Command Definitions

Command Definitions

Every command in OSLO is defined precisely in terms of not only its name (of course!), but also the types and values of its arguments. All commands are processed by software known as AppMan, which checks the data that you enter against the command definition to make sure that reasonable values are supplied for all necessary arguments.

Argument definitions

The arguments to OSLO commands can be character, integer, real, or string values. They can be single values, or elements of a list of values. The list may be either an ordinary list, which contains all possible values for an argument, or what is called an unrequired list (ulist), which contains several proposed values, but also allows you to enter another value.

Lists

If an argument is determined either by a list or a ulist, the list is given a name and shown separately in the command definition. A list in OSLO is a set of relationships connected by an equals sign. Although the detailed rules for processing lists are complex, the basic relationship is that the objects on the left side of a list are items that are displayed or input by the user, and the objects on the right side are actions that are taken when the left side is selected. Menus are a form of list (see the next section).

Command definitions, arguments, and lists are described in detail in the Program Reference manual. The output below shows a typical command definition, as displayed in the help system. The first line gives both the long and short names for the command, followed by a short description of what the command does. These are not part of the command definition. The actual command definition is then shown in exactly the same format used by the program, and is in fact prepared automatically from the source code for the program.

The first part of the command definition lists the type and name of the command (the designation cmd means that the command does not return a value), as well as the names of its arguments. Then follows a list of all the arguments giving their types, allowed values, and defaults. If any of the arguments are determined by lists, the lists are shown at the end. In the command definition shown, the designation apval as a default argument value means that the value is supplied by OSLO when the command is executed, rather than when the command is originally compiled. In the lists, the numbers in brackets on the right side indicate the argument numbers (starting with 0) that apply when that particular list element is selected.

pxt command long form: paraxial_trace

Displays the ray height, refracted angle, and angle of incidence for the paraxial axial and chief rays. The default is to trace the rays in the y-z plane. If the rays are traced in the x-z plane, the aperture and field may be scaled from the values defined by the entrance beam radius/object numerical aperture and field angle/object height.

cmd paraxial_trace
(Parax_trace_surf_range,
First_surf_nbr,
Last_surf_nbr,
Paraxial_meridian,
Fractional_xz_aperture,
Fractional_xz_field)
int  Parax_trace_surf_range
{list = Parax_srf_option, default(noquery) = "srf"}
int  First_surf_nbr
{lolim = 0, hilim = imsnbr, default(noquery) = apval(7)}
int  Last_surf_nbr
{lolim = 0, hilim = imsnbr, default(noquery) = apval(8)}
int  Paraxial_meridian
{list = Parax_merid, default(noquery) = "y"}
real Fractional_xz_aperture
{lolim = 0.0, default(noquery) = apval(10)}
real Fractional_xz_field
{lolim = 0.0, default(noquery) = apval(11)}
list Parax_srf_option
{"Srf" = [1,2,3,4,5]0,
"All" = [3,4,5]1}
list Parax_merid
{"{y}YZ plane" = []0,
"{x}XZ plane" = [4,5]1}

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