XMM-Newton Science Analysis System


param (param-2.18) [xmmsas_20230412_1735-21.0.0]

Command line syntax

Parameters are specified on the command-line in either of the following formats:

• GNU long option style: - -$<$param$>$=$<$value$>$
• FTOOLS XPI parameter interface style: $<$param$>$=$<$value$>$

The command line may only specify parameters which are defined in the parameter file.

Examples:

   foo --ival=42 --rval=1.23          # Simple parameters
   foo --sval=hello                   # Simple string
   foo --sval='hello world'           # String with space
   foo --slist='"one two" three'      # List of two strings

Arguments which contain spaces must be quoted. This also applies if the string has a leading or trailing space which must be preserved. For example:

   foo --sval=' hello world'

The shell's file-name expansion mechanism cannot be used directly to specify a list of filenames. File-name expansion may be implemented within the parameter package, at a later date. In the meanwhile, the following example shows a work-around solution:

   foo --flist="'echo *.fits *.out'"

The single-quote character may be used in an argument, provided that it is correctly quoted or escaped. The following examples are both valid:

   foo --sval="can't wait"
   foo --sval='can'\''t wait'

If the parameters does not contain allowable values, as defined by the parameter specification file, an error message is given and the task is not run. The user should then correct the command-line, using the shell's history mechanism.

Command-line options with a single '-' are used for certain generic functions and are not considered as task parameters. See the documentation of the taskmain package for further details.