A.5. Datatype-specific Attributes

Datatype-specific attributes are available (can be defined) for certain ACD datatypes only. Each datatype has its own set of these attributes. Additionally, there are various datatype-associated command line qualifiers (or simply "associated qualifiers") that are inbuilt for certain ACD datatypes and may also be defined as attributes in the appropriate data definition. Both types of attribute are described in detail below. Their value is set explicitly in an ACD data definition as follows:

DataAttributeName: "DataAttributeValue"

In the descriptions of the attributes, the value type and default value are indicated as follows:

DataAttributeName: Type         ("Default")

A.5.1. Simple Attributes Description

A.5.1.1. array

size: "integer" ("1")The number of elements in the array.

minimum: "float" ("-FLT_MIN")Lower value limit. Defaults to the boundaries as specified by the systems set-up.

maximum: "float" ("+FLT_MAX")Upper value limit. Defaults to the boundaries as specified by the systems set-up.

trueminimum: "boolean" ("N")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. By default the minimum value is used if the minimum and maximum values overlap.

failrange: "boolean" ("Y")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. By default the application fails if the calculated ranges overlap.

rangemessage: "string" ("")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. Failure message to use if calculated ranges overlap.

sum: "float" ("1.0")Total for all values in the array (tested unless the sumtest: attribute is false).

sumtest: "boolean" ("Y")If false, turns off testing for the sum: attribute.

tolerance: "float" ("0.01")Specifies how closely the sum: should match the total. Most floating point fractions cannot be represented accurately in binary form.

warnrange: "boolean" ("Y")Controls whether a warning is issued if values are given that are out of range.

increment: "integer" ("0")Defines the steps the array values may take when iterated. The increment: can be any valid float value. Implemented for GUIs to EMBOSS only and is not used by EMBOSS itself (it is disregarded during ACD file processing).

precision: "integer" ("0")Defines the maximum number of significant decimal places that will be taken into account for this value. Implemented for GUIs to EMBOSS only and is not used by EMBOSS itself (it is disregarded during ACD file processing).

A.5.1.1.1. Associated Qualifiers

The array datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.1.2. boolean

boolean currently has no specific attributes.

A.5.1.2.1. Associated Qualifiers

The boolean datatype has no associated qualifiers.

Caution

Care should be taken over the definition of the information: and help: global attributes. These are used to prompt the user (interactively or via a GUI), and to provide help text. The text provided in each case should reflect the expected default value of the boolean option, which may be the opposite of what the name implies. For example, if set to "Y" by default, then the command line option would typically be -noFlag where Flag is the qualifier. If set to "N" by default, then the default action may be the opposite of what the information or help text implies. If the value is calculated, the user may need some extra guidance.

A.5.1.3. float

minimum: "float" ("-FLT_MIN")Lower value limit. Defaults to the boundaries as specified by the systems set-up.

maximum: "float" ("+FLT_MAX")Upper value limit. Defaults to the boundaries as specified by the systems set-up.

trueminimum: "boolean" ("N")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. By default the minimum value is used if the minimum and maximum values overlap.

failrange: "boolean" ("Y")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. By default the application fails if the calculated ranges overlap.

rangemessage: "string" ("")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. Failure message to use if calculated ranges overlap.

increment: "float" ("1")The steps that this parameter is allowed to take, in case there is a need to iterate this parameter. The increment: attribute can be any valid float value.

precision: "integer" ("3")The maximum number of significant decimal places that will be taken into account for this value.

warnrange: "boolean" ("Y")Controls whether a warning is issued if values are given that are out of range.

A.5.1.3.1. Associated Qualifiers

The float datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.1.4. integer

minimum: "integer" ("INT_MIN")Lower value limit. Defaults to the boundaries as specified by the systems set-up.

maximum: "integer" ("INT_MAX")Upper value limit. Defaults to the boundaries as specified by the systems set-up.

trueminimum: "boolean" ("N")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. By default the minimum value is used if the minimum and maximum values overlap.

failrange: "boolean" ("Y")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. By default the application fails if the calculated ranges overlap.

rangemessage: "string" ("")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. Failure message to use if calculated ranges overlap.

increment: "integer" ("0")Defines the steps that this parameter is allowed to take, in case there is a need to iterate this parameter.

warnrange: "boolean" ("Y")Controls whether a warning is issued if values are given that are out of range.

A.5.1.4.1. Associated Qualifiers

The integer datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.1.5. range

minimum: "integer" ("1")Lower value limit.

maximum: "integer" ("INT_MAX")Upper value limit. Defaults to the boundaries as specified by the systems set-up.

trueminimum: "boolean" ("N")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. By default the minimum value is used if the minimum and maximum values overlap.

failrange: "boolean" ("Y")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. By default the application fails if the calculated ranges overlap.

rangemessage: "string" ("")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. Failure message to use if calculated ranges overlap.

minsize: "integer" ("0")Where multiple ranges are defined minsize: defines the minimum number of ranges that must be defined.

size: "integer" ("0")Exact number of values required.

Only one of size: or minsize: should be defined for any range.

A.5.1.5.1. Associated Qualifiers

The range datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.1.6. regexp

minlength: "integer" ("1")The minimum length the regular expression string can be.

maxlength: "integer" ("INT_MAX")The maximum length the regular expression string can be.

upper: "boolean" ("N")Convert the regular expression to upper case before compiling.

lower: "boolean" ("N")Convert the regular expression to lower case before compiling.

maxsize: "integer" ("INT_MAX")The maximum number of patterns.

type: The type of pattern, currently one of string, nucleotide or protein.

A.5.1.6.1. Associated Qualifiers

The regexp datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

pformat: "string" ("")

File format.

pname: "string" ("")

Pattern base name.

A.5.1.7. pattern

minlength: "integer" ("1")The minimum length the pattern can be.

maxlength: "integer" ("INT_MAX")The maximum length the pattern can be.

upper: "boolean" ("N")Convert the pattern to upper case before compiling.

lower: "boolean" ("N")Convert the pattern to lower case before compiling.

maxsize: "integer" ("INT_MAX")The maximum number of patterns.

type: The type of pattern, currently one of string, nucleotide or protein.

A.5.1.7.1. Associated Qualifiers

The pattern datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

pformat: "string" ("")

File format.

pmismatch: "integer" ("")

Pattern mismatch.

pname: "string" ("")

Pattern base name.

A.5.1.8. string

minlength: "integer" ("0")Minimum length of the string. The default minimum length is zero.

maxlength: "integer" ("INT_MAX")Maximum length of the string. There is no default maximum.

pattern: "string" ("")Defines a regular expression used to validate the string value: an invalid string will be reprompted for. EMBOSS uses the Perl-compatible regular expression library (PCRE) so any Perl-compatible regular expression should be usable.

word: "boolean" ("N")If set requires the result to be a valid word with no whitespace. Note that the default minimum length of zero allows an empty string however this is not accepted as a word.

upper: "boolean" ("N")Converts the case of the string internally to upper case.

lower: "boolean" ("N")Converts the case of the string internally to lower case.

Only one of upper: or lower: should be specified.

A.5.1.8.1. Associated Qualifiers

The string datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.1.9. toggle

Although there are (currently) no specific attributes for a toggle ACD type, care should be taken over the definition of the information: and help: attributes. These are used to prompt the user (interactively or via a GUI), and to provide help text. The text provided in each case should reflect the expected default value of the toggle option, which may be the opposite of what the name implies. For example, if set to "Y" by default, then the command line option would typically be -noFlag where Flag is the qualifier. If set to "N" by default, then the default action may be the opposite of what the information or help text implies. If the value is calculated, the user may need some extra guidance.

A.5.1.9.1. Associated Qualifiers

The toggle datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.2. Input Attributes Description

A.5.2.1. codon

name: "string" ("Ehum.cut")Individual codon data definitions can set their own default codon usage tables with the name: attribute. Alternatively, this can be set via the global attribute default:.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without a codon usage table, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". In such cases the codon usage file might not be specified (in the ACD file or on the command line) for the data definition. This might occur when the codon usage table is only required by the application under certain circumstances.

A.5.2.1.1. Associated Qualifiers

The codon datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

format: "string" ("")

Data format.

A.5.2.2. cpdb

name: "string" ("")Individual cpdb inputs can set their own default names with the name: attribute which in the current version has the same effect as setting the default: global attribute.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without clean PDB file input, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". In such cases a clean coordinate file might not be specified (in the ACD file or on the command line) for the data definition. This might occur when the file is only required by the application under certain circumstances.

A.5.2.2.1. Associated Qualifiers

The cpdb datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

format: "string" ("")

Data format.

A.5.2.3. datafile

name: "string" ("")Base name of the default datafile.

extension: "string" ("")File extension of the default datafile.

directory: "string" ("")The EMBOSS data subdirectory to be searched.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without a datafile, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted, or -noFlag (where Flag is the name of the definition), to be specified on the command line.

A.5.2.3.1. Associated Qualifiers

The datafile datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.2.4. directory

extension: "string" ("")The file extension for all files read from the directory. Files with other extensions will not be read

fullpath: "boolean" ("N")If set to "Y" will interpret the specified directory as a full path rather than a relative path.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without a directory the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". In such cases a default directory might not be set, or -noFlag, where Flag is the name of the data definition flag, might be given on the command line.

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")By default, names for files in the directory are constructed from the path and extension as described above. The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no directory) by default. This is useful for programs which only occasionally require a directory. If an empty string is specified for the directory on the command line, the default name generation will be used. In combination with the nullok:, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.2.4.1. Associated Qualifiers

The directory datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.2.5. dirlist

extension: "string" ("")The extension for all files read from the directories. Files with other extensions will not be read.

fullpath: "boolean" ("N")If set to "Y" will interpret the given path as a full rather than a relative path specification.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without a directory the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". In such cases a default directory might not be set, or -noFlag, where Flag is the name of the data definition flag, might be given on the command line.

A.5.2.5.1. Associated Qualifiers

The dirlist datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.2.6. discretestates

length: "integer" ("0")The number of state values (the length of the discrete characters string) in each set

size: "integer" ("1")The number of sets of values (usually 1) but some programs will accept multiple sets.

characters: "string" ("01")Defines which discrete state characters can be specified. This is defined as a string containing all possible characters.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without a discretestates file, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows the application to run without a default value or to be run with -noFlag (where Flag is the name of the data definition) on the command line.

A.5.2.6.1. Associated Qualifiers

The discretestates datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.2.7. distances

size: "integer" ("1")The number of rows in the distance matrix.

missval: "boolean" ("N")If set to "Y" means the matrix can have missing values.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without a distance matrix file, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows the application to run without a default value or to be run with -noFlag (where Flag is the data definition flag) on the command line.

A.5.2.7.1. Associated Qualifiers

The distances: datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.2.8. features

type: "string" ("")Whether the feature input is "protein" or "nucleotide". There is a default based on the type of any input sequence, but a value should always be specified.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without features input, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows the application to run without a default value or to be run with -noFlag (where Flag is the data definition flag) on the command line.

A.5.2.8.1. Associated Qualifiers

The features: datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

fformat: "string" ("")

Features format.

fopenfile: "string" ("")

Features file name.

fask: "boolean" ("N")

Prompt for begin/end/reverse.

fbegin: "integer" ("0")

Start of the features to be used.

fend: "integer" ("0")

End of the features to be used.

freverse: "boolean" ("N")

Reverse (if DNA).

A.5.2.9. filelist

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without a filelist input, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This specifies that a missing input file is acceptable to the application, and that -noFlag (where Flag is the data definition flag) can be used on the command line.

A.5.2.9.1. Associated Qualifiers

The filelist: datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.2.10. frequencies

length: "integer" ("0")Defines the number of loci (or values) in the frequencies file.

size: "integer" ("1")The number of sets of values, usually 1 but some programs will accept multiple sets.

continuous: "boolean" ("N")Specifies a frequencies file with continuous character data values.

genedata: "boolean" ("N")Specifies a frequencies file with genetic locus data values.

within: "boolean" ("N")Specifies a frequencies file with continuous data for multiple individuals (additional values on each line).

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without a frequencies file, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows the application to be run without a default value or with -noFlag (where Flag is the of the data definition flag) on the command line.

A.5.2.10.1. Associated Qualifiers

The frequencies: datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.2.11. infile

nullok: "boolean" ("N")Specifies that a missing input file is acceptable to the application. The application can then run without a default value or with -noFlag (where Flag is the name of the data definition) on the command line.

directory: "@(value:ENVARNAME"Specifies a directory in which to search for the file. The directory is given by the environment variable ENVARNAME, which is resolved first as EMBOSS_ENVARNAME (in emboss.default or set by a setenv) call. It then checks for ENVARNAME (set using setenv). If an explicit path is given in the filename by the user, the directory is ignored.

A.5.2.11.1. Associated Qualifiers

The infile datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.2.12. matrix

protein: "boolean" ("Y")If set to "Y" will specify that the scoring matrix is a protein matrix. If not set the matrix is presumed to be for nucleic acids.

pname: "string" ("EBLOSUM62")Defines the default protein matrix to use. The system default is EBLOSUM62 for protein matrices.

nname: "string" ("EDNAFULL")Defines the default nucleotide matrix to use. The system default is EDNAFULL for nucleotide matrices.

A.5.2.12.1. Associated Qualifiers

The matrix: datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.2.13. matrixf

protein: "boolean" ("Y")If set to "Y" will specify that the scoring matrix is a protein matrix. If not set the matrix is presumed to be for nucleic acids.

pname: "string" ("EBLOSUM62")Defines the default protein matrix to use. The system default is EBLOSUM62 for protein matrices.

nname: "string" ("EDNAFULL")Defines the default nucleotide matrix to use. The system default is EDNAFULL for nucleotide matrices.

A.5.2.13.1. Associated Qualifiers

The matrixf: datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.2.14. properties

length: "integer" ("0")The number of values in the properties file.

size: "integer" ("1")The number of sets of values, usually 1 but some programs will accept multiple sets.

characters: "string" ("")Defines which property characters can be specified. This is defined as a string containing all possible characters.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without a properties file, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

A.5.2.14.1. Associated Qualifiers

The properties: datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.2.15. scop

nullok: "boolean" ("N")Used to set defaults for individual scop inputs and has the same effect as setting the default: attribute.

A.5.2.15.1. Associated Qualifiers

The scop datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

format: "string" ("")

Data format.

A.5.2.16. sequence

type: "string" ("")Forces the sequence to be of the given type. By default any sequence type is accepted. Ideally the type: attribute will always be set so that the accepted input sequence type is clear. The sequence type must be a standard sequence type (Section A.7, “Sequence Types”).

features: "boolean" ("N")If the features: attribute is set, the sequence input will include feature information either in the same file (if the sequence format supports it) or in a separate file, which by default is in GFF format.

entry: "boolean" ("N")When set, the sequence input will include the full original text of the input sequence or database entry.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without sequence input, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

A.5.2.16.1. Associated Qualifiers

The sequence datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

sbegin: "integer" ("0")

Start of the sequence to be used.

send: "integer" ("0")

End of the sequence to be used.

sreverse: "boolean" ("N")

Reverse (if DNA).

sask: "boolean" ("N")

Ask for begin/end/reverse.

snucleotide: "boolean" ("N")

Sequence is nucleotide.

sprotein: "boolean" ("N")

Sequence is protein.

slower: "boolean" ("N")

Make lower case.

supper: "boolean" ("N")

Make upper case.

sformat: "string" ("")

Input sequence format.

sdbname: "string" ("")

Database name.

sid: "string" ("")

Entryname.

ufo: "string" ("")

UFO features.

fformat: "string" ("")

Features format.

fopenfile: "string" ("")

Features file name.

A.5.2.17. seqall

type: "string" ("")Forces the sequence(s) to be of the given type. By default any sequence type is accepted. The type: attribute is normally set so that the accepted input sequence type is clear. The sequence type must be a standard sequence type (Section A.7, “Sequence Types”).

features: "boolean" ("N")If the features: attribute is set, the sequence input will include feature information either in the same file (if the sequence format supports it) or in a separate file (by default in GFF format).

entry: "boolean" ("N")If set, the sequence input will include the full original text of the input sequence or database entry.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without sequence input, the nullok: must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

minseqs: "integer" ("1")Minimum number of sequences to be read. By default, a minimum of one sequence is acceptable.

maxseqs: "integer" ("INT_MAX")Maximum number of sequences to be read. By default, there is no maximum.

A.5.2.17.1. Associated Qualifiers

The seqall datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

sbegin: "integer" ("0")

Start of the sequence to be used.

send: "integer" ("0")

End of the sequence to be used.

sreverse: "boolean" ("N")

Reverse (if DNA).

sask: "boolean" ("N")

Ask for begin/end/reverse.

snucleotide: "boolean" ("N")

Sequence is nucleotide.

sprotein: "boolean" ("N")

Sequence is protein.

slower: "boolean" ("N")

Make lower case.

supper: "boolean" ("N")

Make upper case.

sformat: "string" ("")

Input sequence format.

sdbname: "string" ("")

Database name.

sid: "string" ("")

Entryname.

ufo: "string" ("")

UFO features.

fformat: "string" ("")

Features format.

fopenfile: "string" ("")

Features file name.

A.5.2.18. seqset

type: "string" ("")Forces the sequence set to be of the given type. By default any sequence type is accepted. Ideally the type: attribute will always be set so that the accepted input sequence type is always clear. The sequence type must be a standard sequence type (Section A.7, “Sequence Types”).

aligned: "boolean" ("N")If set, specifies that all sequences in the input are expected to be aligned. If false then the sequences are assumed to be unaligned, and are simply read into memory together for processing. We recommend always defining the aligned: attribute so that the nature of the sequence set is clearly defined.

features: "boolean" ("N")If the features: attribute is set, the sequence input will include feature information either in the same file (if the sequence format supports it) or in a separate file (by default in GFF format).

entry: "boolean" ("N")If set, the sequence input will include the full original text of the input sequence or database entry.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without sequence input, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no sequence input) as the default for programs where sequence input is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

minseqs: "integer" ("1")Minimum number of sequences to be read. By default, a minimum of one sequence is acceptable.

maxseqs: "integer" ("INT_MAX")Maximum number of sequences to be read. By default, there is no maximum.

A.5.2.18.1. Associated Qualifiers

The seqset datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

sbegin: "integer" ("0")

Start of the sequence to be used.

send: "integer" ("0")

End of the sequence to be used.

sreverse: "boolean" ("N")

Reverse (if DNA).

sask: "boolean" ("N")

Ask for begin/end/reverse.

snucleotide: "boolean" ("N")

Sequence is nucleotide.

sprotein: "boolean" ("N")

Sequence is protein.

slower: "boolean" ("N")

Make lower case.

supper: "boolean" ("N")

Make upper case.

sformat: "string" ("")

Input sequence format.

sdbname: "string" ("")

Database name.

sid: "string" ("")

Entryname.

ufo: "string" ("")

UFO features.

fformat: "string" ("")

Features format.

fopenfile: "string" ("")

Features file name.

A.5.2.19. seqsetall

type: "string" ("")Forces the sequence set(s) to be of the given type. By default any sequence type is accepted. Ideally the type: attribute will be set so that the accepted input sequence type is clear. The sequence type must be a standard sequence type (Section A.7, “Sequence Types”).

aligned: "boolean" ("N")If true, it specifies that all sequences in the input are expected to be aligned. If false then the sequences are assumed to be unaligned, and are simply read into memory together for processing. Ideally the aligned: attribute should always be set so that the nature of the sequence set is clearly defined.

features: "boolean" ("N")If set, will make the sequence input include feature information either in the same file (if the sequence format supports it) or in a separate file (by default in GFF format).

entry: "boolean" ("N")If set, the sequence input will include the full original text of the input sequence or database entry.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without sequence input, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no sequence input) as the default for programs where sequence input is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

minsets: "integer" ("1")Minimum number of sequence sets to be read. By default, a minimum of one sequence set is acceptable.

maxsets: "integer" ("INT_MAX")Maximum number of sequence sets to be read. By default, there is no maximum (other than system-imposed limits on the size of an integer).

minseqs: "integer" ("1")Minimum number of sequences to be read. By default, a minimum of one sequence is acceptable.

maxseqs: "integer" ("INT_MAX")Maximum number of sequences to be read. By default, there is no maximum.

A.5.2.19.1. Associated Qualifiers

The seqsetall datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

sbegin: "integer" ("0")

Start of the sequence to be used.

send: "integer" ("0")

End of the sequence to be used.

sreverse: "boolean" ("N")

Reverse (if DNA).

sask: "boolean" ("N")

Ask for begin/end/reverse.

snucleotide: "boolean" ("N")

Sequence is nucleotide.

sprotein: "boolean" ("N")

Sequence is protein.

slower: "boolean" ("N")

Make lower case.

supper: "boolean" ("N")

Make upper case.

sformat: "string" ("")

Input sequence format.

sdbname: "string" ("")

Database name.

sid: "string" ("")

Entryname.

ufo: "string" ("")

UFO features.

fformat: "string" ("")

Features format.

fopenfile: "string" ("")

Features file name.

A.5.2.20. tree

size: "integer" ("0")The number of trees in the input file. Some can only accept a single tree so the value should be set to "1" for these. A value of "0" means that any number of trees is acceptable.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without tree input, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

A.5.2.20.1. Associated Qualifiers

The tree datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.3. Output Attributes Description

A.5.3.1. align

minseqs: "integer" ("1")The minimum number of sequences that are expected in the output alignment.

The minseqs: and maxseqs: attributes can be used to validate application output, for example, when selecting formats on the command line with the -aformat qualifier.

maxseqs: "integer" ("INT_MAX")The maximum number of sequences that are expected in the output alignment.

The minseqs: and maxseqs: attributes can be used to validate application output, for example, when selecting formats on the command line with the -aformat qualifier.

multiple: "boolean" ("N")Should be set to "Y" if the output can contain more than one alignment from the same input.

type: The sequence type. Although this will default to the type of the first output sequence, it is recommended that a value is always defined to make the output sequence type clear.

taglist: "string" ("")Defines additional tags to be reported from the internal feature table for the aligned sequences. The tag names and types must match the source code of the application. Each tag is in the format type:tagname[=columnname] for example int:length or string:gc=GC%

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating alignment output, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no alignment file) as the default for programs where an alignment file is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead.

A.5.3.1.1. Associated Qualifiers

The align: datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

aformat: "string" ("")

Alignment format.

aextension: "string" ("")

File name extension.

adirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

aname: "string" ("")

Base file name.

awidth: "integer" ("0")

Alignment width.

aaccshow: "boolean" ("N")

Show accession number in the header.

adesshow: "boolean" ("N")

Show description in the header.

ausashow: "boolean" ("N")

Show the full USA in the alignment.

aglobal: "boolean" ("N")

Show the full sequence in alignment.

The align datatype has two associated qualifiers (-aformat and -aglobal) which which are often hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). aformat: defines the default value for the -aformat qualifier, which is the default alignment format. aglobal: defines the default value for the -aglobal qualifier, and should be set to "Y" for programs that produce a global alignment.

A.5.3.2. featout

name: "string" ("")Base name of output file name. Use of -ofname (see below) is preferred.

extension: "string" ("")Extension of output file name. Use of -offormat (see below) is preferred.

type: "string" ("")Defines whether the feature output is "protein" or "nucleotide". There is a default based on the type of any input sequence, but a value should always be specified.

multiple: "boolean" ("N")Should be set to "Y" if the feature annotation is for multiple sequences.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating feature output, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no feature output) as the default for programs where feature output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.2.1. Associated Qualifiers

The featout datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

offormat: "string" ("")

Output feature format.

ofopenfile: "string" ("")

Features file name.

ofextension: "string" ("")

File name extension.

ofdirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

ofname: "string" ("")

Base file name.

ofsingle: "boolean" ("N")

Separate file for each entry.

The featout datatype has two associated qualifiers (-offormat and -ofname) which are often hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). offormat: defines the default value for the -offormat qualifier which is the feature format and default file extension. ofname: defines the default value for the -ofname qualifier which is the default base file name

A.5.3.3. outcodon

name: "string" ("")Base name of output file name.

extension: "string" ("")Extension of output file name.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating codon output, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no data output) as the default for programs where data output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.3.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outcodon datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

odirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

oformat: "string" ("")

Output format specific to this data type.

The outcodon datatype has a datatype-associated command line qualifier (-oformat) which is often hard-coded as an attribute in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). oformat: defines the default value for the -oformat qualifier which is the file format.

A.5.3.4. outcpdb

extension: "string" ("")Extension of output file name. The extension: attribute will default to the output file format.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating coordinate file output, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no data output) as the default for programs where data output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.4.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outcpdb datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

odirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

oformat: "string" ("")

Output format specific to this data type.

The outcpdb datatype has a datatype-associated command line qualifier (-oformat) which is often hard-coded as an attribute in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). oformat: defines the default value for the -oformat qualifier which is the file format and default file extension.

A.5.3.5. outdata

type: "string" ("")Defines the output data type. It is recommended that a value is always defined to make the output data type clear.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating formatted data output, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no data output) as the default for programs where data output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.5.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outdata datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

odirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

oformat: "string" ("")

Output format specific to this data type.

The outdata datatype has a datatype-associated command line qualifier (-oformat) which is often hard-coded as an attribute in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). oformat: defines the default value for the -oformat qualifier which is the file format and default file extension.

A.5.3.6. outdir

fullpath: "boolean" ("N")If set to "Y" requires the path to be specified in full when passed to the program, although the user may provide a path from the current working directory.

extension: "string" ("")The default extension for all files written to the directory.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without an output directory, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no data output) as the default for programs where data output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.6.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outdir datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.3.7. outdiscrete

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating an output file, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no data output) as the default for programs where data output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.7.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outdiscrete datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

odirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

oformat: "string" ("")

Output format specific to this data type.

The outdiscrete datatype has a datatype-associated command line qualifier (-oformat) which is often hard-coded as an attribute in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). oformat: defines the default value for the -oformat qualifier which is the file format and default file extension.

A.5.3.8. outdistance

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating a distance matrix file, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no data output) as the default for programs where data output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.8.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outdistance datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

odirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

oformat: "string" ("")

Output format specific to this data type.

The outdistance datatype has a datatype-associated command line qualifier (-oformat) which is often hard-coded as an attribute in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). oformat: defines the default value for the -oformat qualifier which is the file format and default file extension.

A.5.3.9. outfreq

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating an output frequencies file, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no data output) as the default for programs where data output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.9.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outfreq datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described elsewhere (see the EMBOSS Users Guide):

odirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

oformat: "string" ("")

Output format specific to this data type.

The outfreq datatype has a datatype-associated command line qualifier (-oformat) which is often hard-coded as an attribute in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). oformat: defines the default value for the -oformat qualifier which is the file format and default file extension.

A.5.3.10. outfile

name: "string" ("")Base name of output file name. By default, any input file or sequence name will be used. If there is no input file processed so far, the default name is "outfile".

extension: "string" ("")Extension of output file name.

append: "boolean" ("N")If set, specifies that output is appended to the end of an existing output file. By default the output file will be overwritten.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating an output file, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no output file) as the default for programs where an output file is only occasionally required. Examples include programs where the original output format is available, usually for users that still require it for parsing in automated scripts. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

The knowntype: global attribute (Section A.4, “Global Attributes”) should always be defined. If the output is not of any of the standard EMBOSS known types, ApplicationName output is the recommended value.

A.5.3.10.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outfile datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

odirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

A.5.3.11. outfileall

name: "string" ("")Base name of output file name. By default, any input file or sequence name will be used. If there is no input file processed so far, the default name is "outfile".

extension: "string" ("")Extension of output file name.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating an output file, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no output file) as the default for programs where an output file is only occasionally required. Examples include programs where the original output format is available, usually for users that still require it for parsing in automated scripts. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

The knowntype: global attribute (Section A.4, “Global Attributes”) should always be defined. If the output is not of any of the standard EMBOSS known types (Section A.4, “Global Attributes”, "ApplicationName output" is the recommended value.

A.5.3.11.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outfileall datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

odirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

A.5.3.12. outmatrix

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating an matrix file, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no data output) as the default for programs where data output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.12.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outmatrix: datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

odirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

oformat: "string" ("")

Output format specific to this data type.

The outmatrix datatype has a datatype-associated command line qualifier (-oformat) which is often hard-coded as an attribute in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). oformat: defines the default value for the -oformat qualifier which is the file format and default file extension.

A.5.3.13. outmatrixf

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating an matrix file, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no data output) as the default for programs where data output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.13.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outmatrixf: datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

odirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

oformat: "string" ("")

Output format specific to this data type.

The outmatrixf datatype has a datatype-associated command line qualifier (-oformat) which is often hard-coded as an attribute in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). oformat: defines the default value for the -oformat qualifier which is the file format and default file extension.

A.5.3.14. outproperties

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating a properties file, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no data output) as the default for programs where data output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.14.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outproperties: datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

odirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

oformat: "string" ("")

Output format specific to this data type.

The outproperties datatype has a datatype-associated command line qualifier (-oformat) which is often hard-coded as an attribute in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). oformat: defines the default value for the -oformat qualifier which is the file format and default file extension.

A.5.3.15. outscop

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating an output file, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no data output) as the default for programs where data output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.15.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outscop: datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

odirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

oformat: "string" ("")

Output format specific to this data type.

The outscop datatype has a datatype-associated command line qualifier (-oformat) which is often hard-coded as an attribute in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). oformat: defines the default value for the -oformat qualifier which is the file format and default file extension.

A.5.3.16. outtree

name: "string" ("")Base name of output file name.

extension: "string" ("")Extension of output file name.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating a phylogenetic tree, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no data output) as the default for programs where data output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.16.1. Associated Qualifiers

The outtree: datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

odirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

oformat: "string" ("")

Output format specific to this data type.

The outtree datatype has a datatype-associated command line qualifier (-oformat) which is often hard-coded as an attribute in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). oformat: defines the default value for the -oformat qualifier which is the file format and default file extension.

A.5.3.17. report

multiple: "boolean" ("N")Should be set to "Y" if the output can contain more than one report from the same input.

precision: "integer" ("3")The floating point precision of any reported score values. For integer score values this can be set to "0".

type: "string" ("")Where the report format is one of the standard feature table formats (see the EMBOSS Users Guide), the type: attribute defines whether the report output is "protein" or "nucleotide". There is a default based on the type of any input sequence, but a value should always be specified.

taglist: "string" ("")Defines the additional tags to be reported from the internal feature table. The tag names and types must match the source code of the application. Each tag is in the format type:tagname[=columnname] for example int:length or string:gc=GC%.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating report output, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no report output) as the default for programs where report output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.17.1. Associated Qualifiers

The report: datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

rformat: "string" ("")

Report format.

rname: "string" ("")

Base file name.

rextension: "string" ("")

File name extension.

rdirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

raccshow: "boolean" ("N")

Show accession number in the report.

rdesshow: "boolean" ("N")

Show description in the report.

rscoreshow: "boolean" ("N")

Show the score in the report.

rusashow: "boolean" ("N")

Show the full USA in the report.

rmaxall: "integer" ("0")

Maximum total hits to report.

rmaxseq: "integer" ("0")

Maximum hits to report for one sequence.

The report datatype has three associated qualifiers (-rextension, -rscoreshow and -rformat) which are often hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). The rextension: attribute sets the default value for the -rextension qualifier, which is normally the program name. The rscoreshow: boolean attribute specifies whether the feature score value should appear in the report. Where a score is not set by the program, the default 0.0 score can be excluded by setting the value to "N". The rformat: attribute is required. It defines the default value for the -rformat qualifier which is the report format.

A.5.3.18. seqout

name: "string" ("")Base name of output file name.

extension: "string" ("")Extension of output file name.

features: "boolean" ("N")If set, the sequence output will include feature information either in the same file (if the sequence format supports it) or in a separate file (by default in GFF format).

type: "string" ("")The output sequence type. Although this will default to the type of the first output sequence, it is recommended that a value is always defined to make the output sequence type clear. The sequence type must be a standard sequence type (Section A.7, “Sequence Types”).

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating sequence output, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no sequence output) as the default for programs where sequence output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.18.1. Associated Qualifiers

The seqout datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

osformat: "string" ("")

Output seq format.

osextension: "string" ("")

File name extension.

osname: "string" ("")

Base file name.

osdirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

osdbname: "string" ("")

Database name to add.

ossingle: "boolean" ("N")

Separate file for each entry.

oufo: "string" ("")

UFO features.

offormat: "string" ("")

Features format.

ofname: "string" ("")

Features file name.

ofdirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

A.5.3.19. seqoutall

name: "string" ("")Base name of output file name.

extension: "string" ("")Extension of output file name.

features: "boolean" ("N")If set, the sequence output will include feature information either in the same file (if the sequence format supports it) or in a separate file (by default in GFF format).

type: "string" ("")The output sequence type. Although this will default to the type of the first output sequence, it is recommended that a value is always defined to make the output sequence type clear. The sequence type must be a standard sequence type (Section A.7, “Sequence Types”).

minseqs: "integer" ("1")The minimum number of sequences that are expected in the output file.

maxseqs: "integer" ("INT_MAX")The maximum number of sequences that are expected in the output file.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating sequence output, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no sequence output) as the default for programs where sequence output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.19.1. Associated Qualifiers

The seqoutall datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

osformat: "string" ("")

Output seq format.

osextension: "string" ("")

File name extension.

osname: "string" ("")

Base file name.

osdirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

osdbname: "string" ("")

Database name to add.

ossingle: "boolean" ("N")

Separate file for each entry.

oufo: "string" ("")

UFO features.

offormat: "string" ("")

Features format.

ofname: "string" ("")

Features file name.

ofdirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

The seqoutall datatype has a datatype-associated command line qualifier (-ossingle) which is often hard-coded as an attribute in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). ossingle: defines the default value for the -ossingle qualifier and can be set to "Y" to direct output to multiple sequence files. For example, the EMBOSS program seqretsplit splits an input sequence input multiple files using this attribute.

A.5.3.20. seqoutset

name: "string" ("")Base name of output file name.

extension: "string" ("")Extension of output file name.

features: "boolean" ("N")If set, the sequence output will include feature information either in the same file (if the sequence format supports it) or in a separate file (by default in GFF format).

type: "string" ("")Output sequence type. Although this will default to the type of the first output sequence, it is recommended that a value is always defined to make the output sequence type clear. The sequence type must be a standard sequence type (Section A.7, “Sequence Types”).

minseqs: "integer" ("1")The minimum number of sequences that are expected in the output file.

maxseqs: "integer" ("INT_MAX")The maximum number of sequences that are expected in the output file.

aligned: "boolean" ("N")If true, specifies that all sequences in the output are expected to be aligned. If false then the sequences are assumed to be unaligned. We recommend always defining the aligned: attribute so that the nature of the sequence set is clearly defined.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating sequence output, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no sequence output) as the default for programs where sequence output is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead. In combination with the nullok: and missing: attributes, this allows qualifiers to be null by default, and turned on from the command line.

A.5.3.20.1. Associated Qualifiers

The seqoutset datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

osformat: "string" ("")

Output seq format.

osextension: "string" ("")

File name extension.

osname: "string" ("")

Base file name.

osdirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

osdbname: "string" ("")

Database name to add.

ossingle: "boolean" ("N")

Separate file for each entry.

oufo: "string" ("")

UFO features.

offormat: "string" ("")

Features format.

ofname: "string" ("")

Features file name.

ofdirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

A.5.4. Selection Attributes Description

A.5.4.1. list

values: "string" ("")A string containing a list of option labels and descriptions which define the options the user can choose from. The delimiter: and codedelimiter: attributes specify how to parse this string into individual list items.

delimiter: "string" (";")The character used in the values: string to separate list items. Defaults to a semi-colon (;).

codedelimiter: "string" (":")The character used in the values: string to separate option labels from their descriptions. Defaults to a colon :).

minimum: "integer" ("1")The minimum number of selections required. By default 1 selection is required.

maximum: "integer" ("1")The maximum number of selections allowed. By default exactly 1 selection is required. A higher value allows multiple selections.

trueminimum: "boolean" ("N")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. By default the minimum value is used if the minimum and maximum values overlap.

failrange: "boolean" ("Y")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. By default the application fails if the calculated ranges overlap.

rangemessage: "string" ("")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. Failure message to use if calculated ranges overlap.

header: "string" ("")Text that is displayed to the user above the list of options.

button: "boolean" ("N")Provided for interface developers. It has a boolean value used to suggest whether a list is best represented as checkboxes or radio buttons in an interface (value of "Y") or if a text box should be used to enter a value ("N").

casesensitive: "boolean" ("N")Defines whether user input must match the exact case of the list item. Regardless of the case used by the user, the value of the parameter will be exactly what the corresponding list value is.

A.5.4.1.1. Associated Qualifiers

The list datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.4.2. select

values: "string" ("")A string containing a list of option descriptions which define the options the user can choose from. The delimiter: attribute specifies how to parse this string into individual selection list items.

delimiter: "string" (":")The character used in the values: string to separate list items. Defaults to a semi-colon (;).

minimum: "integer" ("1")The minimum number of selections required. By default 1 selection is required.

maximum: "integer" ("1")The maximum number of selections allowed. By default exactly 1 selection is required. A higher value allows multiple selections.

trueminimum: "boolean" ("N")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. By default the minimum value is used if the minimum and maximum values overlap.

failrange: "boolean" ("Y")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. By default the application fails if the calculated ranges overlap.

rangemessage: "string" ("")Used for calculated values of minimum: and maximum:. Failure message to use if calculated ranges overlap.

header: "string" ("")Text that is displayed to the user above the list of options.

button: "boolean" ("N")Provided for interface developers. It has a boolean value used to suggest whether a list is best represented as checkboxes or radio buttons in an interface (value of "Y") or if a text box should be used to enter a value ("N").

casesensitive: "boolean" ("N")Defines whether the input must match the exact case of the list item. Regardless of the case used by the user, the value of the parameter will be exactly what the corresponding list value is.

Note

The information: attribute, defined for all datatypes, defines text to be used as a prompt after a list or select type list.

A.5.4.2.1. Associated Qualifiers

The selection datatype has no associated qualifiers.

A.5.5. Graphics Attributes Description

A.5.5.1. graph

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating graphical output, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")Overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no graph) as the default for programs where a graph is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead.

A.5.5.1.1. Associated Qualifiers

The graph datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

gprompt: "boolean" ("N")

Graph prompting.

gdesc: "string" ("")

Graph description.

gtitle: "string" ("")

Graph title.

gsubtitle: "string" ("")

Graph subtitle.

gxtitle: "string" ("")

Graph x axis title.

gytitle: "string" ("")

Graph y axis title.

goutfile: "string" ("")

Output file for non interactive displays.

gdirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

The graph datatype has four associated qualifiers which are often hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). (-gtitle, -gxtitle, -gytitle) are used to control the titles of the graph and its axes and are set with the attributes gtitle:, gxtitle: and gytitle:. The goutfile: attribute specifies the base file name for output. It is used, for example by the EMBOSS program tmap, to direct output to a named file rather than the default name, which is the name of first input sequence read (if any).

A.5.5.2. xygraph

multiple: "integer" ("1")The multiple: attribute specifies the number of multiple XY graphs in a single output. The default value is 1, but any integer value may be defined in the ACD file.

nullok: "boolean" ("N")If the application can accept a null value for this definition and can run without generating graphical output, the nullok: attribute must be set to "Y". This allows a default value to be omitted or the application to be run with -noFlag on the command line (where Flag is the data definition flag).

nulldefault: "boolean" ("N")The nulldefault: attribute overrides the default name generation, and uses an empty string (no graph) as the default for programs where a graph is only occasionally required. If an empty string is specified on the command line, the standard default value will be generated instead.

A.5.5.2.1. Associated Qualifiers

The xygraph datatype has the following associated qualifiers which may be hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file. These qualifiers are described in the EMBOSS Users Guide:

gprompt: "boolean" ("N")

Graph prompting.

gdesc: "string" ("")

Graph description.

gtitle: "string" ("")

Graph title.

gsubtitle: "string" ("")

Graph subtitle.

gxtitle: "string" ("")

Graph x axis title.

gytitle: "string" ("")

Graph y axis title.

goutfile: "string" ("")

Output file for non interactive displays.

gdirectory: "string" ("")

Output directory.

The graph datatype has four associated qualifiers which are often hard-coded as attributes in an ACD file (see the EMBOSS Users Guide). (-gtitle, -gxtitle, -gytitle) are used to control the titles of the graph and its axes and are set with the attributes gtitle:, gxtitle: and gytitle:. The goutfile: attribute specifies the base file name for output. It is used to direct output to a named file, otherwise a default of the name of first input sequence read (if any) is used.