Update the README of the pydaqmx branch

README.rst

@@ -12,9 +12,52 @@ pymodaq_plugins_daqmx (National Instrument DAQmx)
 .. image:: https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/pymodaq_plugins_daqmx/workflows/Upload%20Python%20Package/badge.svg
     :target: https://github.com/PyMoDAQ/pymodaq_plugins_daqmx
 
-Plugin devoted to the National Instrument signal acquisition and generation using the NiDAQmx library. Includes an
-actuator plugin for signal generation, a 1D viewer plugin for data acquisition as a function of time and a 0D viewer
-plugin for quick time averaging acquisition
+Plugins devoted to National Instruments signal acquisition and generation, using the NI-DAQmx driver through the
+`PyDAQmx <https://pythonhosted.org/PyDAQmx/>`_ package. They include generic actuator and viewer plugins (a task
+configured from the settings tree), plugins for specific uses (photon counting, piezo scanner control, analog input
+acquisition), and the ``DAQmx`` wrapper object to build your own plugin on.
+
+Difference with the 5.3.x branch
+================================
+
+The repository has two lines of plugins, which use two different Python interfaces to the same NI-DAQmx driver. They
+do not share their instrument plugins (``DAQmx_...`` here, ``NIDAQmx`` there).
+
+.. list-table::
+   :header-rows: 1
+   :widths: 20 40 40
+
+   * -
+     - ``pydaqmx`` branch (this one)
+     - ``5.3.x`` branch
+   * - Python interface
+     - `PyDAQmx <https://pythonhosted.org/PyDAQmx/>`_ (``DAQmx`` object in ``hardware/national_instruments/daqmx.py``)
+     - `nidaqmx <https://nidaqmx-python.readthedocs.io/en/stable/>`_, the package of National Instruments (``NIDAQmx``
+       object in ``daqmxni.py``)
+   * - Instruments
+     - generic ``DAQmx`` actuator and viewers (0D, 1D), ``DAQmxAI``, ``DAQmxDualAI``, ``DAQmx_PLcounter``,
+       ``DAQmx_ScannerControl``, ``DAQmx_MultipleScannerControl``
+     - ``NIDAQmx`` actuator, 0D viewer and 1D viewer
+   * - Use
+     - specific tasks (photon counting, piezo scanner control, analog input) and a base to write your own plugin
+     - measurement of voltage, current or temperature with a general viewer, whose channels can be loaded from a
+       configuration file of the user (``config_daqmx.toml``) and saved from the interface
+   * - State
+     - the ``PyDAQmx`` based plugins, kept as they are
+     - the ``NIDAQmx`` viewers were tested with a cDAQ-9174 and a USB-6341 (modules NI-9205, NI-9211, NI-9217); the
+       ``NIDAQmx`` actuator is not finished yet (its movements still raise ``NotImplementedError``)
+
+The ``5.3.x`` branch still contains the ``PyDAQmx`` based ``DAQmx`` object and its user guides, but not the instrument plugins
+of this branch.
+
+Requirements
+============
+
+* PyMoDAQ >= 5.3.7
+* the NI-DAQmx driver of National Instruments, installed on the computer connected to the device (use NI MAX to test
+  your hardware). Where ``PyDAQmx`` cannot find the driver, the modules of this plugin cannot be imported and PyMoDAQ
+  skips them.
+* the ``pydaqmx`` Python package, installed with the plugin.
 
 Authors
 =======
@@ -34,12 +77,28 @@ Below is the list of instruments included in this plugin
 Actuators
 +++++++++
 
-* **DAQmx_MultipleScannerControl**: Control of piezo scanners with an analog output.
+* **DAQmx**: generic signal generation (analog, digital) with a NI device, configured from the settings tree
+* **DAQmx_ScannerControl**: control of a piezo scanner with an analog output. It needs a clock channel to time the
+  movement and display the position
+* **DAQmx_MultipleScannerControl**: control of several piezo scanners (x, y, z) with analog outputs, sharing one clock
+  channel between the master and the slave modules
 
 Viewer0D
 ++++++++
 
-* **DAQmx_PLcounter**: Single photon counting
+* **DAQmx**: generic signal acquisition with a NI device, configured from the settings tree
+* **DAQmxAI**: acquisition of one analog input channel, displayed as 0D or 1D data
+* **DAQmxDualAI**: acquisition of two analog input channels, displayed as 0D or 1D data
+* **DAQmx_PLcounter**: single photon counting
+
+Viewer1D
+++++++++
 
+* **DAQmx**: generic signal acquisition with a NI device as a function of time, configured from the settings tree
 
+Documentation
++++++++++++++
 
+Refer to the `documentation <https://pymodaq.github.io/pymodaq_plugins_daqmx/>`_ to use this plugin or discover its
+functionalities (user guide for the photon counter and the scanner control, and how to create your own module with
+the ``DAQmx`` object).