updated doc

common/framework/include/OMSimInputData.hh

@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ public:
         log_trace("Fetching parameter {} in key {}", pParameter, pKey);
         try
         {
-            const T lValue = mTable.at(pKey).get<T>(pParameter);
+            const T lValue = m_table.at(pKey).get<T>(pParameter);
             return lValue;
         }
 
@@ -160,8 +160,8 @@ public:
     };
 
 private:
-    std::map<G4String, boost::property_tree::ptree> mTable; ///< A table mapping keys to property trees.
-    std::map<G4String, G4String> mKeyFileOrigin;            ///< A table mapping keys to original file name.
+    std::map<G4String, boost::property_tree::ptree> m_table; ///< A table mapping keys to property trees.
+    std::map<G4String, G4String> m_keyToFileName;            ///< A table mapping keys to original file name.
 };
 
 /**

common/framework/src/OMSimInputData.cc

@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@ pt::ptree ParameterTable::appendAndReturnTree(G4String p_fileName)
     pt::ptree lJsonTree;
     pt::read_json(p_fileName, lJsonTree);
     const G4String lName = lJsonTree.get<G4String>("jName");
-    mTable[lName] = lJsonTree;
-    mKeyFileOrigin[lName] = p_fileName;
+    m_table[lName] = lJsonTree;
+    m_keyToFileName[lName] = p_fileName;
     log_trace("Key {} added to dictionary from file {}.", lName, p_fileName);
     return lJsonTree;
 }
@@ -45,11 +45,11 @@ G4double ParameterTable::getValueWithUnit(G4String pKey, G4String pParameter)
     }
 
     // Get the sub-tree for the provided key
-    const auto &lSubTree = mTable.at(pKey);
+    const auto &lSubTree = m_table.at(pKey);
 
     if (!lSubTree.get_child_optional(pParameter))
     {
-        G4String lErrorLog = "Table in key '" + pKey + "' has no parameter '" + pParameter + "'. Check file '" + mKeyFileOrigin.at(pKey) + "'";
+        G4String lErrorLog = "Table in key '" + pKey + "' has no parameter '" + pParameter + "'. Check file '" + m_keyToFileName.at(pKey) + "'";
         log_error(lErrorLog);
         throw std::runtime_error(lErrorLog);
     }
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ G4double ParameterTable::getValueWithUnit(G4String pKey, G4String pParameter)
 pt::ptree ParameterTable::getJSONTree(G4String pKey)
 {
     if (checkIfTreeNameInTable(pKey))
-        return mTable.at(pKey);
+        return m_table.at(pKey);
     else
         log_critical("Key not found in table");
     return boost::property_tree::ptree(); // Return an empty ptree
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ pt::ptree ParameterTable::getJSONTree(G4String pKey)
 G4bool ParameterTable::checkIfTreeNameInTable(G4String pKey)
 {
     log_trace("Checking if tree {} is in table...", pKey);
-    const G4int lFound = mTable.count(pKey);
+    const G4int lFound = m_table.count(pKey);
     if (lFound > 0)
         return true;
     else

documentation/extra_doc/0_common.md

@@ -7,19 +7,47 @@ This framework offers tools to simplify geometry construction and material defin
 
 ## Materials and User Data
 
-User-defined material data are stored in JSON files under `/common/data` to minimize file length.
+User-defined material data are stored in JSON files under `/common/data` to avoid filling source code with numbers.
+The `OMSimInputData` class (see `OMSimInputData.hh`) is responsible for processing these files and loading the material properties into the Geant4 framework. It uses the `OMSimMaterialHandler` class to handle the specifics of material creation and property setting.
 
-The `OMSimInputData` (see `OMSimInputData.hh`) loads these properties directly into the Geant4 framework. Materials loaded via this class can be retrieved using Geant4's conventional method `G4Material::GetMaterial`, but the framework also provides the wrapper `OMSimInputData::getMaterial` to handle default parameters.
+### Material Handling
 
-The class also provides an analogue method for optical surfaces `OMSimInputData::getOpticalSurface` which does not exist in Geant4.
+The `OMSimMaterialHandler` class is the core component for creating and modifying materials. It provides several key methods:
 
-Since different materials have different types of properties, the data is loaded in multiple ways. These different material types are defined in `OMSimDataFileTypes.hh`.
+- `ProcessMaterial()`: Creates a new material or modifies an existing one based on the data in the input file.
+- `ProcessSurface()`: Processes and returns an optical surface defined in the input file.
+- `ProcessExtraProperties()`: Adds additional properties to an existing material.
+- `ProcessSpecial(ProcessorFunction p_processor)`: Handles special material types like IceCube ice or scintillators that require custom processing.
 
-Additionally, geometry data used during PMT construction are also stored in JSON files (`/common/data/PMTs`). These are saved in a "tree" (essentially a dictionary containing the JSON file's keys and values) in `OMSimInputData::mTable`. 
+Materials created via this class can be retrieved using Geant4's conventional method `G4Material::GetMaterial`. The `OMSimInputData` class also provides a wrapper method `getMaterial` to handle default parameters and special "argument materials".
 
-This approach was adopted because various PMTs are constructed similarly, eliminating the need to define a unique class for each PMT type, as is done for the optical modules. 
+### Optical Surfaces
 
-If you wish to load additional data, you can either define a new type in OMSimDataFileTypes or use a json file to load it into a tree as previously mentioned. For simpler tasks, use the static method `Tools::loadtxt` provided by the [`Tools` namespace](md_extra_doc_2_technicalities.html#autotoc_md20).
+For optical surfaces, `OMSimInputData` provides the method `getOpticalSurface`, which doesn't exist in Geant4 by default.
+
+### Special Material Types
+
+Different materials may require different types of properties and processing. The `OMSimMaterialHandler` class can handle various material types, including:
+
+- Standard materials with refractive index and absorption properties
+- IceCube ice, where the optical properties are calculated by the selected depth (an arg variable)
+- Scintillator materials with complex decay time and yield properties
+
+Special processors for these materials are implemented in separate namespaces (e.g., `IceProcessor`, `ScintillationProcessor`) and can be passed to the `ProcessSpecial` method of `OMSimMaterialHandler`.
+
+### Geometry Data
+
+PMT construction data is also stored in JSON files (`/common/data/PMTs`). This data is loaded into a "tree" (essentially a dictionary containing the JSON file's keys and values) in `OMSimInputData::m_table`. This approach allows for flexible PMT construction without defining a unique class for each PMT type.
+
+### Adding New Data
+
+To add new material data:
+
+1. Create a new JSON file in the appropriate directory under `/common/data`.
+2. If the material requires special processing, you may need to create a new processor function or namespace.
+3. Update `OMSimInputData::processFile` to handle the new file type if necessary.
+
+For simpler tasks, you can use the static method `Tools::loadtxt` provided by the [`Tools` namespace](md_extra_doc_2_technicalities.html#autotoc_md20).
 
 ---