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SciWIn

Getting Started

This section gets you from an empty folder to a first re-executable workflow. For what SciWIn actually is and why it’s built the way it is, see Concepts.

Two terms you’ll see everywhere

Section titled “Two terms you’ll see everywhere”
  • CWL (Common Workflow Language) is the file format s4n writes for you. Every tool and workflow you create becomes a small YAML file describing the command, its inputs, and its outputs — that’s what lets you, or anyone else, re-run it later without a written protocol. See CWL for a detailed walkthrough.
  • Container (Docker, Podman, and similar) is a self-contained package of the exact software environment a tool needs — so a command like python analyze.py behaves the same on your machine, a colleague’s, or a server, no matter what’s installed there. s4n can attach one to a tool automatically; see Containers for how.
InstallationInstall s4n, the command-line tool.
SciWIn-StudioPrefer a visual canvas? Install SciWIn-Studio instead — same projects, different front end.
Getting started exampleA worked walkthrough: two tools, connected into a workflow, and executed.
DevelopmentBuilding SciWIn-Client and SciWIn-Studio from source, and contributing.