aladin_faq.txt

利用语言编写的有限元分析软件

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Welcome to ALADDIN Version 1.0 Frequently Asked Questions
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List of Questions 

Q1  : What is ALADDIN ? 
Q2  : How do I compile ALADDIN ? 
Q3  : How can I make ALADDIN read commands from the keyboard ?
Q4  : How can I make ALADDIN read commands from an input file ?
Q5  : How can I make ALADDIN read commands from an input file and redirect the output
      to an output file.
Q6  : I notice a directory called "test-files.d" - what's in there ?
Q7  : How can I run ALADDIN with input from one of the files in test-files.d ?
Q8  : What does the file TestSuite do ?
Q10 : Where can I find more examples of ALADDIN input files ?
Q11 : Are there any technical reports on ALADDIN ?
Q12 : I've found a bug in the program -- how can I report it ?

Q13 : Who owns ALADDIN ? Can I distribute the source code ?


Detailed Answers to Questions 

Q1 : What is ALADDIN ? 

Answer : ALADDIN Version 1.0 is a computational toolkit for the matrix and finite element 
         analysis of engineering structures. In ALADDIN, finite element analsis is viewed
         as a specialized matrix computation, matrices are viewed as rectangular arrays,
         and numbers are viewed as dimensionless physical quantities.

Q2 : How do I compile ALADDIN ? 

Answer : All of the commands to compile ALADDIN are located in the file called "Makefile"
         To compile the program, simply type

                                 make aladdin

         The makefile will compile all of the C source code files into object files,
         and generate a single executable program file called ALADDIN.

Q3 : How can I make ALADDIN read commands from the keyboard ?

Answer : The command syntax is

             ALADDIN -k 

Q4 : How can I make ALADDIN read commands from an input file ?

Answer : The command syntax is

             ALADDIN -f name-of-input-file

Q5 : How can I make ALADDIN read commands from an input file and redirect the output
     to an output file.

Answer : The command syntax is

             ALADDIN -f name-of-input-file >! name-of-output-file

         The syntax ">!" redirects the program output to a file named "name-of-output-file"
         If "name-of-output-file" already exists, then the new stream of output will
         clobber the contents of the old file.
           
Q6 : I notice a directory called "test-files.d" - what's in there ?

Answer : "test-files.d" contains an ensemble of input files for sample matrix
         and finite element problems.

Q7 : How can I run ALADDIN with input from one of the files in test-files.d ?

Answer : Give a command of the type:

             ALADDIN -f test-files.d/name-of-input-file

Q8 : What does the file TestSuite do ?
    
Answer : TestSuite is a C-shell script that systematically runs ALADDIN for all of
         the input files in test-files.d. The input and output file names are
         matched as follows
         
             ALADDIN -f input-name >! output-name

         Where "name" is the remainder of the input file name beyond the prefix input-.

         A list of command options can be obtained by typing "TestSuite help"

Q10 : Where can I find more examples of ALADDIN input files ?

Answer : A collection of test problems is located on the Web at 

             http://www.ence.umd.edu

Q11 : Are there any technical reports on ALADDIN ?

Answer : Yes. Postscipt versions of the technical report may be downloaded from
         http://www.ence.umd.edu

Q12 : I've found a bug in the program -- how can I report it ?

Answer : Send e-mail to [e-mail], and we will do our best to fix it ...


Q13 : Who owns ALADDIN ? Can I distribute the source code ?

Answer : ALADDIN is the property of Mark Austin, Xiaoguang Chen and Wane-Jang Lin.

         Permission is granted to use, modify, and distribute the software freely,
         subject to the conditions stated in the file entitled "COPYRIGHT"