Parameters

Files
file	parameter.h
	definition of the Parameter types
file	parmanager.h
	Manager for the all the Parameters.
Classes
class	DETimeParameter
	DETime parameter type. More...
class	GenericParameter
	Base class for all the parameter types. More...
class	IntParameter
	Integer number parameter type. More...
class	DoubleParameter
	Double number parameter type. More...
class	StringParameter
	String parameter type. More...
class	EnumParameter
	Enumeration parameter type. More...
class	BitmaskParameter
	BitmaskParameter parameter type. More...
class	ParamManager
	this class manages all the parameters of a simulation More...

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Detailed Description

A Parameter is NePSing way to write and read simulation's parameters to a file. In this way, a single program can be tuned and modified to simulate a great variety of cases. As an example, in a Aloha protocol simulator, the parameters can be used to set if it is a slotted or unslotted protocol type, the data source rate, the retransmission probability and so on.

NePSing has a number of parameter types, and each parameter is defined in the class its belongs to. Each parameter must be read according to its type, aka, a parameter defined as StringParameter cannot be read as a DoubleParameter.

Moreover, each parameter class can have instances. An instance is a subclass of a parameter, allowing an even greater flexibility. As an example a generic traffic source can have 3 instances, Gold, Silver and Bronze. If instances are not used, leave the instance field blank in the reading code; i.e, with an empty string.

Each parameter is written in a parameter file by the program itself (see the demo project). Upon reading the parameter file, if a paramer is found in it, the value will override the parameter's default value. If a class have some instances, the reading rule will be:

• read the instance parameter if present
• else read the class parameter
• else use the instance default value

Usual parameter definition (to be done in a static setup function) is:

 Param->addClass ("Generator", "Message generator");
 
 Param->addInstance("Generator", "Gold", "Gold Terminal");
 Param->addInstance("Generator", "Silver", "Silver Terminal");
 Param->addInstance("Generator", "Bronze", "Bronze Terminal");
 
 Param->addParameter ("Generator", new DETimeParameter("MsgIntTime",  "Msg. interarr.", "1.0", "(0,inf)" ));
 Param->addParameter ("Generator", new DoubleParameter("MsgLength",  "Msg. length", "5.0", "(0,inf)" ));

the corresponding parameter reading (to be done in the Initialize() function) is:

 string GenType // set this to "Gold", "Silver" or "Bronze"
 
 DETime MsgInterarrTime = get < DETimeParameter, DETime > (Param, "MsgIntTime", "Generator", GenType);
 double MsgLength = get < DoubleParameter, double > (Param, "MsgLength", "Generator", GenType);

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