Server Input/Output Language

Server processes in the Designer's Interface use a standard input/output format for passing data. Input is written to stdin when a server is executed, and output is read from stdout upon completion. All input and output is passed using ASCII representation.

Variables are passed associatively as "name(type) = value" pairs. This means server processes and functions which call them should not depend on the order in which variables are received. It is assumed that calling functions know all valid names when using a server. This is handled in the Designer's Interface by the server specification file, which lists all server inputs and outputs.

There are Perl utilities available to adapt server processes to the input/output language. The utilities also use the server specification file.


Example

Here is a sample of server input and output conforming to the input/output language. The associated Designer's Interface server specification is also shown.
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