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<div class="section" id="overview">
<span id="index-0"></span><span id="id1"></span>
<p>This section gives an overview of the steps involved in using ecFlow.</p>
<div class="section" id="write-a-suite-definition">
<h2>Write a suite definition<a class="headerlink" href="#write-a-suite-definition" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p>The <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-suite-definition"><em class="xref std std-term">suite definition</em></a> defines how your tasks run and interact.
<a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-task"><em class="xref std std-term">task</em></a> s are placed in families, which themselves may be placed in families
and/or <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-suite"><em class="xref std std-term">suite</em></a> s. All the entities are called <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-node"><em class="xref std std-term">node</em></a> s and form a
hierarchical tree.</p>
<p>There are two main methods for describing a <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-suite-definition"><em class="xref std std-term">suite definition</em></a> to the <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-ecflow-server"><em class="xref std std-term">ecflow_server</em></a>.</p>
<ul>
<li><p class="first">via a <strong>text</strong> <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-suite-definition"><em class="xref std std-term">suite definition</em></a></p>
<p>The grammar of this text definition is described by <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Definition+file+Grammar#grammer"><em>Definition file Grammar</em></a>.
This grammar does not support conditional statements (such as if,while,for)
nor the ability to define functions. However, the text definition file can
be generated/created using any language which in itself supports conditional statements.
The text definition is similar to that offered by SMS/CDP and as such may be an
appropriate migration path for some.</p>
</li>
<li><p class="first">via a <strong>python</strong> <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-suite-definition"><em class="xref std std-term">suite definition</em></a></p>
<p>This allows more checking and functionality and as
such is our <strong>preferred</strong> method. See <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/ecFlow+Python+Api#python-api"><em>ecFlow Python Api</em></a>.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="section" id="write-your-scripts">
<h2>Write your scripts<a class="headerlink" href="#write-your-scripts" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p><a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-ecf-script"><em class="xref std std-term">ecf script</em></a> will correspond with the <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-task"><em class="xref std std-term">task</em></a> in the <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-suite-definition"><em class="xref std std-term">suite definition</em></a>.
The script defines the <strong>main work</strong> that is to be carried out.
The script includes <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-child-command"><em class="xref std std-term">child command</em></a> s and special comments and manual sections
that provides information for operators.</p>
<p>The <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-child-command"><em class="xref std std-term">child command</em></a> s are a restricted set of <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-ecflow-client"><em class="xref std std-term">ecflow_client</em></a> commands that communicate with
the <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-ecflow-server"><em class="xref std std-term">ecflow_server</em></a>. They inform the server when the job has started, completed or
set some <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-event"><em class="xref std std-term">event</em></a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="start-a-server">
<h2>Start a server<a class="headerlink" href="#start-a-server" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p>After <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-ecflow-server"><em class="xref std std-term">ecflow_server</em></a> is started, the <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-suite-definition"><em class="xref std std-term">suite definition</em></a>, can then be loaded into it.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li>The user then initiates <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-scheduling"><em class="xref std std-term">scheduling</em></a> in the <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-ecflow-server"><em class="xref std std-term">ecflow_server</em></a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-scheduling"><em class="xref std std-term">scheduling</em></a> will check <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-dependencies"><em class="xref std std-term">dependencies</em></a> in the <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-suite-definition"><em class="xref std std-term">suite definition</em></a>
every minute. If these <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-dependencies"><em class="xref std std-term">dependencies</em></a> are free, the server will submit the <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-task"><em class="xref std std-term">task</em></a>.
This process is called <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-job-creation"><em class="xref std std-term">job creation</em></a>. The running process corresponding to the
<a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-task"><em class="xref std std-term">task</em></a> is referred to as a job.</li>
</ul>
<p>The running jobs will communicate back to the server using <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-child-command"><em class="xref std std-term">child command</em></a> s.
These cause:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-status"><em class="xref std std-term">status</em></a> changes on the <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-node"><em class="xref std std-term">node</em></a> s held in the server.</li>
<li>update to attributes of a node (i.e like <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-event"><em class="xref std std-term">event</em></a> s, <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-meter"><em class="xref std std-term">meter</em></a> s and <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-label"><em class="xref std std-term">label</em></a> s)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="section" id="use-the-gui">
<h2>Use the GUI<a class="headerlink" href="#use-the-gui" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p>ecFlow has a specialised GUI client, called <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-ecflowview"><em class="xref std std-term">ecflowview</em></a>. This is used to
visualise and monitor:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li>The hierarchical structure of the <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-suite-definition"><em class="xref std std-term">suite definition</em></a>. (<a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-suite"><em class="xref std std-term">suite</em></a>, <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-family"><em class="xref std std-term">family</em></a>, <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-task"><em class="xref std std-term">task</em></a>)</li>
<li>state changes in the nodes and server.</li>
<li>Attributes of the nodes and any <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-dependencies"><em class="xref std std-term">dependencies</em></a>.</li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-ecf-script"><em class="xref std std-term">ecf script</em></a> file and the expanded <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-job-file"><em class="xref std std-term">job file</em></a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>In addition <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-ecflowview"><em class="xref std std-term">ecflowview</em></a> provides a rich set of <a class="reference internal" href="/wiki/display/ECFLOW/Glossary#term-ecflow-client"><em class="xref std std-term">ecflow_client</em></a> commands that can interact with
the server.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="first admonition-title">Note</p>
<p class="last">The following tutorial will show examples in plain text and python.
However it is recommended that you use python, since the later tutorial
examples use conditionals like &#8216;if&#8217; and looping constructs.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>