Parameter file formatting has changed

[wwieder]

Brief summary of bug

Changes to the formatting of the default parameter file make the file difficult to work with outside of python.

General bug information

for example, an ncdump on the new parameter file produces this:

ncdump -v bgc_rf_l1s1 /glade/campaign/cesm/cesmdata/inputdata/lnd/clm2/paramdata/ctsm51_params.c240105.nc 
bgc_rf_l1s1 = _ ;

whereas doing this for an older file shows:

ncdump -v bgc_rf_l1s1 /glade/campaign/cesm/cesmdata/inputdata/lnd/clm2/paramdata/ctsm51_params.c231117.nc 
bgc_rf_l1s1 = 0.55

Besides making it difficult to quickly query default parameter values, this bug makes modifying a parameter file as we describe on the wiki impossible. It also makes it difficult to use nco commands, like ncap2, because it's difficult to then check that modified parameter values have been changed as intended.

CTSM version you are using:
latest master tag, ctsm5.1.dev166

Does this bug cause significantly incorrect results in the model's science?
No, but it does make modifying the parameter file with ncdump or nco commands difficult

Configurations affected: [Fill this in if known.]
All

[wwieder]

note here, this would be an easy one for a bfb_dev tag, but if you can share a corrected parameter file that I can more easily edit it would be helpful, Sam.

[olyson]

Yes, I can't seem to use the approach detailed on the wiki to add a new parameter to the parameter file. I can run through the steps ok, but when I try to use the new parameter file in a simulation I get:

ERROR: ERROR: crop has wrong valuesERROR in pftconMod.F90 at line 1344

which is not something I changed. An ncdump -v crop of the file gives:

crop = 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _,
_, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _,
_, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _,
_, _, _, _, _, _, _, _ ;

I think the "_"'s should be 1s.
I'm not sure how to resolve this so I can move forward with my deadveg PR. Suggestions?

[samsrabin]

@olyson I'll go ahead and make new parameter files later this afternoon.