[Swift-devel] [Bug 343] New: Add support for optional input and output files

[bugzilla-daemon at mcs.anl.gov]

https://bugzilla.mcs.anl.gov/swift/show_bug.cgi?id=343

           Summary: Add support for optional input and output files
           Product: Swift
           Version: 1.0
          Platform: PC
        OS/Version: Mac OS
            Status: NEW
          Severity: enhancement
          Priority: P2
         Component: SwiftScript language
        AssignedTo: wozniak at mcs.anl.gov
        ReportedBy: wilde at mcs.anl.gov


A frequent situation is that some application may not produce all of their
declared output files, while other applications dont require all of their input
files.

This ticket is filed to determine whether this application pattern should be
explicitly supported in Swift by a new notation to declare that outputs or
inputs are optional.

The assumption is that current Swift future-based data dependencies would
remain unchanged: optional output files would be considered to "exist" when the
program that might produce them completes, even if the file was not in fact
created.  Thus we'd need to change the wrapper and data transfer code to
consider non-existance a valid situation in cases where it was declared so.

This will need more discussion, but am filing this to get the discussion
started.

This feature was requested by the ParVis project, but many other users have
asked how to handle such cases. The answer to date has always been to create
wrappers that create or interpret zero-length files to signify non-existiing
files.

-- 
Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.mcs.anl.gov/swift/userprefs.cgi?tab=email
------- You are receiving this mail because: -------
You are watching the reporter.