Use this section to specify the following information about each
input and output parameter.
| Input or Output?
| The kind of parameter: input or output.
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| Number
| The ordinal number of the input or output being defined: "1"
(first), "2" (second), and so on.
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| Name
| The parameter name, which appears in the module's
configuration dialog box and is displayed when the tab
of the module stand-in is selected.
It may also be used in script mode and appear in the C-code framework
file.
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| Description
| A brief description of the parameter being defined.
It appears in a Description of... box when the
Description... button of the module's
configuration dialog box is selected.
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| Required
| Specification that the parameter must be set, because no default
value is possible.
This option is grayed-out for output parameters.
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| Default value
| The default value of the parameter.
It appears in the module configuration dialog box and is included in
the C-code framework file as a comment.
Note: Implementing the default value is the module writer's
responsibility.
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| Descriptive
| Specifies whether the default value is an actual value or a
descriptive phrase (e.g., "center of object").
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| Object Type
| This parameter allows the user to specify a Field Object or a
simple parameter.
Each specification has an associated set of options that are
enabled when the appropriate toggle button is activated.
Field Parameter Options
Data type
| The type of the data associated with the parameter (click on
the associated button to display a list of valid types).
This information is used in the C-code framework file to check for
errors before the user's routine is called.
| Data Shape
| The "shape" of the data associated with the parameter
(e.g., scalar).
This information is used in the C-code framework file to check for
errors before the user's routine is called.
| Positions
| One of the following options controlling information about the
positions component of the first input parameter:
- Not required--No positions information
is passed.
- Regular--a compact representation of the
positions is passed.
- Irregular--An explicit Array of positions
is passed.
This option is grayed-out for all but the first input argument.
| Connections
| One of the following options controlling information about the
connections component of the first input parameter:
- Not required--No connections information
is passed.
- Regular--a compact representation of the
connections is passed.
- Irregular--An explicit Array of
connections is passed.
This option is grayed-out for all but the first input argument.
| Element type
| The type of connection element expected by the module:
lines, quads, cubes, triangles, or tetrahedra.
The specification is checked against the connection type of the first
input argument before the user's routine is called.
This option is grayed-out unless the connections component is
passed in by the Connections option.
| Dependency
| The dependency of the data component of the input.
The specification is checked against the dependency of the input
Fields.
|
Simple Parameter Options
This set of options is enabled and displayed only when the
simple parameter toggle button
is activated (see above).
Type
| The type of the parameter, as specified by activating one of
10 toggle buttons.
| Vector Length
| The length of the vector (given that the parameter type is a
vector).
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