Form for software documentation

Whenever software is written for others, it should be documented so that others can use the software without difficulty. This means that the documenation should contain information decribing how it works, its options, and any known limitations or problems.

Below is the recommended format for documenting software written for the the U.S. GLOBEC Georges Bank Program. Similar formats may be acceptable as long as they provide similar information. Since this information will likely be made available on-line, modifications to this format will be made to tailor it for WEB on-line access. Your recommenadations are requested. Please contact the Data Management Office.

Softoware Documentation Form


NAME:            [program name, usually from 3 to 12 
                        characters]

PURPOSE:         [brief, one sentence, description of 
                        the program]

PLATFORM         [supported machine(s) and operating 
                        system(s)]

SOURCE LANGUAGE  [coding language, e.g. C]

DESCRIPTION      [paragraph describing what the program
                        does and how it does it.]

INPUT:           [describe all input provided to the
                        program from all sources, e.g. terminal,
                        data file(s), etc.]

OUTPUT:          [describe all output generated by the
                        program, including error messages]

USE:             [detail description of how to use the
                        program, including input parameters,
                        input data (and format), optional
                        parameters, if any, etc.]