
intan-rhx: Reduce time sync tolerance slightly
canvas: Slightly modernize OpenGL
videorecorder: Only show model name in DRI device selection

Version 0.8.3

Released: 2022-09-01

Features:

Add initial code to make Syntalos play well with Flatpak sandboxes
canvas: Allow for smaller minimum display window size
Implement crash reporter tool
crashreport: Add a special mode to debug freezes as well
videorecorder: Allow using the AV1 codec again
Simplify elided label code and make it accessible to modules
miniscope: Display device name for camera ID
sysinfo: Allow user to easily copy system information
runcmd: Allow running commands on host if in Flatpak sandbox
intan-rhx: Verify udev rules are present and warn the user if not
intan-rhx: Synchronize with upstream Intan RHX 3.1.0
Provide pre-rendered logo icons in addition to vector graphic
debian: Build separate syntalos-hwsupport package
Include hardware support package install state in sysinfo dialog
Allow loading modules from user locations
Add a few quicklaunch actions for useful tools and websites

Bugfixes:

table: Adjust module icon to dark mode
Defer error emission of module errors emitted while running to shutdown
canvas: Try even harder to resume image display when we are too slow
Find Numpy in more places
videotransform: Improve UI a bit and validate crop ROI earlier
videotransform: Enforce lower width/height limits
debian: Pull in gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad to ensure TIS cameras work
Make keyboard-selecting entries possible in all list views
engine: Defer storage group destruction until all modules are stopped
crashreport: Add hack to grab ptrace permission when analyzing freeze
engine: Steal EDL storage groups only after all mod-threads have joined
videorecorder: Copy frame before color conversion to prevent crash
videorecorder: Use OpenCV’s own code for encoder input alignment
videorecorder: Unconditionally run pixel format conversion
videorecorder: vaapi: hevc: Actually apply constant-quality setting
videorecorder: Use gobal headers for hwaccell again
Fix build with FFmpeg 5.x
Fix rare ordering-related build failure
videotransform: Fix single transform entry being non-selectable post-run
videorecorder: Try a few more times to reach a new encoder process
videorecorder: Fix wrong orientation of encode progress bar with recent Qt5
table: Raise window correctly via double-click on module box
Ensure leftover temporary data in /var/tmp is cleaned up on reboot
Ensure ephemeral run data is not stored on a tmpfs-backed temporary location
Apply uaccess tag to udev rules

Miscellaneous:

canvas: Reduce display fps accuracy
intan-rhx: Tweak defaults for Syntalos
metainfo: Automatically add release information
Show Flatpak-needs-testing message when run as Flatpak bundle
Update Syntalos logo design

Version 0.8.2

Released: 2022-01-22

Features:

py: Allow floats to be emitted as table values
deeplabcut: Add very simple settings UI
Ensure more x86_64 extensions are enabled if possible and useful
Use very-cheap vectorization cost model only when it’s available
timesync: Unconditionally write the last timestamp pair to tsync files
Allow intervals of less than a minute for interval runs
camera-tis: Save & restore all device settings
Add support for dark themes
Allow user to select a dark color scheme, more darkness fixes

Bugfixes:

intan-rhx: Don’t halt recording if display window is closed
intan-rhx: Udev rules should not be executable
intan-rhx: Give save thread some time to write the last data to disk
intan-rhx: Add hard barrier for tsync timestamps to not go out of bounds
intan-rhx: Alter initial offset calculation to be more reliable
py: Improve logging, fix venv support
py: Increase time we wait until assuming a worker has died
py: Show settings correctly if they are called multiple times
py: Allow modules to use Qt by injecting the system bindings into their venvs
encodehelper: Atomically replace old attributes file
Immediately stop interval run if error occurred or run was cancelled
Don’t create unneeded instance copies in loops
Fix build with recent GCC / Glibc versions
Adjust to TOML++ API changes
timesync: counter: Consider block count when setting initial offset
Tweak alignment for a few icons

Miscellaneous:

Improve license explanation in “About” dialog
Use the same app version format for our EDL metadata and about dialog

Version 0.8.1

Released: 2021-09-10

Features:

Auto-switch to registered subject list if no override is set
Add easy way for modules to react to USB hotplug events
Add feature to auto-repeat an experiment run at set intervals
intan-rhx: Merge 3.0.4 upstream changes

Bugfixes:

Correctly list all aux data files in EDL manifests
Ensure experiment ID and animal ID are always trimmed
encodehelper: Never have two threads write to the same metadata file
edl: Don’t write empty author email if no email is set
camera-flir: Fix build with recent versions of the Spinnaker SDK
videorecorder: Fix deprecation warning
Fix docs generation by ignoring even more code for API docs

Miscellaneous:

Mention the CI package install script in README

Version 0.8.0

Released: 2021-05-24

Notes:

NEWS file created
Project is now known as Syntalos