How to deal with arbitrary Paths in cff files in cmsDriver/ConfigBuilder?

[makortel]

One prototype for including accelerator algorithms that we are exploring in patatrack (cms-patatrack#100) would require defining Paths in cff configuration files (see also #24188 and #24190). This approach clashes with the cmsDriver/ConfigBuilder configuration generation. Those insert an explicit cms.Schedule in the final configuration file that then dictates which Paths are run.

If we start to add Paths in intermediate cff configs, we need to somehow communicate the existence of these Paths to ConfigBuilder so that it can add them to the Schedule. (easiest would be to just hardcode them in ConfigBuilder).

Alternative would be to remove the explicit cms.Schedule from the configuration and thus run all Paths that are defined. Obviously this implies rewriting the parts of ConfigBuilder dealing with Schedule (especially for Alca and Skims), and possibly some cleanup/reorganization of some configuration fragments.

In the unscheduled, dependence-driven mindset dropping the explicit Schedule would feel more natural.

@Dr15Jones @wddgit

[cmsbuild]

A new Issue was created by @makortel Matti Kortelainen.

@davidlange6, @Dr15Jones, @smuzaffar, @fabiocos, @kpedro88 can you please review it and eventually sign/assign? Thanks.

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[Dr15Jones]

assign core

[cmsbuild]

New categories assigned: core

@Dr15Jones,@smuzaffar you have been requested to review this Pull request/Issue and eventually sign? Thanks

[fwyzard]

I have been writing for a while how to try and support this with the use of a ProcessFragment, when my laptop badly crashed :-(

So, quick summary:

• if the cff files put their configuration in a ProcessFragment instead of their top level namespace, they can define also a Schedule
• process.extend should be taught to merge a Schedule instead of replacing it

[makortel]

@fwyzard Thanks for the suggestion, I'd like to learn a bit more how it would work with ProcessFragment.

How is ProcessFragment dealt with by process.load('Foo.Foo.foo_cff') if the fragment is defined in the foo_cff (or in a file imported by it)? Does the process get automatically extended by the fragment?

[makortel]

Superseded by #25439.

[Dr15Jones]

+1

[cmsbuild]

This issue is fully signed and ready to be closed.