Workbook for BaBar Offline Users - Introduction
The Workbook for BaBar Offline Users is under constant development.
Although incomplete it forms the best available starting point for new users.
Please read the following introduction before attempting to use the
Workbook.
Most of the workbook is now complete.
The incomplete sections are still useful because they:
- suggest what topics users should learn in what order.
- list many of the most commonly used tools and commands.
- provide links to currently available documentation that
appropriate experts have declared to be worth reading.
- provide contact names for experts in the particular systems
The design of this document follows that of the SLD
Offline Users Workbook.
See the Guide for Contributors
for information on how to contribute to the Workbook project.
This document is intended to introduce members of the BaBar
collaboration to the world of BaBar offline analysis. The information
is presented in the form of a workbook, a connected series of
exercises. Imagine the world of BaBar offline software as a workshop
full of tools. This Workbook has the user pick up each tool in turn,
do something simple and useful with that tool, and then put that tool
down and move on to the next.
The average new user should require about two weeks to complete this
course. The user will be handling real BaBar data and doing real
BaBar analysis throughout this time. Just by the end of the first
day, the user can expect to have examined, histogrammed and made event
displays from real data. Upon completion of this Workbook, the user
will have handled all of the most significant tools in the BaBar
software workshop. The user will not be an expert with any of these
tools, but will have a good idea of how the various tools interrelate
and will be in a good position to consult detailed reference manuals
as needed.
The Workbook is a structured course. The exercises should be
completed in the order presented in order to insure that the user
knows enough to use each tool when that tool is presented.
The user is expected to have access to the world wide web and to a
Unix computer running BaBar software. The user is expected to display
the Workbook itself in one or more web browser windows and to have a
Unix session in another window. X access is required to view some of
the results.
The Workbook always gives instructions that work at SLAC. However, many
collaborators will get better performance by using computing resources
at their local institutions. Ask your local colleagues about these
resources (and encourage them to submit relevant instructions to this
Workbook as discussed in the Guide
for Contributors).
At least when running the examples, the Workbook should be consulted
online, not through a hard copy. This is because the example code and
expected output will have to change as BaBar software evolves.
Example code in the online version of the Workbook will be tested and
example output will be regenerated. Online use also allows the user to
cut and paste the coding examples.
Users who are new to Unix should also review the Workbook's section How to Enter Unix Commands before trying to
enter the example commands.
Authors:
Joseph Perl, Jenny Williams
Last modification: 12 April 2006
Last significant update: 6 June 2005
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