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PFS File Content

A PFS file is a text file that contains parameters and settings for tools and engines.

A PFS file contains

  • Targets (out-most section)

  • Sections

  • Sub-sections

  • Keywords

  • Parameters, in the form of double, integer, bool, filename, string, CLOB or undefined

  • CLOB (Character Large OBject) can itself contain parameters in the form of double, integer, bool and strings.

An example of a small PFS file is included here.

[Run11]
    key1 = 2, true, , 12
    key2 = 3.3, 4, 'someText'
    key2 = '\<CLOB:2,-2.75,7.07,4,7.07\>'

    [Results]

        [Result]
            outid = 'default out'
            file = \|.\\output.res11\|
        EndSect // Result

    EndSect // Results

EndSect // Run11

A PFS file is build up hierarchically, starting with targets and ending with parameters.

A PFS file can contain any number of targets. A target is also a section. It has a name.

A section has a name. It can contain any number of sub-sections and any number of keywords, in a certain order.

A keyword has a name. It can contain any number of parameters.

A parameter contains a value being either

  • Integer; a number without a decimal separator

  • Double; floating point number with a decimal separator

  • Boolean; true or false

  • Text string; delimited by single pings: 'text'.

  • File name; delimited by a bar: |filename|.

  • CLOB; special form of text string: '\<CLOB:2,-2.75,7.07,4,7.07>'.

Names of targets, sections and keywords need not be unique: Having a list of data is often stored as a set of sections or keywords with the same name.

A file name is a special type of string. It is assumed that the path of the string is relative to the location of the PFS file, and the absolute path is returned when requesting its value.