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Runtime Configuration & Arguments Reference

Start TRAFOLO with command-line arguments from a shortcut, a command prompt or PowerShell; move its runtime folder; find its files.

Command-line arguments

Argument Value What it does
-d, --debug none Debug mode: writes more detail to the log, for example the ParaView start command. Use it when support asks for a detailed log.
-c, --channel stable, beta or alpha Uses this update channel, whatever I want to receive beta updates in File › Settings says.
--clear_updates none Deletes update files that were downloaded but not installed, then starts TRAFOLO. Use it when an update keeps failing.
-wt, --width -ht, --height pixels Fixed window size at 100 % Windows scaling; at 150 %, --width 1365 gives 2048 screen pixels. Give both: one alone is ignored. The window can then not be resized.
--serverless none Starts without TRAFOLO's backend server, which must then be started separately. For development only.

Separate arguments with spaces, for example --debug --width 1365 --height 810. TRAFOLO ignores arguments it does not know, so a misspelt argument has no effect.

Start TRAFOLO with arguments

TRAFOLO must start in its installation folder, %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Trafolo. The shortcuts made by the installer do this; set it yourself in your own shortcuts and commands.

Shortcut

  1. Right-click the desktop and choose New › Shortcut.
  2. Enter the program path, a space and the arguments, for example "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Trafolo\TRAFOLO.exe" --debug. Click Next, name the shortcut and click Finish.
  3. Right-click the new shortcut and choose Properties. Check Target (1) and set Start in (2) to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Trafolo. Click OK.
Properties of a shortcut named TRAFOLO (debug) with debug at the end of Target and the installation folder in Start in
Shortcut Properties: the arguments follow the program path in Target (1); Start in is the installation folder (2).

To change the arguments later, edit the end of Target. A copy of the installer's TRAFOLO shortcut works too: its Start in is already set.

Command prompt

cd /d "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Trafolo"
TRAFOLO.exe --debug --width 1365 --height 810

PowerShell

$dir = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\Trafolo"
Start-Process "$dir\TRAFOLO.exe" -WorkingDirectory $dir -ArgumentList "--debug", "--width", "1365", "--height", "810"

Runtime folder

At every start, TRAFOLO and its backend each unpack 20 to 55 MB into a new _MEI… subfolder of %TEMP%\TrafoloRuntime. Move this folder when your IT department blocks programs in %TEMP% or when the system drive is short of space. Set both variables to a folder you own, then restart TRAFOLO:

Variable Program
TRAFOLO_RUNTIME_DIR TRAFOLO.exe (user interface)
TRAFOLOBACKEND_RUNTIME_DIR TrafoloBackend.exe (backend) 
setx TRAFOLO_RUNTIME_DIR "D:\TrafoloRuntime"
setx TRAFOLOBACKEND_RUNTIME_DIR "D:\TrafoloRuntime"

Or set them in Edit environment variables for your account (Windows search). Subfolders left from earlier sessions can be deleted while TRAFOLO is closed.

File locations

What Where
TRAFOLO, templates and the bundled ElmerFEM %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Trafolo (ElmerFEM in third_party\ElmerFEM)
ParaView and Gmsh downloaded by TRAFOLO %LOCALAPPDATA%\Trafolo_third_party; the paths in use are in File › Select Third Party Software
Settings %APPDATA%\Trafolo\global_settings.cfg
Log files %APPDATA%\Trafolo\logs (Help › Open Log Directory)
Licence file of an offline activation %APPDATA%\Trafolo
Runtime folder %TEMP%\TrafoloRuntime, or the folder set above