3. Application Menu

This section describes the operations that can be performed in Fast DDS Monitor through the application menu.

3.1. File

3.1.1. Initialize DDS Monitor

Button to start monitoring a new DDS network. The entities of this network will be automatically discovered. Moreover, their connections, their configuration and statistical data reported by them will be built and displayed on the monitor for further user queries.

Section Monitor Domain contains all the definitions and explanation about what monitoring a domain means in the context of the application.

Pressing this button, a new Dialog will be displayed requesting the user to introduce a number between 0 and 200, which will be the DDS Domain number. This will start a monitor in a specific DDS domain. The entities in this domain will be automatically discovered.

Note

Starting a monitor in a Domain already initialized will prompt an error message, and create an issue that can be found in Issues Panel. Selecting Retry allows the user to select a different Domain.

3.1.2. Initialize Discovery Server Monitor

Button to start monitoring a new DDS network. The entities of this network will be automatically discovered. Moreover, their connections, their configuration and statistical data reported by them will be built and displayed on the monitor for further user queries.

Section Monitor Domain contains all the definitions and explanation about what monitoring a domain means in the context of the application.

Pressing this button, a new Dialog will be displayed requesting the user to introduce a list of network addresses in a specific string format to connect with one or more Fast DDS Discovery Servers. This string must contain the IP-port pair where the Discovery Server is listening in the format ip:port separated by ;.

This will connect the Fast DDS Monitor to the Discovery Servers listening on the addresses set, and it will get all the discovery information of the entities connecting through them.

Note

Starting a monitor in a Discovery Server already initialized will prompt an error message, and create an issue that can be found in Issues Panel. Selecting Retry allows the user to select a different Discovery Server.

3.1.3. Export Charts to CSV

Export all the data displayed in the current Fast DDS Monitor session to a CSV file. Please refer to section Export data for more information on the format of the generated CSV file.

3.1.4. Dump

Dump the information from the database to a JSON file. Please refer to section Export data for more information on the format of the generated JSON file.

3.1.5. Dump and clear

Same as the previous one but clearing the statistics data of all the entities.

3.1.6. Quit

Close the application.

3.2. Edit

3.2.1. Display Historical Data

Create a new historic Chartbox in the Main Panel. To know how to configure a historic Chartbox, please refer to the section Historic Data.

3.2.2. Display Real-Time Data

Create a new dynamic Chartbox in the Main Panel. To know how to configure a dynamic Chartbox, please refer to the section Real-Time Data.

3.2.3. Delete inactive entities

This button removes all the inactive entities from the database.

3.2.4. Delete statistics data

This button clear the statistics data of all the entities.

3.2.5. Scheduler Configuration

Prompts a dialogue box allowing to create a schedule to dump the database to a file, remove old data and/or remove inactive entities at a specified interval.

3.2.6. Refresh

This button resets the entity clicked and the entities models in case there is some entity missing in the display.

3.2.7. Clear Log

This button clears the callbacks log.

3.2.8. Clear Issues

This button clears the issues log.

3.3. View

3.3.1. Hide/Show Inactive entities

The user of the application can decide whether to display the currently inactive entities. In case they are shown, it will be possible to access the data related to them, while if they are hidden from the monitor, they will no longer be available in the whole application framework. The latter means that it will not be possible to plot charts with data relating to these entities. This button hides/reveals the currently inactive entities detected by the monitor.

3.3.2. Hide/Show Metatraffic

Entities utilized for sharing metatraffic data are not shown by default. These include Fast-DDS Statistics module topics and the ones used by ROS for metatraffic data exchange, as well as the endpoints to which these topics are bound. As with the hide/show inactive entities feature, when metatraffic entities are hidden they are no longer available in the whole application framework. This button displays/hides the metatraffic entities detected by the monitor.

3.3.3. Revert/Perform ROS 2 Demangling

By default, ROS 2 types are demangled to recover the original type name and IDL representation in IDL view, and improve compatibility with FastDDS Gen IDL use. Demangled IDLs in IDL view show a sign on the corner informing of this operation. When this feature is disabled, the ROS 2 types are shown as they are received by the monitor. This button reverts/performs the demangling operation.

3.3.4. Dashboard Layout

Changes the size of the chart boxes displayed in the Main Panel of the application. Three mutually exclusive layout options are defined and explained below.

  • Dashboard Layout Large: A single full-screen chart is displayed.

  • Dashboard Layout Medium: Adjusts the chart size to show two chart boxes per row.

  • Dashboard Layout Small: Adjusts the chart size to show three chart boxes per row.

3.3.5. Hide/Show Shortcuts Toolbar

Hide the shortcuts superior toolbar if visible, or reveal it otherwise.

3.3.6. Customize Shortcuts Toolbar

Allows to show or hide independently the shortcut buttons in the shortcut toolbar.

3.3.7. Hide/Show Left sidebar

Hide the left sidebar if visible, or reveal it otherwise.

3.3.8. Customize Left sidebar

Allows to show or hide independently the different panels in the Explorer Panel.

3.4. Help

3.4.1. Documentation

Link to this documentation.

3.4.2. Release Notes

Link to the Releases section of the GitHub Fast DDS Monitor repository.

3.4.3. Join Us on Twitter

Link to eProsima Twitter account.

3.4.4. Search Feature Requests

Link to the Issues section of the GitHub Fast DDS Monitor repository.

3.4.5. Report Issue

Link to create a new Issue in the Issues section of the GitHub Fast DDS Monitor repository.

3.4.6. About

General information of the currently running Fast DDS Monitor application.