5.2.15. Merge Sort Input

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5.2.15. Merge Sort Input

 
Icon: clip0818

 
Function: mergeSortInput

 

Property window:

 

ANATEL~2_img336

 

 

Short description:

 

Merge several locally sorted .gel_anatella files into one globally sorted table.

 

Long Description:

 

The input pin of the the clip0818 MergeSortInput Action is connected to a table that contains (many) .gel_anatella filenames. Typically, this input table will be computed using the ANATEL~2_img196 fileListFromObsDate Action (see section 5.25.5).
 

Anatella reads all the corresponding “Gel files” simultaneously to create a globally sorted table as output (This is more or less equivalent to the ANATEL~2_img7 Append Action but the ANATEL~2_img7 Append Action does not generate a sorted output table and takes as input tables rather than filenames).

 

There are some limitations: The different “Gel Files” that are merged together must:
 

…all have exactly the same meta-data.

…all be sorted in the same way as the globally sorted table that the clip0818 MergeSortInput Action creates as ouput (The sort in the output table is equal to the sort in the intput tables).

 

The clip0818 MergeSortInput is:

…a faster alternative to the simple ANATEL~2_img25 Sort Action: see sections 5.5.2.2. and 5.5.5.4. for more information about this subject.

…about as fast as a simple ANATEL~2_img7 Append Action: This means that the “sorting” is essentially performed “for free”. This is great!

…able to produce a sorted table of un-limited size.

 

The “Merge Sort” algorithm that is used to create the output table is described in section 5.5.2.1.