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PROCESS
Guide Section: Couple EASA to a software application | EASAP Tree: PROCESSES
A PROCESS executes the commands that run underlying software applications.
A PROCESS is a parent for data manipulation objects (MAP, EXPAND and COMPUTE) and REPLACEMENT used to execute the process.
Run Using: specifies commands to run executables, to run scripts or to execute system commands.
Software: specifies which Compute Server to use, it may be a machine with MATLAB or other specialized software installed.
There is a pre-configured local Compute Server available called 'demo' which is used in Cantilever Plate Analysis (Introductory Batch).
If a PROCESS is linked to an object in the GUI, refresh the GUI each second by setting USER INTERFACE > Results Time: 1
 PROCESS |
|
|---|---|
| Essential Parameters: | |
| Object Name: | Enter a name for this object |
| Run Using: | Enter a command to run a software application LIST and/or SCALAR references allowed |
| Software: | Name of software to be run as specified in Compute Server Config Tool. |
| Optional Parameters: | |
| Run if: | Logical expression, if true then run process and not otherwise Default: true |
| Delimiter: | Character to delimit a LIST or SCALAR reference in Run Using: |
| Computational Dependencies: | Select from list of all available objects to track run time dependencies on these objects values. Object values must be real or integer numbers. Multiple selections allowed, but best if number of selections is less then 10. |
| Status Text: | Text to display in the 'Status' column of Results pages instead of the usual % 'percentage completed' |
If a process is specific to either Windows or UNIX then the Software: must specify a Compute Server running that OS.
Multiple commands
It is possible to run more than one command in a single PROCESS.
For Windows a double- ampersand ( && ) joins consecutive commands in Run Using:
For UNIX a semi-colon (;) joins consecutive commands.
Alternatively run a script file with multiple commands from Run Using:
After a PROCESS completes the Compute Server copies all files in the 'sim' folder back to the EASA Server.
A subsequent PROCESS copies these files back to the Computer Server, executes the PROCESS, then copies them back to the EASA Server upon completion.
Run multiple commands in a single PROCESS to lower file transfer overhead.
Additionally, add a final CLEAR FILESPACE to prevent temporary files from being copied back to the EASA Server.
An example: run 'dir' command and display output in the EASAP
Below we demonstrate a simple EASAP that will display in the GUI output from the 'dir' command run on the simulation folder:
- <SERVERDATA>\easa\applications\author1\Easap1\testing\sim1 - in Author-mode
- <SERVERDATA>\easa\users\submitted\author1\Easap1\testing\sim1 - in User-mode
- Right-click PROCESSES
- Select: Child > Add PROCESS
- Set:
Software: demo
Run Using: cmd /c “dir >out.txt”
- Browse and upload a place-holder file: out.txt with the string “hello world” in it
- Right-click: USER INTERFACE > TABBED PANE LIST > tabbed_pane1
- Select: Child > Add DATA PROCESSING
- Expand it
- Right-click LIST
- Select: Child > Add EXTRACT
- Right-click: extract1
- Select: Extract Tool
…The Extract Tool opens displaying the contents of out.txt, “hello world”
- Highlight: hello world
- Click the second binoculars icon, 'Add Variable Find'
…A window asks for the name of a new LIST reference (historically 'DOR')
- Enter a name: myfile
- Click: OK
- Click: myfile
- Click on the blue circle of arrows, 'Toggle Repeat'
- Click: Stop at matching line. (leave Stop Line: <not assigned> to capture the whole file)
- Right-click: tabbed_pane1
- Select: Sibling > Add TEXTAREA
- Set Text: %myfile%
- Set: USER INTERFACE > Results Time: 1 (this syncs each GUI browser object to data on the EASAP Server each second)
- Save and test the EASAP
- Click the 'submit' cog
- Confirm the output of the 'dir' command appears in the TEXTAREA