mcdoc component header

Example component header

Inspired from Beamstop.comp, with a few additions for completeness:

/*******************************************************************************
*
* McStas, neutron ray-tracing package
*         Copyright 1997-2002, All rights reserved
*         Risoe National Laboratory, Roskilde, Denmark
*         Institut Laue Langevin, Grenoble, France
*
* Component: Beamstop
*
* %ID
*
* Written by: Kristian Nielsen
* Date: January 2000
* Origin: Risoe
*
* Rectangular/circular beam stop.
*
* %D
* A simple rectangular or circular beam stop.
* Infinitely thin and infinitely absorbing.
* The beam stop is by default rectangular. You may either
* specify the radius (circular shape), or the rectangular bounds.
*
* Example: Beamstop(xmin=-0.05, xmax=0.05, ymin=-0.05, ymax=0.05)
*          Beamstop(radius=0.1)
*
* <div class="latex">
* $\frac{\alpha}{\beta}$
* </div>
*
* %PAR
*
* INPUT PARAMETERS
*
* radius: [m]   radius of the beam stop in the z=0 plane, centered at Origo 
* xmin: [m]     Lower x bound 
* xmax: [m]     Upper x bound 
* ymin: [m]     Lower y bound 
* ymax: [m]     Upper y bound 
* xwidth: [m]   Width of beamstop (x). Overrides xmin, xmax. 
* yheight: [m]  Height of beamstop (y). Overrides ymin, ymax. 
*
* %L
*
* %END
*******************************************************************************/


DEFINE COMPONENT Beamstop

SETTING PARAMETERS (xmin=-0.05, xmax=0.05, ymin=-0.05, ymax=0.05,
xwidth=0, yheight=0, radius=0)

Tips for writing a parseable mccode component header:

0. Please consult existing components of similar type and write documentation in a similar style.

1. Ensure that the identifier Component: Name matches

• the filename (i.e. Name.comp)
• the first code-line of DEFINE COMPONENT Name

2. The header lines should

• start with a /*******...(c-style start comment-block)
• all subsequent header lines should start with * character
• the last header line should end by ...*****/

3. All of the %-tags have a meaning and should be left in the component header
4. Fill in the

• Written by: (good practice is to include an email-adress)
• Date: and
• Origin: fields

5. Add description information:

• A short Description line before the %D tag (will be listed on mcdoc overview page)
• A longer description below the %D tag (will be visible on the actual component mcdoc page)

6. Add component input parameter description lines after %P and and before %END.
   Such lines should always be of the form

* parameter: [unit]  Descriptive information for parameter

7. Optionally add links (in html syntax) under %L
8. It is possible to include (limited) LaTeX formula-syntax in the %D long description, such as:

* <div class="latex">
* $\frac{\alpha}{\beta}$
* </div>

8. Please keep the lines for SETTING PARAMETERS free of any comments such as // a comment. Put such things within the input parameter lines!
   An example of a valid parameter line, including all McCode types:

SETTING PARAMETERS (par1=1, int par2=0, string par3=“NULL”, vector par4={0,0,0,0})

Check and correct your component doc header

You may use mcdoc with the —-dir Directory parameter to build components under Directory. Your own component developments / edited components should appear in the Local components table at the bottom of the generated mcdoc page.

If you have issues spelling etc...

Please run a spell-checker, please use an AI agent etc. Bad spelling or poor writing does not look serious to another McStas/McXtrace user - or leaves work for others that you should have done yourself!