Running FasterCap

Launching FasterCap from the shell

FasterCap can be launched in GUI-less mode from a System shell (e.g. a DOS shell under MS Windows, a KSH under Linux, etc.).

To enter the GUI-less text mode, you need to pass the additional command option '-b' ('batch' mode) when launching FasterCap from the System shell.

For example:
 
FasterCap -b cube.txt -a0.01

 
Please note that the command options can be passed in arbitrary order. Please note also that the default option for the GUI-less mode is not Automatic, as it is instead in the GUI mode; so you need to specify the -a option with the relevant tolerance to trigger the Automatic solution mode.

For a list of valid running command options, please see the explaination in the Run Menu dialog box paragraph. The command options are indicated together with the relevant settings descriptions. Example: 'Stop when relative error is lower than (-a)' indicates that the relevant parameter to control this setting when launched from a System shell is '-a'

You can also get a list of the valid command options with a short description when launching FasterCap from a System shell with the '-?' parameter (or with any invalid unsupported parameter).

For example:
 
FasterCap -b -?

Usage: fastercap <input file> [-a<relative error>] [-ap]
                 [-m<mesh>] [-mc<mesh curvature] [-t<tolerance>]
                 [-d<interaction coeff>] [-f<outofcore>] [-g]
                 [-pj] [-ps<dimension>] [-o] [-r] [-c] [-i] [-v]
DEFAULT VALUES:
  -a: Automatically calculate settings, stop when relative error is lower than = 0.01
  -ap: Automatic preconditioner usage
  -m: Mesh relative refinement value = 0.1
  -mc: Mesh curvature coefficient = 3
  -t: GMRES iteration tolerance = 0.01
  -d: Direct potential interaction coefficient to mesh refinement ratio = 1
  -f: Out-Of-Core free memory to link memory condition = 5
  -g: Use Galerkin scheme
  -pj: Use Jacobi Preconditioner
  -ps: Use two-levels preconditioner with dimension = 5
OPTIONS:
  -o: Output refined geometry in FastCap2 format
  -r: Dump Gmres residual at each iteration
  -c: Dump charge densities in output file
  -i: Dump detailed time and memory information
  -v: Verbose output
  -b: Launch as console/shell application without GUI
  -b?: Print console usage (this text)
  -bv: Print only the version
  -h: Open only the help system (Linux only)

The list of valid return (exit) codes is:


// no error, normal end
#define FC_NORMAL_END 0
// catchall for generic error
#define FC_GENERIC_ERROR 1
// command line usage error
#define FC_COMMAND_LINE_ERROR 64
// cannot open input file(s)
#define FC_CANNOT_OPEN_FILE 66
// out of memory
#define FC_OUT_OF_MEMORY 71
// generic file error
#define FC_FILE_ERROR 74
// license error (e.g. invalid license)
#define FC_LICENSE_ERROR 77
// cannot go out-of-core (probably disk full)
#define FC_CANNOT_GO_OOC 97
// unknown exception caught
#define FC_EXCEPTION_ERROR 98
// user-requested break (not valid for console mode)
#define FC_USER_BREAK 125

The return codes can be checked under Linux with the following command:
echo $?
and under MS Windows with the command:
echo %ERRORLEVEL%