# Getting Started

## The Purpose of Dodal

``dodal`` provides set of [ophyd](https://nsls-ii.github.io/ophyd/)/[ophyd-async](https://blueskyproject.io/ophyd-async/main/index.html) devices and [bluesky](https://blueskyproject.io/bluesky/) plans that are commonly useful across many beamlines at DLS.

If you have some code that you think would be useful to be added please do so!

## Using Devices

``dodal`` contains devices to cover anything you would like to do using a beamline's hardware.

To use these devices you can do the following:

```python
from dodal.beamlines import i03
dcm = i03.dcm()
# You can now use the DCM as you would any other device in Bluesky plans
```

If you are on a beamline workstation this will give you immediate access to the real hardware. If you are not on a
beamline workstation it will default to connecting to a simulated instrument.

## Adding Logging

``dodal`` provides some helper functions to help you log what's going on.

You can set these up using:

```python
from dodal.beamlines import i03
from dodal.log import set_up_logging_handlers, LOGGER

set_up_logging_handlers()
```

Some logging will now occur when you are using devices/plans, you can increase the amount of logs by
instead using ``set_up_logging_handlers("DEBUG")``. You can also log more explicitly using:

```python
LOGGER.info("I am a log message")
```


If you are on a beamline workstation this will save any logs to ``dls_sw/BEAMLINE/logs/bluesky/`` and will
push them to [graylog](https://graylog-log-target.diamond.ac.uk/search). If you are not on a beamline workstation logs will be saved next to your working directory
and pushed to a local graylog instance.

If you would like to only log to graylog/file exlusively there are helper functions in ``dodal.log`` that you can use.