Introduction

This tutorial introduces you to the joys and pains of writing scripts for TUI.

Scripts are written in Python, and this tutorial does not attempt to teach the language. I strongly recommend the python tutorial at Python's home. Python is a simple and powerful language, and a little knowledge can be a tremendous asset.

The topics are as follows:

• Basics (Hello script) Your first script. What's with "yield"?
• Send Commands (DISDark script) Control an instrument. Format variables in a string.
• Loops (DISCals script) Use a loop to simplify repetitive commands.
• Refinements (NiceDISCals script) Add a few refinements to DISCals to make a script worth emulating.
• UserInput (DISDark v2 script) Add user input widgets to your script.
• Getting Info (DISConfig script) Get current information about an instrument or the telescope and use it in your scripts.
• Conclusion Where to go for more information.

The sample scripts from this tutorial can be found in tui_root/TUI/Scripts/Tutorial (you may have to ask your sysadmin for the location of tui_root).