A root based GUI interface to plot USRBIN outputs

traditional steps how to produce graphical output for USRBIN data
(coarse outline)

regular FULKA run to perform our simulation and produce a USRBIN output

run FLUKA with the PLOTGEOM option to prepare a geometry output file

use a special program PAWLEVBIN to read back the data file, select and project one BINNING onto 2D, set ranges and integration limits for '3rd' coordinate

apply scripts within an analysis program (typically PAW) to a set of files produced by the steps above to obtain a 2D color plot

optionally overlay the geometry of the problem

all the above steps are combined within a single tool now

flukaGUI

goals:

user friendly approach

implement the functionality of the standard FLUKA user tools within a common frame work

graphical user interface (GUI)

make use of the root analysis environment

INSTALLATION

Before one can use the flukaGUI program root needs to be installed on the Linux system in question. This task can be performed as a regular user, system privileges are NOT required. However, please check first if root is already installed and if so which version. In addition, one has to have a current FLUKA package installed and it is expected at $FLUPRO.

The root package might need to be upgraded for flukaGUI to work correctly since the GUI part of root is still a frequently updated section. The flukaGUI was tested in context of the FLUKA User Course with a version from December'04 root_v4.02.00 and also works with the most recent (as of writing) root version root_v4.03.02 from February'05.

download the appropriate root package for your system

Go to http://root.cern.ch and follow the download binaries link then select the New area. There you will find binary packages for a variety of hardware and OS versions. Try to identify the 'closest' configuration to your local system - care must be taken since the packages are not all of the same root version.

In case none of the binary package works for you, one can actually download the source and compile root from scratch. You will find and need instruction provided through the root website - the installation of root from the source package is not in the scope of this outline.

select/create a place where to keep the root files

example
place all root files in a directory called PLACE, assume the current directory is /home/user

$ pwd

/home/user

$ mkdir PLACE

$ mv root_v4.01.04.Linux.FedoraCore2.gcc3.3.3.tar.gz PLACE/.

$ cd PLACE

$ tar -zxf root_v4.01.04.Linux.FedoraCore2.gcc3.3.3.tar.gz

$ ls

root/ root_v4.01.04.Linux.FedoraCore2.gcc3.3.3.tar.gz

$ cd ..

set up 2/3 environment variables required to work with root

This step is dependent on the SHELL and to some extent on the Linux distribution you are working with.

example csh/tcsh

setenv ROOTSYS /home/user/PLACE/root

setenv LD_LIBRARY_PATH $LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/home/user/PLACE/root/lib:./

set path= ($path /home/user/PLACE/root/bin)

example bash/sh

ROOTSYS=/home/user/PLACE/root
export ROOTSYS

LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/home/user/PLACE/root/lib:./"
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH

PATH="$PATH:/home/user/PLACE/root/bin"
export PATH

With these steps performed lets test if the setup permits you to run the root executable - first make the changes know to your system (if you do not feel too comfortable with Linux and/or your distribution a safe way to proceed is to log out all the way and log back into your system). Then at your prompt just type root. The analysis program should start up and you can quit it by typing .q at the root command prompt.

build the flukaGUI program

Download the distribution aFlukaGUI-v02.tgz and uncompress/untar the downloaded file. Then cd into the directory that holds the flukaGUI program.

$ tar -zxf aFlukaGUI-v02.tgz

$ cd aFlukaGUI-v02

If root is setup properly now you should be able to simply type make at the prompt (currently a few compiler WARNINGS seem to be issued at least running under Debian using the above Fedora root package concerning a compiler symbol __GNUC_MINOR__ which can be ignored as well as an initial WARNING message when root/flukaGUI start up).

execute flukaGUI

In case the code built fine run the command flukaGUI at your prompt. You should be presented with a graphical user interface, a window which permits to inspect and manipulate information/data obtained by running FLUKA with the USRBIN option. A few examples of data files are located within the flukaGUI directory under examples/. Several combinations of data, geometry and FLUKA input files are available.

You will find a root resource file .rootrc in this directory. This is a very flexible way to change the overall behavior/appearance of root applications. In this context the file shows how to change font sizes for GUI elements - moderate font size changes are tested at this point (11-16).

Hopefully most of the features of the application are fairly obvious, some are still under development. At this point the user can save a script file (look under the FILE menu button) which in turn can be read in again or executed from within root. The geometry input is not yet fully supported from within an interactive root session. The script is an excellent starting point if one wants to automate histogram production or learn how to use the data classes and root.

top / back

sponsored by: INFN and CERN updated: