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Configuration file

.. toctree::
   :maxdepth: 1

Users settings are passed to CARACal through a configuration file consisting of a sequence of blocks --- each corresponding to the run of a CARACal worker. The workers are run following the order in which they appear in the configuration file. For reference see :ref:`workerlist`.

The following workers must always run be and, therefore, must always appear in the configuration file: :ref:`general`, :ref:`getdata` and :ref:`obsconf`. All other workers are optional.

Within each worker's block of the configuration file, the worker's parameters are arranged in a nested structure following the YAML syntax rules (see https://yaml.readthedocs.io). As an example, a block of the config file may look like:

worker_name:
  enable: true
  parameter_1: value_1
  parameter_2:
    parameter_2_1: value_2_1
    parameter_2_2: value_2_2
  parameter_3: value_3
  ...

The complete list of all workers' parameters is available at :ref:`workers`, where the parameters' nesting is also illustrated.

Workers can be executed more than once in a single run of CARACal. This could be useful, for example, if a user wants to flag the data both before and after cross-calibration. To indicate a new run of a worker the worker name must be followed by "__<suffix>" in the configuration file (note the double underscore). The first run of a worker can also have a "__<suffix>" but does not have to. In the example above, the flag worker must thus appear twice in the configuration file:

flag__beforecrosscal:
  enable: true
  parameter_1: value_1A
  ...

[other workers]

flag__aftercrosscal:
  enable: true
  parameter_1: value_1B
  ...

Most parameters are optional and do not need to be included in the configuration file. Their default values are set to work in as many cases as possible. A few parameters are compulsory. The pages at :ref:`workers` indicate whether a parameter is optional, its data type, allowed values (if applicable) and default value.

CARACal comes with a set of sample configuration files. These are available at https://github.com/caracal-pipeline/caracal/tree/master/caracal/sample_configurations and include, for example:

  • minimalConfig.yml, which includes as few parameters as possible and performs a basic data reduction including both continuum and spectral line imaging;
  • meerkat-continuum-defaults.yml, which is optimised for the reduction of data taken with the MeerKAT telescope for the purpose of total-intensity continuum imaging.

Users could take these sample configuration files as a starting point for their work.