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The command prefixes were only stated in full in the STAR design.md. Add them as a "Name methods by prefix" section of the device driver guide and point design.md P10 to it. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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| ### Name methods by prefix | ||
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| A method's prefix says what it touches and what it does, following the [PLR command prefix proposal](https://discuss.pylabrobot.org/t/standardised-plr-command-prefix-proposal/403). | ||
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| | prefix | meaning | examples | | ||
| |---|---|---| | ||
| | `move_`, `aspirate_`, `dispense_`, `pickup_`, `shake_` | the device does work | `move_to_y_position`, `move_to_safe_z` | | ||
| | `start_`, `stop_` | start or stop a process left running on the device | `start_temperature_control`, `start_shaking` | | ||
| | `measure_`, `sense_`, `read_`, `capture_` | a sensor reading taken at the moment of asking | `measure_weight`, `sense_tip_presence`, `sense_drawer_open`, `read_absorbance` | | ||
| | `probe_` | a measurement taken by moving | `probe_z_max`, `gripper_probe_for_object` | | ||
| | `request_` | read device memory: a value the device answers from its registers | `request_y_positions`, `request_parameters` | | ||
| | `set_` | write device memory, nothing else | `set_drive_parameter`, `set_loading_indicators` | | ||
| | `get_` | read the resource model, computed with no I/O | `elbow_drive_get_angle` | | ||
| | `update_`, `assign_`, `unassign_` | write the resource model | `elbow_drive_update_angle`, `assign_child_resource` | | ||
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| - A process left running is a `start_` / `stop_` pair, never `set_`: `start_temperature_control` / `stop_temperature_control`. | ||
| - On a feature with several drives, the drive's name comes first: `gripper_request_width`, `elbow_drive_get_angle`. | ||
| - Lifecycle methods take no prefix: `discover`, `initialize`, `park`. | ||
| - Don't use synonyms of these prefixes: `query_`, `fetch_`, `retrieve_`, `obtain_`, `poll_` (use `request_` or `get_`), `write_`, `put_` (use `set_`). Propose a missing prefix on the forum before adding one. |
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I still think get/set for local and read/write for machine/remote operations is the best
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The Problem
The only full statement of PyLabRobot's method prefixes is P10 in
pylabrobot/hamilton/star/design.md, a STAR-only file that authors of other devices have no reason to read.The contributor guides, which AGENTS.md names as the source of truth, do not mention the prefixes at all, so each new driver picks its own
get_/read_/request_/query_.PR Content
probe_andstart_/stop_, the drive-name-first rule, unprefixed lifecycle methods, and the synonyms not to use.probe_is now in the table, and note 6 keeps only why the force reading isrequest_.🤖 Generated with Claude Code