Re: -help -- suggestion for future

[Rick Riolo]

I would like to suggest that -help be handled in
some other way.   I particular, I think it would be better
if it were done in some way that would make it easier
for user-applications to override or append information to
the information that swarm gives for -help.
For example, many applications may NOT support (ie use)
-varySeed and -appMode (despite what -help says).

For instance, maybe it could be done via some class object
to handle run-time parameters.  Perhaps the user
could then send a message like
  [RunParameters onHelpSend: M(appHelp) To: appHelpObject];
where the user defines the appHelpObject and appHelp method.

I can see that this might present problems related to
the timing of processing command line arguments.
Just off the top of my head I'd say initSwarm(argc,argv)
should process as few arguments as possible (eg -batchmode only?)
and then leave it to the user to decide when to have
the built-in RunParameters process the other parameters.

But that's all trying out ideas as I type....

My main points here are:
- Swarm needs to settle on some specs
  for handling runtime pars
- It would be better if it made it easy for the
  user-app to define what happens for -help.

That's my 2p...

 - r

ps BTW, what is the intension for the -appMode argument
   that -help talks about:

Supported command line flags are:
          -appMode: Change the mode of the application
        -batchmode:  Run without a GUI
         -varySeed:  Change RandomSeed for each run


Rick Riolo                           address@hidden
Program for Study of Complex Systems (PSCS)
4068 Randall Lab                
University of Michigan         Ann Arbor MI 48109-1120
Phone: 313 763 3323                  Fax: 313 763 9267
http://www.pscs.umich.edu/PEOPLE/rlr-home.html

On Sat, 13 Dec 1997, glen e. p. ropella wrote:

> Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 14:14:01 -0700
> From: glen e. p. ropella <address@hidden>
> To: address@hidden
> Subject: -help 
> 
> Rick Riolo writes:
>  > I noticed that apps compiled with swarm-1.0.4
>  > (and I see now even 1.0.3) accept and print a bit of help
>  > when -help is put in the run command.
>  > 
>  > Did I miss the announcement of that option?
>  > Who (ie what object) is providing that service?
>  > 
>  > My apps process runtime parameters themselves, and in the past
>  > I had the objects that  recognize -help (and -h)
>  > and put out some help.   
>  > So I it would be nice if I could override (or add to) 
>  > the -help help that something in the kernel gives now.
>  > 
>  > Any advice?
> 
> Hey Rick,
> 
> There's a function called printHelp in simtools.m that 
> prints that message in response to the the command line
> parsing in initSwarm().
> 
> glen
> 
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