Settings Rules

Explanation of Wildcards for Device Settings

Wildcards are coming inside square ([]) or angle (<>) brackets. All other symbols has to be preserved as is. If the symbol of bracket has to be preserved it will be introduced like that: {[} or {<}. In the table below the word explanation can mean any text. The value in the parantheses states the default value.

Rules for the description string

The 4th argument of LoadConfigKey(_ini, key, default, description) is the user-facing help string. Follow these rules so descriptions stay machine-parseable and consistent across drivers:

1. Describe the value FORMAT, not what the key does. The key name already conveys the purpose; the description tells the user what kind of value is accepted.
2. Use the wildcards from the table below. Wrap the value pattern in [...] for tokens with format, or <...> for free strings.
3. Alternatives inside [...] are separated by | (not /). The default alternative is wrapped in parentheses, e.g. [NV|NVPro|(Auto)].
4. / may still appear inside [...] as a unit denominator (e.g. <a[G/V], b[G]>, [G/cm/A]) since | is the alternative separator.
5. Numeric with unit: [fu name unit (default)], e.g. [fu power dBm (20 dBm)]. Unitless: [f name (default)] or [n count (3)].
6. The default value is duplicated — once in the 2nd argument of LoadConfigKey, once inside the (...) in the description. Keep them in sync.
7. Prose hints come BEFORE the wildcard, not after: "calibration B=a*I+b <a[G/V], b[G]>" is fine; "[fu dBm] RF source output power" is not.