> Today I fixed a long-annoying problem. ...
> /Equipment/<name>/Common
> In the past, the ODB setting took precedence over the frontend structure...
> We defined this like 25 years ago and I forgot what the exact reason was.
> It causes however many people (including myself) to fall into this trap: ...

There is good number of confusions regarding entries in /eq/xxx/common:

- for some of them, the frontend code settings take precedence and overwrite settings in odb ("frontend file name")
- for some of them, ODB takes precedence and frontend code values are ignored ("read on" and "period")
- for some of them, changes in ODB take effect immediately (via db_watch) ("period")
- for some of them, frontend restart is required for changes to take effect (output event buffer name "buffer")
- some of them continuously update the odb values ("status", "status color")

I do not think there is a simple way to improve on this.

(One solution would replace the single "common" with several subdirectories, "per function",
one would have items where the code takes precedence, one would have items where odb takes
precedence (in effect, "standard settings"), one will have items that the frontend always updates
and that should not be changes via odb ("frontend name", etc). I am not sure this one solution
is necessarily an "improvement").

Lacking any ideas for improvements, I vote for the status quo. (plus a review of the documentation to ensure we have clearly
written up what each entry in "common" does and whether the user is permitted to edit it in odb).

K.O.