alphaMELTS output files

[pushkin]

Hi Paula,

This is a pretty remedial question regarding output files. I had no trouble generating and finding them when I used Adiabat_1ph on a PowerMac now but I'm setting up alphaMELTS on a Mac OX X 10.6.8. I can run alphaMELTS, it reads my input MELTS and environmental variable files, and I can manually generate a thermodynamic output file (option 15)...but the program seems not to be writing the seven generic output files and I get the error message,

"RUN_ALPHAMELTS.COMMAND WARNING: Cannot find output file "Phase_main_tbl.txt" (No such file or directory)
Please check that alphamelts ran properly."

I always used Option 11 in Adiabat_1ph to write and name my output files, but I don't see an obvious equivalent here and the alphaMELTS documentation sounds like the program writes output files automatically, so it looks like I've not set something pretty basic up correctly. I've just been testing by running little batch calculations so far to try to get this up and running.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[Paula]

Privyet Pushkin,

Yes, writing standard output at each stage used to be optional as (once upon a time...) it could slow down the calculation noticeably. The file output routines in alphaMELTS are more efficient than the old adiabat_1ph ones were, especially for long runs, and machines are so much faster these days. So writing files as the calculation proceeds should not take any longer in total than writing manually at the end. It simplified things to automate the output.

When you say 'little batch' calculations do you mean menu option 3 calculations? To get output for those you'll need to set ALPHAMELTS_SAVE_ALL to true. Otherwise, the warning it just that - a warning but not necessarily an error. If you have set ALPHAMELTS_SAVE_ALL for option 3 calculations, or if you are doing menu option 4 calculations, then it's a bit hard to tell what's happening without a little more information. For a start, make sure you aren't trying to run the program in the installation_folder (which is often the same as the download_folder). That's a bit of a change from older versions of adiabat_1ph.

I guess it could be a permissions problem, but that seems unlikely when you can generate the thermodynamic output file (unless the files are being written to different folders). Are you running from the command line or double-clicking the links? For the latter, on Mac, it will write the files to your homespace, if you don't specify an output folder with '-p'. But, even then, the script should be able to find the output files even if the user can't...

Hmm, not sure that's much help. Let me know if you're still having issues with it.

Paula

[pushkin]

Hi Paula,

Thanks for the tip to check that "ALPHAMELTS_SAVE_ALL" was true. Sure enough, I checked my environmental settings file and it wasn't, so I wasn't getting any Option 3 output files written. I think I'm in business-the output files are being written and I can find them.

I can see in the documentation that example input files should not be used directly from the download_folder if the scripts are there as well. Why not? I keep my inputs (environmental settings and composition/etc. files in a separate location for housekeeping purposes anyway, but still drag-and-drop .command files from the download_folder into Terminal.

Thanks again!

[Paula]

Hi Pushkin,

Having the Terminal open where your input files are, like you describe, and dragging-and-dropping the .command files from the installation_directory to this working_directory is pretty much the same as typing 'run_alphamelts.command ...'. So that's fine. However, if the working_directory is the same installation_directory where the scripts and executables are (e.g. because both are the same as the download_directory) then it is possible, in certain circumstances, for run_alphamelts.command not to be able to find the alphamelts(.exe) executable. It depends somewhat on the operating system, how the script is being opened, whether the PATH has been set correctly etc.... To be honest, there is often no problem with having the scripts, executables, input and output all in the same place. But having a general rule that users try to separate the software from the files they are using as input/output is simpler than documenting a big list of if-then conditions. It also helps to ensure that the software is installed correctly, encourages good housekeeping (so, for example, output files are not accidentally overwritten) and makes it much easier for us to debug when there are problems ;-)

Cheers,
Paula