LArSoft

If you are looking for the legacy cvs-based LArSoft site that was previously hosted on this site, note that *all content has been moved to "LArSoft cvs (legacy site) ":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/larsoft-cvs/wiki.*

If you are looking for the legacy svn-based LArSoft site, "go here":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/larsoftsvn/wiki. 

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This is the beta LArSoft redmine project and the future home of the LArSoft redmine project.

h1. LArSoftWiki (beta)

*This page is in beta and content is still under construction.*  Will go live when the migration to git/cmake is completed.

The LArSoft software is designed to work for all planned and running liquid argon experiments at Fermilab. It is written in C++ and built on the "ROOT":http://root.cern.ch data analysis software, and the "art":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/projects/art/wiki analysis framework supported by the Fermilab Scientific Computing Division for intensity frontier experiments.

To join the LArSoft mailing list, please follow these "instructions":http://listserv.fnal.gov/users.asp#subscribe%20to%20list using the list name LARSOFT.

h1. Preliminaries

* Fermilab computing accounts:  see the instructions on the [[larsoftsvn:Fermilab Computing Access]] page if you need an account.

* See [[larsoftsvn:Load Balanced Access to General Purpose VMs]] for information on accessing experiment VMs at Fermilab (e.g., lbnegpvm0X, uboonegpvm0X, etc., collectively known as GPCF.).

* See the [[LArSoftWiki#documentation|documentation]] section for information on working with/developing LArSoft code, and using git, git flow, mrb and other tools you will need.

* The procedures and tools for building and developing software with this system are _completely different_ from those of the previous system based on svn repositories and the SoftRelTools build system. See the [[LArSoftWiki#documentation|documentation]] section for details.

h2. Where to find the software

In a standard LArSoft installation, the software is accessed via a set of re-locatable ups products, each of which corresponds to the code within a git repository. Each product and the associated repository contain LArSoft software components (i.e., SoftRelTool "packages") that are within the same layer of functionality. The products and repository read-write urls are the following (read-only access is available via http://cdcvs.fnal.gov/projects/<repo_name>):

|*Product 

repository

name* | *repository url (all in Redmine)* | lxr link 

                                            (not yet avail) | Redmine browser |

|larcore| ssh://p-larcore@cdcvs.fnal.gov/cvs/projects/larcore | -- | "redmine":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/larcore/repository |

|lardata| ssh://p-lardata@cdcvs.fnal.gov/cvs/projects/lardata | -- | "redmine":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/lardata/repository |

|larevt | ssh://p-larevt@cdcvs.fnal.gov/cvs/projects/larevt  | -- | "redmine":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/larevt/repository |

|larsim | ssh://p-larsim@cdcvs.fnal.gov/cvs/projects/larsim  | -- | "redmine":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/larsim/repository |

|larreco| ssh://p-larreco@cdcvs.fnal.gov/cvs/projects/larreco | -- | "redmine":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/larreco/repository |

|larana | ssh://p-larana@cdcvs.fnal.gov/cvs/projects/larana  | -- | "redmine":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/larana/repository |

|lareventdisplay| ssh://p-lareventdisplay@cdcvs.fnal.gov/cvs/projects/lareventdisplay | -- | "redmine":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/lareventdisplay/repository |

|larexamples|     ssh://p-larexamples@cdcvs.fnal.gov/cvs/projects/larexamples     | -- | "redmine":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/larexamples/repository |

|larpandora| ssh://p-larpandora@cdcvs.fnal.gov/cvs/projects/larpandora | -- | "redmine:https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/larpandora/repository |

|larsoft | ssh://p-larsoft@cdcvs.fnal.gov/cvs/projects/larsoft 

           (A product used to set up the others with a single command. Contains the "setup" package.) | -- | 

           "redmine":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/larsoft/repository |

(The SoftRelTools-based packages in each product/repository can be found "here":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/larsoft-alpha/wiki/LarSoft_Product_List along with the approximate order of dependency.)

Although you can use @git clone <repository url>@ to download a copy of each repository to your local area, additional steps are needed to use, build or develop the software. See the [[LArSoftWiki#documentation|documentation]] section below for details. 

h3. Re-factoring of experiment-specific software

Most experiment-specific code, fcl and gdml files have been removed from the @larcore@, @lardata@, @larevt@ and @larsim@ repositories and moved into beta versions of experiment-specific git repositories. (One exception to this statement is that the @DetId_t@ enum type, which effectively maps detector name strings to integers, remains in core LArSoft, pending migration to a new, string-based mechanism for storing and using this information. Other exceptions include fcl files that were not identified during the initial migration.) The beta versions of experiment-specific repositories are the following:

|*Product 

repository

name* | *repository url (all in Redmine)* | lxr link 

                                            (not yet avail) | Redmine browser |

|lbnecode| ssh://p-lbnecode@cdcvs.fnal.gov/cvs/projects/lbnecode | -- | "redmine":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/lbnecode/repository |

|uboonecode| ssh://p-uboonecode@cdcvs.fnal.gov/cvs/projects/lardata | -- | "redmine":https://cdcvs.fnal.gov/redmine/projects/uboonecode/repository |

h1. Release notes

| *Release* | *Date* | *Purpose* | *Changes / notes* | *Full release notes* |

| v1.00.00| Jan 2014 | First production 

                       release | Replica of final svn-based release. Future LArSoft development 

                                 proceeds from this release. | xxx |

| v0.0x.yy| 12/10/2013| "beta" public release | Beta suitable for general user testing | N/A |

| v0.01.01| 12/02/2013| "beta" limited release | Beta suitable for expert testing | N/A |

| v0.00.09| 11/25/2013| "beta" pre-release | Second full release under new system. First full re-factoring

                                       of experiment-specific and core LArSoft code in the larcore,

                                       lardata, larevt, and larsim products. Preparation for expert

                                       user testing of beta release.| N/A|

| v0.00.04| 9/15/2013| "alpha" release | First release of git/cmake/ups-based LArSoft products

                                       Used for mrb, configuration and re-factoring

                                       development and testing | N/A |

h1. Documentation

* [[ LArSoft ]]

* [[Quick-start guide to using and develop LArSoft code]]

* [[ Detailed documentation on using and developing LArSoft code ]]

* *[[ Special instructions for beta testers ]]*

h2. Overview of the user and developer environment

LArSoft releases are distributed via "re-locatable" ups products. People interested in using the core LArSoft software, but who have no need to modify or develop that software can in principle simply perform the appropriate ups @setup <product> <version> -q <qualifier>@ commands, then build their code against those products by reference to the corresponding $<PRODUCT_NAME>_INC and $<PRODUCT_NAME>_LIB environment variables. In addition to the individual products, there is a "@larsoft@" product that can be used to set up all other products with a single command:  

<pre>

setup larsoft <version> -q <qualifiers>

</pre>

The versions and qualifiers available can be obtained by using the following command:

<pre>

ups list -aK+ larsoft

</pre>

The qualifiers will be one of the following: "debug:e2", "prof:e2", "opt:e2", where:

* debug = debugging symbols available

* opt = compiler optimizations enabled, no debug symbols

* prof = compiler optimizations enabled, profiling code generated

* e2 = built with gcc 4.7.1 and -std=c++0x

In general, only @debug@ and @prof@ versions will be provided, since there is no run-time performance penalty for code that has the profiling code present.

The recommended way to work with LArSoft is to use *@mrb@*, the multi-repository build tool, to check out and build your own code. This build system is based upon *@cmake@* and a toolkit of @cmake@ macros in the *@cetbuildtools@* product -- the same set of tools that are used to build the @art@ framework that underpins LArSoft. @mrb@ operates above @cmake@ and drives the build procedure across (possibly) multiple repositories within one's working area. Using @mrb@ ensures the integrity and structure of the working. 

One's working directory within this system has the following structure:  a source code sub-directory where all development takes place; a build sub-directory where all build activities take place; and a local products area, where all successfully built software is installed, and from which it can be run.

All software packages built and installed by @mrb@ / @cmake@ / @cetbuildtools@ are in the form of a re-locatable ups products. (A "re-locatable" ups product has a simplified structure compared to that of legacy ups products, and does not require that it be "declared" to a ups database. These features simplify distribution, installation and maintenance of re-locatable products.) @mrb@ provides a simple product template that includes two files that must be modified by the user:  a top-level @CMakeLists.txt@ file, that specifies which sub-directories will be included in the build along with any global configuration needed to build the product; and a @product_deps@ file that specifies the dependencies for the package. The product template can otherwise be customized for an experiment. Although this scheme may sound cumbersome and arcane, it is essentially no different than following the package structure conventions imposed by SRT, using a GNUmakefile to configure the build, and a global release setup script to configure the global environment. With @cmake@, the GNUmakefiles are replaced by @CMakeLists.txt@ files, while the "global environment" for the product is managed locally with the @product_deps@ and top-level CMakeLists.txt files for the product. @mrb@ then manages all the details of utilizing ups to configure the build environment, driving the build, and packaging and installing the ups product in the local products area.

h3. The LArSoft developer environment

As previously mentioned, all LArSoft code is archived in a set of repositories based on the "git version control system":http://git-scm.com/. There are numerous resources on the web on how to use git, starting with the authoritative "Pro Git Book":http://git-scm.com/book and "git reference manual":http://git-scm.com/docs provided on the official git website. A search on "git documentation" yields many more.

The LArSoft project has adopted the git branching model described at "nvie.com":http://nvie.com/posts/a-successful-git-branching-model to assist with managing the development workflow and maintaining a stable development environment. Within this framework, the git repositories have the following branch structure:

* A "main" branch that will have only tagged releases. Used only by the software manager.

* A "develop" branch that will have the working head of the repository. Used by all developers.

* One or more "release" branches for the integration of specific tagged releases. Used or authorized only by the software manager.

* An arbitrary set of "feature" branches on which all on-going work takes place. In most cases, these branches will be in local repositories, although publishing them to the reference repository is useful in many cases. Developers can create as many feature branches as needed. 

* One or more "hotfix" branches that is used to develop patches to tagged releases. Used or authorized only by the software manager. 

The "git flow":https://github.com/nvie/gitflow tool is a set of git extension that provide high-level operations for working within this branching model. We recommend that developers utilize @git flow@ when developing LArSoft code. Developers who choose not to use @git flow@ should nonetheless adhere to the branching model.

h2. Links to the tools used in working with the software

*  git

*  git flow

*  mrb : the multi-repository build tool

*  Re-locatable ups

*  cmake

h1. How-to's

h2. Advanced technical how-to's

h2. Release procedures

h1. Walk-through exercises

h1. LArSoft code management and distribution procedures

h1. Working areas

[[Beta re-factoring]]