Programming PLT

After using the QDP/PLT software for a while, some people would like to see more sophisticated features such as the ability to read binary files, or to add different vectors together. Although the author is always willing to take suggestions (and even to implement some of these suggestions), the PLT design goal is to implement new features in as a general manner as possible. Thus if you have a need to read a particular file format, or to manipulate data in a particular manner, you should implement your own front end to the PLT subroutine. This is simple to do since the QDP program cleanly separates reading of the file from actually calling the PLT routine.

This chapter describes how to call the RDQDP and PLT subroutines. Also listed is the complete source code for the QDP program. Although QDP can be used as an example of how to call PLT, it is perhaps too simple. Therefore the DEMO Fortran program more clearly shows how to do this. Finally there are instructions on how to create your own user defined function that when linked with the QDP/PLT software can be used with the Model and Fit commands.

Although PLT uses several other internal routines, you are discouraged from directly using these routines in your code. This is because PLT continues to evolve, and there is no way that the author add the functionality required without the ability to modify the internal interfaces. There are no plans to modify the calling sequence for all the routines described in this chapter.