Use this section to specify the following information about each
input and output parameter.
| Input or Output? | The kind of parameter: input or output. | 
| Number | The ordinal number of the input or output being defined: "1"
(first), "2" (second), and so on. | 
| Name | The parameter name, which appears in the module's
configuration dialog box and is displayed when the tab
of the module stand-in is selected.
It may also be used in script mode and appear in the C-code framework
file. | 
| Description | A brief description of the parameter being defined.
It appears in a Description of... box when the
Description... button of the module's
configuration dialog box is selected. | 
| Required | Specification that the parameter must be set, because no default
value is possible.
This option is grayed-out for output parameters. | 
| Default value | The default value of the parameter.
It appears in the module configuration dialog box and is included in
the C-code framework file as a comment. Note: Implementing the default value is the module writer's
responsibility.
 | 
| Descriptive | Specifies whether the default value is an actual value or a
descriptive phrase (e.g., "center of object"). | 
| Object Type | This parameter allows the user to specify a Field Object or a
simple parameter.
Each specification has an associated set of options that are
enabled when the appropriate toggle button is activated. 
Field Parameter Options
 
| Data type
 | The type of the data associated with the parameter (click on
the associated button to display a list of valid types).
This information is used in the C-code framework file to check for
errors before the user's routine is called.
 |  | Data Shape
 | The "shape" of the data associated with the parameter
(e.g., scalar).
This information is used in the C-code framework file to check for
errors before the user's routine is called.
 |  | Positions
 | One of the following options controlling information about the
positions component of the first input parameter:
 
This option is grayed-out for all but the first input argument.Not required--No positions information
is passed.
Regular--a compact representation of the
positions is passed.
Irregular--An explicit Array of positions
is passed.
 |  | Connections
 | One of the following options controlling information about the
connections component of the first input parameter:
 
This option is grayed-out for all but the first input argument.Not required--No connections information
is passed.
Regular--a compact representation of the
connections is passed.
Irregular--An explicit Array of
connections is passed.
 |  | Element type
 | The type of connection element expected by the module:
lines, quads, cubes, triangles, or tetrahedra.
The specification is checked against the connection type of the first
input argument before the user's routine is called.
 
This option is grayed-out unless the connections component is
passed in by the Connections option.
 |  | Dependency
 | The dependency of the data component of the input.
The specification is checked against the dependency of the input
Fields.
 |  
Simple Parameter Options
 
This set of options is enabled and displayed only when the
simple parameter toggle button
is activated (see above).
 
| Type
 | The type of the parameter, as specified by activating one of
10 toggle buttons.
 |  | Vector Length
 | The length of the vector (given that the parameter type is a
vector).
 |  |