System Flags and Qualifiers (qspec)
Many methods in the class library accept the qspec argument, via which you can control the import of external sources into InterSystems IRIS® data platform, control how code is compiled, and control the export of code. The qspec argument is a concatenation of the supported system flags and qualifiers, documented on this page.
These mechanisms work together. That is, qspec can include both flags and qualifiers, but flags must be placed before (to the left of) the qualifiers. No spaces are allowed between qualifiers.
The flags were modeled on UNIX® command-line parameters and thus are one- or two-character sequences. The qualifiers are more numerous and have longer names, each of which starts with a slash character (/). The flags and qualifiers can be negated.
For many flags, there is an equivalent or related qualifier, and the two may be used in the same qspec. Also see Order Of Processing for qspec.
Example
The following example uses the qspec argument for the Load() method of %SYSTEM.OBJOpens in a new tab, which imports a file. In this example, qspec is a concatenation of the c and k flags.
Do $system.OBJ.Load(filename,"ck")
Or equivalently:
Do $system.OBJ.Load(filename,"/compile/keepsource")
The following is also equivalent:
Do $system.OBJ.Load(filename,"c/keepsource")
These flags and qualifiers are described later on this page.
Negation
To negate a flag, precede it with a hyphen (-).
To negate a qualifier, use /no instead of /; for example: /nodisplaylog. Or append =0 to the end of the qualifier; for example: /displaylog=0
Flags
| Flag | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|
| b | Includes subclasses and classes that reference the current class in SQL usage. | |
| c | Compiles the class definitions after loading. | |
| d | Display. Flag set by default. | X |
| e | Deletes the extent definition that describes the global storage used by the extent, and deletes the data. | |
| h | Shows hidden classes. | |
| i | Validates XML export format against schema on Load. Flag set by default. | X |
| k | Keep source. When this flag is set, source code of generated routines will be kept. | |
| l | Deprecated — Locking of classes during compilation is always automatically performed, regardless of the setting of this flag. | X |
| p | Includes classes whose names begin with the “%” character. | |
| r | Recursive. Compiles all the classes that are dependency predecessors. | |
| s | System. Processes system messages or application messages. | |
| u | Update only. Skip compilation of classes that are already up-to-date. | |
| y | Includes classes that are related to the current class; classes that either reference the current class in SQL usage, or are referenced by the current class in SQL usage. | |
| o1, o2, o3, o4 | Optimization specifiers. Deprecated and ignored by the class compiler. |
Compiler Qualifiers
| Qualifier | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|
| /autoinclude | Automatically includes any classes that are not up to date that are required to compile this class. | 1 |
| /checkschema | Validates imported XML files against the schema definition. | 1 |
| /checkstoragedefined | Checks that the class has storage defined for all properties. When set equal to 1, this qualifier indicates when the storage definition has changed during the compilation. | 0 |
| /checksysutd | Checks system classes for up-to-dateness. | 0 |
| /checkuptodate | Skips classes or expanded classes that are up-to-date. | expandedonly |
| /compile | Causes classes loaded to be compiled as well. | 0 |
| /compileembedded | Causes Embedded SQL to be compiled when the ObjectScript code that contains it is compiled. By default, Embedded SQL is compiled upon first execution of the SQL code. | 0 |
| /cspcompileclass | Causes classes created by CSP or CSR load to be compiled. | 1 |
| /cspdeployclass | When CSP page loaded deploys the class generated. | 0 |
| /csphidden | Classes generated from CSP and CSR compilation are marked as hidden. | 1 |
| /defaultowner | When loading classes, if the Owner keyword is not defined, insert the user name specified in this string into the class definition as the class owner. If the value of this string is $USERNAME, insert the current user name into the class definition as the class owner. | — |
| /defines | Comma separated list of macros to define and, optionally, their values. | — |
| /deleteextent | Deletes the extent definition that describes the global storage used by the extent, and deletes the data. | 0 |
| /diffexport | Does not include any time or platform information in export so the files can be run through diff/merge tools. | 0 |
| /display | Alias qualifier for /displaylog and /displayerror. | — |
| /displayerror | Displays error information. | 1 |
| /displaylog | Displays log information. | 1 |
| /expand | Alias qualifier for /predecessorclasses, /subclasses and /relatedclasses. | — |
| /exportgenerated | When exporting classes also exports generated classes where the class generating them is also included. | 0 |
| /exportselectivity | Exports the selectivity values stored in the storage definition for this class. | 1 |
| /filterin | Alias qualifier for /application, /system and /percent. | — |
| /generated | Determines when expanding patterns or lists of classes in a package whether to include generated items (routines, classes, etc.). | 1 |
| /generatemap | Generates the map file. | 1 |
| /importselectivity | 0: Do not import selectivity values from the XML file. 1: Import the selectivity values stored in the storage definition when importing XML file. 2: Keep the existing class selectivity values, but if the existing class does not have selectivity specified for something that is present in the XML file then use the selectivity value from the XML file. | 2 |
| /includesubpackages | Includes sub-packages. | 1 |
| /journal | Journaling enabled while performing a class compile. If the process performing the compile has specifically disabled journaling, /journal defaults to 0, rather than the system-wide default of 1. | 1 |
| /keepsource | Keeps the source code of generated routines. | 0 |
| /lock | Deprecated — Classes are automatically always locked during compilation, regardless of the setting of this qualifier. | 1 |
| /mapped | Includes classes mapped from another database. If you specifically ask to compile a class from another database (CompileList() method), the class will be compiled regardless of the /mapped setting. /mapped only applies when the code is searching for classes, for example, using the CompileAll() method. If you are upgrading the class definition database for one namespace using the Upgrade() method, or all namespaces using the UpgradeAll() method, you must set /mapped = 1 or mapped objects will not be included in the upgrade. | 0 |
| /mergeglobal | If importing a global from XML file merges the global with existing data. | 0 |
| /multicompile | Enables multiple users’ jobs to compile classes. | 1 |
| /percent | Includes percent classes. | 0 |
| /predecessorclasses | Recursively includes dependency predecessor classes. | 0 |
| /relatedclasses | Recursively includes related classes. | 0 |
| /retainstorage | When a class is compiled, the compiler generates a storage definition. By default, if the storage definition is updated the class definition is updated with the updated storage definition. If a new version of the class is loaded from an external source, that updated storage definition is overwritten by whatever is defined in the new version of the class definition. If the new version of the class does not include a storage definition then the existing storage definition is removed. Setting /retainstorage saves the existing storage definition temporarily and restores it after the new version of a class is loaded. If the new version of the class also defines the storage definition, the existing storage definition is overwritten and not retained. If the new version of the class does not define the storage definition, the previous version of the storage definition is restored. | 0 |
| /subclasses | Recursively includes sub-classes. | 0 |
| /system | Processes system messages or application messages. | 0 |
Export Qualifiers
| Flag | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|
| /checksysutd | Checks system classes for up-to-dateness. | 0 |
| /checkuptodate | Checks if classes are up-to-date when projecting. | expandedonly |
| /createdirs | Creates directories if they do not exist. | 0 |
| /cspdeployclass | When CSP page loaded deploys the class generated. | 0 |
| /diffexport | Does not include any time or platform information in export so the files can be run through diff/merge tools. | 0 |
| /display | Alias qualifier for /displaylog and /displayerror. | — |
| /displayerror | Displays error information. | 1 |
| /displaylog | Displays log information. | 1 |
| /documatichost | Host that is used in JavaDoc generation. | — |
| /documaticnamespace | Namespace that is used in JavaDoc generation. | — |
| /documaticport | Port that is used in JavaDoc generation. | — |
| /exportgenerated | When exporting classes also exports generated classes where the class generating them is also included. | 0 |
| /exportselectivity | Exports the selectivity values stored in the storage definition for this class. | 1 |
| /exportversion | Specifies the InterSystems platform and version of the system that you are exporting to. Specify the platform as iris or cache. Specify the version as a two-part or three-part release version, such as 2020.1 or 2020.1.1. For example, /exportversion=iris2020.1.1 or /exportversion=cache2018.1.8. IRIS uses the /exportversion value when the exporting and importing systems are not the same InterSystems version. The system handles changes in the export format across versions by removing class keywords that were not implemented in the earlier InterSystems version. Specifying /exportversion does not guarantee compatibility of code between the exporting and importing systems. | The current version of InterSystems IRIS |
| /generatemap | Generates the map file. | 1 |
| /generationtype | Generation mode. | — |
| /genserialuid | Generates serialVersionUID. | 1 |
| /importselectivity | 0: do not import selectivity values from the XML file; 1: import the selectivity values stored in the storage definition when importing XML file; 2: keep any existing selectivity values but if a property does not have an existing value then use the selectivity from the XML file. | 2 |
| /includesubpackages | Includes sub-packages. | 1 |
| /javadoc | Does not create javadoc. | 1 |
| /make | Only generates dependency or class if timestamp of last compilation is greater than timestamp of last generation. | 0 |
| /mapped | Includes classes mapped from another database. | 0 |
| /mergeglobal | If importing a global from XML file merges the global with existing data. | 0 |
| /newcollections | Uses native Java collections. | 1 |
| /percent | Includes percent classes. | 0 |
| /pojo | POJO generation mode. | 0 |
| /predecessorclasses | Recursively includes dependency predecessor classes. | 0 |
| /primitivedatatypes | Uses Java primitives for %Integer, %Boolean, %BigInt, %Decimal. | 0 |
| /projectabstractstream | Projects classes that contain methods whose arguments are abstract streams or whose return type is an abstract stream. | 0 |
| /projectbyrefmethodstopojo | Projects byref methods to pojo implementation. | 0 |
| /recursive | Exports classes recursively. | 1 |
| /relatedclasses | Recursively includes related classes. | 0 |
| /skipstorage | Does not export the class storage information. | 0 |
| /subclasses | Recursively includes sub-classes. | 0 |
| /system | Processes system messages or application messages. | 0 |
| /unconditionallyproject | Projects regardless of problems that may prevent code from compiling or working correctly. | 0 |
| /usedeepestbase | Uses deepest base in which method or property is defined for method or property definition. If P is defined in A,B, and C and A extends B extends C, then C is a deeper base for P. | 0 |
ShowClassAndObject Qualifiers
| Flag | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|
| /detail | Shows detailed information. | 0 |
| /diffexport | Does not include any time or platform information in export so the files can be run through diff/merge tools. | 0 |
| /hidden | Shows hidden classes. | 0 |
| /system | Processes system messages or application messages. | 0 |
UnitTest Qualifiers
| Flag | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|
| /autoload | Specifies the directory to be auto-loaded; its subdirectories are also auto-loaded. For more information, see the RunTest()Opens in a new tab method in %UnitTest.ManagerOpens in a new tab. | — |
| /cleanup | Cleans up globals upon completion of the unit test. By default, globals are not cleaned up. Even when set, Analytics globals are not cleaned up. | 0 |
| /debug | Causes the Asserts to BREAK if they fail. | 0 |
| /delete | Determines if loaded classes should be deleted. | 1 |
| /display | Alias qualifier for /displaylog and /displayerror. | — |
| /displayerror | Displays error information. | 1 |
| /displaylog | Displays log information. | 1 |
| /findleakedvariables | When enabled, the public variables currently set in the process are recorded before a test is run, then compared with those set after the test is completed. Other than a predetermined set of known context and output variables, such as SQLCODE, any newly defined variables are reported, with their values, as a test failure. | 0 |
| /load | Determines if classes should be loaded; if not, then only class names are obtained from the directories. | 1 |
| /loadudl | Loads UDL files produced by your IDE. When set, loads .cls, .mac, .int, and .inc files. /loadudl and /loadxml can be used to limit what types of files are loaded; by default, all files are loaded. UDL files are always loaded as UTF8 so that Unicode characters are loaded correctly. | 1 |
| /loadxml | Loads XML-format source files. When set, loads .xml files. /loadudl and /loadxml can be used to limit what types of files are loaded; by default, all files are loaded. | 1 |
| /recursive | Determines if tests in subdirectories should run recursively. | 1 |
| /run | Determines if tests should run. | 1 |
Qualifiers for Flags
The following table gives the existing flags and the equivalent qualifiers. Some flags map into multiple qualifiers, and also have different meanings when used for differing purposes.
| Flag | Group | Qualifier | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| b | Compiler | /subclasses | 0 |
| c | Compiler | /compile | 0 |
| d | Compiler | /displayerror | 1 |
| d | Compiler | /displaylog | 1 |
| d | UnitTest | /displayerror | 1 |
| d | UnitTest | /displaylog | 1 |
| e | Compiler | /deleteextent | 0 |
| i | Compiler | /checkschema | 1 |
| k | Compiler | /keepsource | 0 |
| l | Compiler | /lock | 1 |
| p | Compiler | /percent | 0 |
| r | Compiler | /predecessorclasses | 0 |
| r | Compiler | /includesubpackages | 1 |
| s | Compiler | /system | 0 |
| y | Compiler | /relatedclasses | 0 |
| b | Export | /subclasses | 0 |
| d | Export | /displayerror | 1 |
| d | Export | /displaylog | 1 |
| g | Export | /exportselectivity | 0 |
| p | Export | /percent | 0 |
| r | Export | /includesubpackages | 1 |
| r | Export | /recursive | 1 |
| r | Export | /predecessorclasses | 0 |
| s | Export | /system | 0 |
| y | Export | /relatedclasses | 0 |
| h | ShowClassAndObject | /hidden | 0 |
| s | ShowClassAndObject | /system | 0 |
Help for Flags and Qualifiers
To see the available settings for the flags, use the command:
Do $system.OBJ.ShowFlags()This produces output like the following:
See $system.OBJ.ShowQualifiers() for comprehensive list of qualifiers as flags have been superseded
by qualifiers
b - Include sub classes.
c - Compile. Compile the class definition(s) after loading.
d - Display. This flag is set by default.
...
Default flags for this namespace
You may change the default flags with the SetFlags(flags,system) classmethod.
Similarly, to see the available settings for the qualifiers, use the command:
Do $system.OBJ.ShowQualifiers()This produces output like the following:
Name: /checkschema
Description: Validate imported XML files against the schema definition.
Type: logical
Flag: i
Default Value: 1
Name: /checksysutd
Description: Check system classes for up-to-dateness
Type: logical
Default Value: 0
Name: /checkuptodate
Description: Skip classes or expanded classes that are up-to-date.
Type: enum
Flag: ll
Enum List: none,all,expandedonly,0,1
Default Value: expandedonly
Present Value: all
Negated Value: none
...
These methods also report on the current flags and qualifiers, respectively.
Controlling the Defaults
This page lists the defaults (if applicable) for the flags and qualifiers. You can override the default flags by using the SetFlags() method of %SYSTEM.OBJOpens in a new tab; see the class reference for details. Similarly, you can set qualifiers for the current namespace (the default) or system-wide by using the SetQualifiers() method.
Order of Processing for qspec
The qspec is processed from left to right. The setting for a given flag or qualifier overrides the current setting whether it came from the environment defaults, or from an occurrence earlier in the qspec.
Note that because flags must be listed to the left of any qualifiers, the qualifier settings always override any flag settings.
