Frequently asked questions

When SAMMY doesn't work ...

Usually this is the result of input errors.
- See below what to do in this case.
Sometimes it's a bug
- SAMMY does have bugs
- If you find one, please tell the author about it.

Do not panic -- this happens to everybody.
Is this run really the same as the one that worked last week?
- Think carefully -- exactly what did you change.
Look at the LPT file in detail.
- Did SAMMY understand all of your instructions?
  - Maybe you had a typo.
  - Maybe you made up your own command instead of using one SAMMY understands.
- Is SAMMY using the same parameter values that you intended?
  - Maybe you had a typo. Look for factors-of-ten
- Would additional information help?
  - Maybe you need to ask SAMMY to print out more initial values, more intermediate steps.
- Did SAMMY give you an error message?
  - Look at the very end of the file.
Can you simplify and/or isolate the problem?
- Use a smaller energy range.
- Vary fewer parameters.
- Drop normalization and background options.
- Do no broadening.
Find the smallest case for which the error occurs, and try to understand what is unique about that case.
If the problem persists, ask for help!

Talk to your office-mate.
- Maybe you've just been looking at it for too long, and someone else can see immediately what you can no longer see!
Talk to the most experienced SAMMY user in the neighborhood.
- It does get easier with practice!
Talk to the author at LarsonNM@ornl.gov
- First, send information but not files. Describe the problem in some detail:
  - What version of SAMMY are you using?
  - What features are in use?
  - Did the code bomb or just give wrong answers?
  - In which module did the bomb occur?
    - For example, SAMMY-RSL might be the last thing in the LPT file. Or M6-SAMMY-SSM might appear on the screen right before the bomb.
  - What error message did SAMMY give you?
  - Does a minor perturbation of this case work properly.
- When requested, send very small files from the simplest case which has the problem: command file, INPut file, PARameter file, and DATa file
  - as attachments if possible
  - otherwise as separate e-mail messages

If you find and fix a bug in your version of SAMMY, please tell the author about it so that she can fix it in the official version!
- In the code
- In the lecture notes
- In the users' guide
SAMMY is imperfectly dummy-proofed -
- Error messages do not always exist.
- When they exist, they may not always be helpful.
- If you can suggest a more informative error message, the author would be happy to consider using it.