= PDAF_parse = 

This page documents the routine `PDAF_parse` of PDAF, which was introduced with PDAF V3.1.

The routine provides functionality of common line parsing. Before PDAF V3.1, the template files contained a file `parser_mpi.F90`, which provided this functionality. This file is no longer required with PDAF V3.1.

The interface is: 
{{{
  SUBROUTINE PDAF_parse(handle, value)

    CHARACTER(len=32), INTENT(in) :: handle     ! String defining variable to be parsed
    VARIABLETYPE, INTENT(inout) :: value        ! Value of the variable, where VARIABLETYPE can be
                                                ! INTEGER, REAL, LOGICAL, CHARACTER(len=*)
}}}

The typical use in the source code is to e.g. parse the ensemble size `dim_ens`
{{{
   handle='dim_ens'
   CALL PDAF_parse(handle, dim_ens)
}}}
where the specification on the command line would be, to e.g. set the ensemble size to 4:
{{{
   -dim_ens 4
}}}
(The template and tutorial codes use this in the file `init_pdaf_parse.F90`)

Notes:
* The subroutine can parse variables of different types
* Only single values or strings canbe parse; there is no parsing for arrays
* The general syntax on the command line is `-HANDLE VALUE`