parameter_handler.cc

// ---------------------------------------------------------------------
//
// Copyright (C) 1998 - 2019 by the deal.II authors
//
// This file is part of the deal.II library.
//
// The deal.II library is free software; you can use it, redistribute
// it, and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General
// Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
// version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
// The full text of the license can be found in the file LICENSE.md at
// the top level directory of deal.II.
//
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------


#include <deal.II/base/logstream.h>
#include <deal.II/base/memory_consumption.h>
#include <deal.II/base/parameter_handler.h>
#include <deal.II/base/path_search.h>
#include <deal.II/base/utilities.h>

#include <boost/io/ios_state.hpp>
#include <boost/property_tree/json_parser.hpp>
#include <boost/property_tree/ptree.hpp>
#include <boost/property_tree/xml_parser.hpp>

#include <algorithm>
#include <cctype>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <cstring>
#include <fstream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <iostream>
#include <limits>
#include <sstream>


DEAL_II_NAMESPACE_OPEN


ParameterHandler::ParameterHandler()
  : entries(new boost::property_tree::ptree())
{}


namespace
{
  std::string
  mangle(const std::string &s)
  {
    std::string u;

    // reserve the minimum number of characters we will need. it may
    // be more but this is the least we can do
    u.reserve(s.size());

    // see if the name is special and if so mangle the whole thing
    const bool mangle_whole_string = (s == "value");

    // for all parts of the string, see if it is an allowed character or not
    for (const char c : s)
      {
        static const std::string allowed_characters(
          "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789");

        if ((!mangle_whole_string) &&
            (allowed_characters.find(c) != std::string::npos))
          u.push_back(c);
        else
          {
            u.push_back('_');
            static const char hex[16] = {'0',
                                         '1',
                                         '2',
                                         '3',
                                         '4',
                                         '5',
                                         '6',
                                         '7',
                                         '8',
                                         '9',
                                         'a',
                                         'b',
                                         'c',
                                         'd',
                                         'e',
                                         'f'};
            u.push_back(hex[static_cast<unsigned char>(c) / 16]);
            u.push_back(hex[static_cast<unsigned char>(c) % 16]);
          }
      }

    return u;
  }



  std::string
  demangle(const std::string &s)
  {
    std::string u;
    u.reserve(s.size());

    for (unsigned int i = 0; i < s.size(); ++i)
      if (s[i] != '_')
        u.push_back(s[i]);
      else
        {
          Assert(i + 2 < s.size(),
                 ExcMessage("Trying to demangle an invalid string."));

          unsigned char c = 0;
          switch (s[i + 1])
            {
              case '0':
                c = 0 * 16;
                break;
              case '1':
                c = 1 * 16;
                break;
              case '2':
                c = 2 * 16;
                break;
              case '3':
                c = 3 * 16;
                break;
              case '4':
                c = 4 * 16;
                break;
              case '5':
                c = 5 * 16;
                break;
              case '6':
                c = 6 * 16;
                break;
              case '7':
                c = 7 * 16;
                break;
              case '8':
                c = 8 * 16;
                break;
              case '9':
                c = 9 * 16;
                break;
              case 'a':
                c = 10 * 16;
                break;
              case 'b':
                c = 11 * 16;
                break;
              case 'c':
                c = 12 * 16;
                break;
              case 'd':
                c = 13 * 16;
                break;
              case 'e':
                c = 14 * 16;
                break;
              case 'f':
                c = 15 * 16;
                break;
              default:
                Assert(false, ExcInternalError());
            }
          switch (s[i + 2])
            {
              case '0':
                c += 0;
                break;
              case '1':
                c += 1;
                break;
              case '2':
                c += 2;
                break;
              case '3':
                c += 3;
                break;
              case '4':
                c += 4;
                break;
              case '5':
                c += 5;
                break;
              case '6':
                c += 6;
                break;
              case '7':
                c += 7;
                break;
              case '8':
                c += 8;
                break;
              case '9':
                c += 9;
                break;
              case 'a':
                c += 10;
                break;
              case 'b':
                c += 11;
                break;
              case 'c':
                c += 12;
                break;
              case 'd':
                c += 13;
                break;
              case 'e':
                c += 14;
                break;
              case 'f':
                c += 15;
                break;
              default:
                Assert(false, ExcInternalError());
            }

          u.push_back(static_cast<char>(c));

          // skip the two characters
          i += 2;
        }

    return u;
  }

  bool
  is_parameter_node(const boost::property_tree::ptree &p)
  {
    return static_cast<bool>(p.get_optional<std::string>("value"));
  }


  bool
  is_alias_node(const boost::property_tree::ptree &p)
  {
    return static_cast<bool>(p.get_optional<std::string>("alias"));
  }
} // namespace



std::string
ParameterHandler::collate_path_string(
  const std::vector<std::string> &subsection_path)
{
  if (subsection_path.size() > 0)
    {
      std::string p = mangle(subsection_path[0]);
      for (unsigned int i = 1; i < subsection_path.size(); ++i)
        {
          p += path_separator;
          p += mangle(subsection_path[i]);
        }
      return p;
    }
  else
    return "";
}


std::string
ParameterHandler::get_current_path() const
{
  return collate_path_string(subsection_path);
}



std::string
ParameterHandler::get_current_full_path(const std::string &name) const
{
  std::string path = get_current_path();
  if (path.empty() == false)
    path += path_separator;

  path += mangle(name);

  return path;
}



std::string
ParameterHandler::get_current_full_path(
  const std::vector<std::string> &sub_path,
  const std::string &             name) const
{
  std::string path = get_current_path();
  if (path.empty() == false)
    path += path_separator;

  if (sub_path.empty() == false)
    path += collate_path_string(sub_path) + path_separator;

  path += mangle(name);

  return path;
}



void
ParameterHandler::parse_input(std::istream &     input,
                              const std::string &filename,
                              const std::string &last_line,
                              const bool         skip_undefined)
{
  AssertThrow(input, ExcIO());

  // store subsections we are currently in
  const std::vector<std::string> saved_path = subsection_path;

  std::string input_line;
  std::string fully_concatenated_line;
  bool        is_concatenated = false;
  // Maintain both the current line number and the current logical line
  // number, where the latter refers to the line number where (possibly) the
  // current line continuation started.
  unsigned int current_line_n         = 0;
  unsigned int current_logical_line_n = 0;

  // define an action that tries to scan a line.
  //
  // if that fails, i.e., if scan_line throws
  // an exception either because a parameter doesn't match its
  // pattern or because an associated action throws an exception,
  // then try to rewind the set of subsections to the same
  // point where we were when the current function was called.
  // this at least allows to read parameters from a predictable
  // state, rather than leave the subsection stack in some
  // unknown state.
  //
  // after unwinding the subsection stack, just re-throw the exception
  auto scan_line_or_cleanup = [this,
                               &skip_undefined,
                               &saved_path](const std::string &line,
                                            const std::string &filename,
                                            const unsigned int line_number) {
    try
      {
        scan_line(line, filename, line_number, skip_undefined);
      }
    catch (...)
      {
        while ((saved_path != subsection_path) && (subsection_path.size() > 0))
          leave_subsection();

        throw;
      }
  };


  while (std::getline(input, input_line))
    {
      ++current_line_n;
      if (!is_concatenated)
        current_logical_line_n = current_line_n;
      // Trim the whitespace at the ends of the line here instead of in
      // scan_line. This makes the continuation line logic a lot simpler.
      input_line = Utilities::trim(input_line);

      // If we see the line which is the same as @p last_line ,
      // terminate the parsing.
      if (last_line.length() != 0 && input_line == last_line)
        break;

      // Check whether or not the current line should be joined with the next
      // line before calling scan_line.
      if (input_line.length() != 0 &&
          input_line.find_last_of('\\') == input_line.length() - 1)
        {
          input_line.erase(input_line.length() - 1); // remove the last '\'
          is_concatenated = true;

          fully_concatenated_line += input_line;
        }
      // If the previous line ended in a '\' but the current did not, then we
      // should proceed to scan_line.
      else if (is_concatenated)
        {
          fully_concatenated_line += input_line;
          is_concatenated = false;
        }
      // Finally, if neither the previous nor current lines are continuations,
      // then the current input line is entirely concatenated.
      else
        {
          fully_concatenated_line = input_line;
        }

      if (!is_concatenated)
        {
          scan_line_or_cleanup(fully_concatenated_line,
                               filename,
                               current_logical_line_n);

          fully_concatenated_line.clear();
        }
    }

  // While it does not make much sense for anyone to actually do this, allow
  // the last line to end in a backslash. to do do, we need to parse
  // whatever was left in the stash of concatenated lines
  if (is_concatenated)
    scan_line_or_cleanup(fully_concatenated_line, filename, current_line_n);

  if (saved_path != subsection_path)
    {
      std::stringstream paths_message;
      if (saved_path.size() > 0)
        {
          paths_message << "Path before loading input:\n";
          for (unsigned int i = 0; i < subsection_path.size(); ++i)
            {
              paths_message << std::setw(i * 2 + 4) << " "
                            << "subsection " << saved_path[i] << '\n';
            }
          paths_message << "Current path:\n";
          for (unsigned int i = 0; i < subsection_path.size(); ++i)
            {
              paths_message << std::setw(i * 2 + 4) << " "
                            << "subsection " << subsection_path[i]
                            << (i == subsection_path.size() - 1 ? "" : "\n");
            }
        }
      // restore subsection we started with before throwing the exception:
      subsection_path = saved_path;
      AssertThrow(false,
                  ExcUnbalancedSubsections(filename, paths_message.str()));
    }
}



void
ParameterHandler::parse_input(const std::string &filename,
                              const std::string &last_line,
                              const bool         skip_undefined)
{
  PathSearch search("PARAMETERS");

  std::string   openname = search.find(filename);
  std::ifstream file_stream(openname.c_str());
  parse_input(file_stream, filename, last_line, skip_undefined);
}



void
ParameterHandler::parse_input_from_string(const std::string &s,
                                          const std::string &last_line,
                                          const bool         skip_undefined)
{
  std::istringstream input_stream(s);
  parse_input(input_stream, "input string", last_line, skip_undefined);
}



namespace
{
  // Recursively go through the 'source' tree and see if we can find
  // corresponding entries in the 'destination' tree. If not, error out
  // (i.e. we have just read an XML file that has entries that weren't
  // declared in the ParameterHandler object); if so, copy the value of these
  // nodes into the destination object
  void
  read_xml_recursively(
    const boost::property_tree::ptree &source,
    const std::string &                current_path,
    const char                         path_separator,
    const std::vector<std::unique_ptr<const Patterns::PatternBase>> &patterns,
    boost::property_tree::ptree &destination)
  {
    for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_iterator p = source.begin();
         p != source.end();
         ++p)
      {
        // a sub-tree must either be a parameter node or a subsection
        if (p->second.get_optional<std::string>("value"))
          {
            // make sure we have a corresponding entry in the destination
            // object as well
            const std::string full_path =
              (current_path.empty() ? p->first :
                                      current_path + path_separator + p->first);

            const std::string new_value = p->second.get<std::string>("value");
            AssertThrow(destination.get_optional<std::string>(full_path) &&
                          destination.get_optional<std::string>(
                            full_path + path_separator + "value"),
                        ParameterHandler::ExcEntryUndeclared(p->first));

            // first make sure that the new entry actually satisfies its
            // constraints
            const unsigned int pattern_index = destination.get<unsigned int>(
              full_path + path_separator + "pattern");
            AssertThrow(patterns[pattern_index]->match(new_value),
                        ParameterHandler::ExcInvalidEntryForPatternXML
                        // XML entries sometimes have extra surrounding
                        // newlines
                        (Utilities::trim(new_value),
                         p->first,
                         patterns[pattern_index]->description()));

            // set the found parameter in the destination argument
            destination.put(full_path + path_separator + "value", new_value);

            // this node might have sub-nodes in addition to "value", such as
            // "default_value", "documentation", etc. we might at some point
            // in the future want to make sure that if they exist that they
            // match the ones in the 'destination' tree
          }
        else if (p->second.get_optional<std::string>("alias"))
          {
            // it is an alias node. alias nodes are static and there is
            // nothing to do here (but the same applies as mentioned in the
            // comment above about the static nodes inside parameter nodes
          }
        else
          {
            // it must be a subsection
            read_xml_recursively(p->second,
                                 (current_path.empty() ?
                                    p->first :
                                    current_path + path_separator + p->first),
                                 path_separator,
                                 patterns,
                                 destination);
          }
      }
  }
} // namespace



void
ParameterHandler::parse_input_from_xml(std::istream &in)
{
  AssertThrow(in, ExcIO());
  // read the XML tree assuming that (as we
  // do in print_parameters(XML) it has only
  // a single top-level node called
  // "ParameterHandler"
  boost::property_tree::ptree single_node_tree;
  // This boost function will raise an exception if this is not a valid XML
  // file.
  read_xml(in, single_node_tree);

  // make sure there is a single top-level element
  // called "ParameterHandler"
  AssertThrow(single_node_tree.get_optional<std::string>("ParameterHandler"),
              ExcInvalidXMLParameterFile("There is no top-level XML element "
                                         "called \"ParameterHandler\"."));

  const std::size_t n_top_level_elements =
    std::distance(single_node_tree.begin(), single_node_tree.end());
  if (n_top_level_elements != 1)
    {
      std::ostringstream top_level_message;
      top_level_message << "The ParameterHandler input parser found "
                        << n_top_level_elements
                        << " top level elements while reading\n "
                        << "    an XML format input file, but there should be"
                        << " exactly one top level element.\n"
                        << "    The top level elements are:\n";

      unsigned int entry_n = 0;
      for (boost::property_tree::ptree::iterator it = single_node_tree.begin();
           it != single_node_tree.end();
           ++it, ++entry_n)
        {
          top_level_message
            << "        " << it->first
            << (entry_n != n_top_level_elements - 1 ? "\n" : "");
        }

      // repeat assertion condition to make the printed version easier to read
      AssertThrow(n_top_level_elements == 1,
                  ExcInvalidXMLParameterFile(top_level_message.str()));
    }

  // read the child elements recursively
  const boost::property_tree::ptree &my_entries =
    single_node_tree.get_child("ParameterHandler");

  read_xml_recursively(my_entries, "", path_separator, patterns, *entries);
}


void
ParameterHandler::parse_input_from_json(std::istream &in)
{
  AssertThrow(in, ExcIO());

  boost::property_tree::ptree node_tree;
  // This boost function will raise an exception if this is not a valid JSON
  // file.
  read_json(in, node_tree);

  // The xml function is reused to read in the xml into the parameter file.
  // This means that only mangled files can be read.
  read_xml_recursively(node_tree, "", path_separator, patterns, *entries);
}



void
ParameterHandler::clear()
{
  entries = std_cxx14::make_unique<boost::property_tree::ptree>();
}



void
ParameterHandler::declare_entry(const std::string &          entry,
                                const std::string &          default_value,
                                const Patterns::PatternBase &pattern,
                                const std::string &          documentation)
{
  entries->put(get_current_full_path(entry) + path_separator + "value",
               default_value);
  entries->put(get_current_full_path(entry) + path_separator + "default_value",
               default_value);
  entries->put(get_current_full_path(entry) + path_separator + "documentation",
               documentation);

  patterns.reserve(patterns.size() + 1);
  patterns.emplace_back(pattern.clone());
  entries->put(get_current_full_path(entry) + path_separator + "pattern",
               static_cast<unsigned int>(patterns.size() - 1));
  // also store the description of
  // the pattern. we do so because we
  // may wish to export the whole
  // thing as XML or any other format
  // so that external tools can work
  // on the parameter file; in that
  // case, they will have to be able
  // to re-create the patterns as far
  // as possible
  entries->put(get_current_full_path(entry) + path_separator +
                 "pattern_description",
               patterns.back()->description());

  // as documented, do the default value checking at the very end
  AssertThrow(pattern.match(default_value),
              ExcValueDoesNotMatchPattern(default_value,
                                          pattern.description()));
}



void
ParameterHandler::add_action(
  const std::string &                             entry,
  const std::function<void(const std::string &)> &action)
{
  actions.push_back(action);

  // get the current list of actions, if any
  boost::optional<std::string> current_actions =
    entries->get_optional<std::string>(get_current_full_path(entry) +
                                       path_separator + "actions");

  // if there were actions already associated with this parameter, add
  // the current one to it; otherwise, create a one-item list and use
  // that
  if (current_actions)
    {
      const std::string all_actions =
        current_actions.get() + "," +
        Utilities::int_to_string(actions.size() - 1);
      entries->put(get_current_full_path(entry) + path_separator + "actions",
                   all_actions);
    }
  else
    entries->put(get_current_full_path(entry) + path_separator + "actions",
                 Utilities::int_to_string(actions.size() - 1));


  // as documented, run the action on the default value at the very end
  const std::string default_value = entries->get<std::string>(
    get_current_full_path(entry) + path_separator + "default_value");
  action(default_value);
}



void
ParameterHandler::declare_alias(const std::string &existing_entry_name,
                                const std::string &alias_name,
                                const bool         alias_is_deprecated)
{
  // see if there is anything to refer to already
  Assert(entries->get_optional<std::string>(
           get_current_full_path(existing_entry_name)),
         ExcMessage("You are trying to declare an alias entry <" + alias_name +
                    "> that references an entry <" + existing_entry_name +
                    ">, but the latter does not exist."));
  // then also make sure that what is being referred to is in
  // fact a parameter (not an alias or subsection)
  Assert(entries->get_optional<std::string>(
           get_current_full_path(existing_entry_name) + path_separator +
           "value"),
         ExcMessage("You are trying to declare an alias entry <" + alias_name +
                    "> that references an entry <" + existing_entry_name +
                    ">, but the latter does not seem to be a "
                    "parameter declaration."));


  // now also make sure that if the alias has already been
  // declared, that it is also an alias and refers to the same
  // entry
  if (entries->get_optional<std::string>(get_current_full_path(alias_name)))
    {
      Assert(entries->get_optional<std::string>(
               get_current_full_path(alias_name) + path_separator + "alias"),
             ExcMessage("You are trying to declare an alias entry <" +
                        alias_name +
                        "> but a non-alias entry already exists in this "
                        "subsection (i.e., there is either a preexisting "
                        "further subsection, or a parameter entry, with "
                        "the same name as the alias)."));
      Assert(entries->get<std::string>(get_current_full_path(alias_name) +
                                       path_separator + "alias") ==
               existing_entry_name,
             ExcMessage(
               "You are trying to declare an alias entry <" + alias_name +
               "> but an alias entry already exists in this "
               "subsection and this existing alias references a "
               "different parameter entry. Specifically, "
               "you are trying to reference the entry <" +
               existing_entry_name +
               "> whereas the existing alias references "
               "the entry <" +
               entries->get<std::string>(get_current_full_path(alias_name) +
                                         path_separator + "alias") +
               ">."));
    }

  entries->put(get_current_full_path(alias_name) + path_separator + "alias",
               existing_entry_name);
  entries->put(get_current_full_path(alias_name) + path_separator +
                 "deprecation_status",
               (alias_is_deprecated ? "true" : "false"));
}



void
ParameterHandler::enter_subsection(const std::string &subsection)
{
  // if necessary create subsection
  if (!entries->get_child_optional(get_current_full_path(subsection)))
    entries->add_child(get_current_full_path(subsection),
                       boost::property_tree::ptree());

  // then enter it
  subsection_path.push_back(subsection);
}



void
ParameterHandler::leave_subsection()
{
  // assert there is a subsection that
  // we may leave
  Assert(subsection_path.size() != 0, ExcAlreadyAtTopLevel());

  if (subsection_path.size() > 0)
    subsection_path.pop_back();
}



std::string
ParameterHandler::get(const std::string &entry_string) const
{
  // assert that the entry is indeed
  // declared
  if (boost::optional<std::string> value = entries->get_optional<std::string>(
        get_current_full_path(entry_string) + path_separator + "value"))
    return value.get();
  else
    {
      Assert(false, ExcEntryUndeclared(entry_string));
      return "";
    }
}



std::string
ParameterHandler::get(const std::vector<std::string> &entry_subsection_path,
                      const std::string &             entry_string) const
{
  // assert that the entry is indeed
  // declared
  if (boost::optional<std::string> value = entries->get_optional<std::string>(
        get_current_full_path(entry_subsection_path, entry_string) +
        path_separator + "value"))
    return value.get();
  else
    {
      Assert(false,
             ExcEntryUndeclared(demangle(
               get_current_full_path(entry_subsection_path, entry_string))));
      return "";
    }
}



long int
ParameterHandler::get_integer(const std::string &entry_string) const
{
  try
    {
      return Utilities::string_to_int(get(entry_string));
    }
  catch (...)
    {
      AssertThrow(false,
                  ExcMessage("Can't convert the parameter value <" +
                             get(entry_string) + "> for entry <" +
                             entry_string + "> to an integer."));
      return 0;
    }
}



long int
ParameterHandler::get_integer(
  const std::vector<std::string> &entry_subsection_path,
  const std::string &             entry_string) const
{
  try
    {
      return Utilities::string_to_int(get(entry_subsection_path, entry_string));
    }
  catch (...)
    {
      AssertThrow(false,
                  ExcMessage(
                    "Can't convert the parameter value <" +
                    get(entry_subsection_path, entry_string) + "> for entry <" +
                    demangle(get_current_full_path(entry_subsection_path,
                                                   entry_string)) +
                    "> to an integer."));
      return 0;
    }
}



double
ParameterHandler::get_double(const std::string &entry_string) const
{
  try
    {
      return Utilities::string_to_double(get(entry_string));
    }
  catch (...)
    {
      AssertThrow(false,
                  ExcMessage("Can't convert the parameter value <" +
                             get(entry_string) + "> for entry <" +
                             entry_string +
                             "> to a double precision variable."));
      return 0;
    }
}



double
ParameterHandler::get_double(
  const std::vector<std::string> &entry_subsection_path,
  const std::string &             entry_string) const
{
  try
    {
      return Utilities::string_to_double(
        get(entry_subsection_path, entry_string));
    }
  catch (...)
    {
      AssertThrow(false,
                  ExcMessage(
                    "Can't convert the parameter value <" +
                    get(entry_subsection_path, entry_string) + "> for entry <" +
                    demangle(get_current_full_path(entry_subsection_path,
                                                   entry_string)) +
                    "> to a double precision variable."));
      return 0;
    }
}



bool
ParameterHandler::get_bool(const std::string &entry_string) const
{
  const std::string s = get(entry_string);

  AssertThrow((s == "true") || (s == "false") || (s == "yes") || (s == "no"),
              ExcMessage("Can't convert the parameter value <" +
                         get(entry_string) + "> for entry <" + entry_string +
                         "> to a boolean."));
  if (s == "true" || s == "yes")
    return true;
  else
    return false;
}



bool
ParameterHandler::get_bool(
  const std::vector<std::string> &entry_subsection_path,
  const std::string &             entry_string) const
{
  const std::string s = get(entry_subsection_path, entry_string);

  AssertThrow((s == "true") || (s == "false") || (s == "yes") || (s == "no"),
              ExcMessage("Can't convert the parameter value <" +
                         get(entry_subsection_path, entry_string) +
                         "> for entry <" +
                         demangle(get_current_full_path(entry_subsection_path,
                                                        entry_string)) +
                         "> to a boolean."));
  if (s == "true" || s == "yes")
    return true;
  else
    return false;
}



void
ParameterHandler::set(const std::string &entry_string,
                      const std::string &new_value)
{
  // resolve aliases before looking up the correct entry
  std::string path = get_current_full_path(entry_string);
  if (entries->get_optional<std::string>(path + path_separator + "alias"))
    path = get_current_full_path(
      entries->get<std::string>(path + path_separator + "alias"));

  // get the node for the entry. if it doesn't exist, then we end up
  // in the else-branch below, which asserts that the entry is indeed
  // declared
  if (entries->get_optional<std::string>(path + path_separator + "value"))
    {
      // verify that the new value satisfies the provided pattern
      const unsigned int pattern_index =
        entries->get<unsigned int>(path + path_separator + "pattern");
      AssertThrow(patterns[pattern_index]->match(new_value),
                  ExcValueDoesNotMatchPattern(new_value,
                                              entries->get<std::string>(
                                                path + path_separator +
                                                "pattern_description")));

      // then also execute the actions associated with this
      // parameter (if any have been provided)
      const boost::optional<std::string> action_indices_as_string =
        entries->get_optional<std::string>(path + path_separator + "actions");
      if (action_indices_as_string)
        {
          std::vector<int> action_indices = Utilities::string_to_int(
            Utilities::split_string_list(action_indices_as_string.get()));
          for (const unsigned int index : action_indices)
            if (actions.size() >= index + 1)
              actions[index](new_value);
        }

      // finally write the new value into the database
      entries->put(path + path_separator + "value", new_value);
    }
  else
    AssertThrow(false, ExcEntryUndeclared(entry_string));
}


void
ParameterHandler::set(const std::string &entry_string, const char *new_value)
{
  // simply forward
  set(entry_string, std::string(new_value));
}


void
ParameterHandler::set(const std::string &entry_string, const double new_value)
{
  std::ostringstream s;
  s << std::setprecision(16);
  s << new_value;

  // hand this off to the function that
  // actually sets the value as a string
  set(entry_string, s.str());
}



void
ParameterHandler::set(const std::string &entry_string, const long int new_value)
{
  std::ostringstream s;
  s << new_value;

  // hand this off to the function that
  // actually sets the value as a string
  set(entry_string, s.str());
}



void
ParameterHandler::set(const std::string &entry_string, const bool new_value)
{
  // hand this off to the function that
  // actually sets the value as a string
  set(entry_string, (new_value ? "true" : "false"));
}



std::ostream &
ParameterHandler::print_parameters(std::ostream &    out,
                                   const OutputStyle style) const
{
  AssertThrow(out, ExcIO());

  // we'll have to print some text that is padded with spaces;
  // set the appropriate fill character, but also make sure that
  // we will restore the previous setting (and all other stream
  // flags) when we exit this function
  boost::io::ios_flags_saver            restore_flags(out);
  boost::io::basic_ios_fill_saver<char> restore_fill_state(out);
  out.fill(' ');

  // we treat XML and JSON is one step via BOOST, whereas all of the others are
  // done recursively in our own code. take care of the two special formats
  // first
  if (style == XML)
    {
      // call the writer function and exit as there is nothing
      // further to do down in this function
      //
      // XML has a requirement that there can only be one
      // single top-level entry, but we may have multiple
      // entries and sections.  we work around this by
      // creating a tree just for this purpose with the
      // single top-level node "ParameterHandler" and
      // assign the existing tree under it
      boost::property_tree::ptree single_node_tree;
      single_node_tree.add_child("ParameterHandler", *entries);

      write_xml(out, single_node_tree);
      return out;
    }

  if (style == JSON)
    {
      write_json(out, *entries);
      return out;
    }

  // for all of the other formats, print a preamble:
  switch (style)
    {
      case Text:
        out << "# Listing of Parameters" << std::endl
            << "# ---------------------" << std::endl;
        break;

      case LaTeX:
        out << "\\subsection{Global parameters}" << std::endl;
        out << "\\label{parameters:global}" << std::endl;
        out << std::endl << std::endl;
        break;

      case Description:
        out << "Listing of Parameters:" << std::endl << std::endl;
        break;

      case ShortText:
        break;

      default:
        Assert(false, ExcNotImplemented());
    }

  // dive recursively into the subsections
  recursively_print_parameters(
    std::vector<std::string>(), // start at the top level
    style,
    0,
    out);

  return out;
}



void
ParameterHandler::recursively_print_parameters(
  const std::vector<std::string> &target_subsection_path,
  const OutputStyle               style,
  const unsigned int              indent_level,
  std::ostream &                  out) const
{
  AssertThrow(out, ExcIO());

  // this function should not be necessary for XML or JSON output...
  Assert((style != XML) && (style != JSON), ExcInternalError());

  const boost::property_tree::ptree &current_section =
    entries->get_child(collate_path_string(target_subsection_path));

  unsigned int overall_indent_level = indent_level;

  switch (style)
    {
      case Text:
      case ShortText:
        {
          // first find out the longest entry name to be able to align the
          // equal signs to do this loop over all nodes of the current
          // tree, select the parameter nodes (and discard sub-tree nodes)
          // and take the maximum of their lengths
          //
          // likewise find the longest actual value string to make sure we
          // can align the default and documentation strings
          std::size_t longest_name  = 0;
          std::size_t longest_value = 0;
          for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_iterator p =
                 current_section.begin();
               p != current_section.end();
               ++p)
            if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
              {
                longest_name =
                  std::max(longest_name, demangle(p->first).length());
                longest_value =
                  std::max(longest_value,
                           p->second.get<std::string>("value").length());
              }

          // print entries one by one. make sure they are sorted by using
          // the appropriate iterators
          bool first_entry = true;
          for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_assoc_iterator p =
                 current_section.ordered_begin();
               p != current_section.not_found();
               ++p)
            if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
              {
                const std::string value = p->second.get<std::string>("value");

                // if there is documentation, then add an empty line
                // (unless this is the first entry in a subsection), print
                // the documentation, and then the actual entry; break the
                // documentation into readable chunks such that the whole
                // thing is at most 78 characters wide
                if ((style == Text) &&
                    !p->second.get<std::string>("documentation").empty())
                  {
                    if (first_entry == false)
                      out << '\n';
                    else
                      first_entry = false;

                    const std::vector<std::string> doc_lines =
                      Utilities::break_text_into_lines(
                        p->second.get<std::string>("documentation"),
                        78 - overall_indent_level * 2 - 2);

                    for (const auto &doc_line : doc_lines)
                      out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                          << "# " << doc_line << '\n';
                  }



                // print name and value of this entry
                out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                    << "set " << demangle(p->first)
                    << std::setw(longest_name - demangle(p->first).length() + 1)
                    << " "
                    << "= " << value;

                // finally print the default value, but only if it differs
                // from the actual value
                if ((style == Text) &&
                    value != p->second.get<std::string>("default_value"))
                  {
                    out << std::setw(longest_value - value.length() + 1) << ' '
                        << "# ";
                    out << "default: "
                        << p->second.get<std::string>("default_value");
                  }

                out << '\n';
              }

          break;
        }

      case LaTeX:
        {
          auto escape = [](const std::string &input) {
            return Patterns::internal::escape(input,
                                              Patterns::PatternBase::LaTeX);
          };

          // if there are any parameters in this section then print them
          // as an itemized list
          bool parameters_exist_here = false;
          for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_assoc_iterator p =
                 current_section.ordered_begin();
               p != current_section.not_found();
               ++p)
            if ((is_parameter_node(p->second) == true) ||
                (is_alias_node(p->second) == true))
              {
                parameters_exist_here = true;
                break;
              }

          if (parameters_exist_here)
            {
              out << "\\begin{itemize}" << '\n';

              // print entries one by one. make sure they are sorted by
              // using the appropriate iterators
              for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_assoc_iterator p =
                     current_section.ordered_begin();
                   p != current_section.not_found();
                   ++p)
                if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
                  {
                    const std::string value =
                      p->second.get<std::string>("value");

                    // print name
                    out << "\\item {\\it Parameter name:} {\\tt "
                        << escape(demangle(p->first)) << "}\n"
                        << "\\phantomsection";
                    {
                      // create label: labels are not to be escaped but mangled
                      std::string label = "parameters:";
                      for (const auto &path : target_subsection_path)
                        {
                          label.append(mangle(path));
                          label.append("/");
                        }
                      label.append(p->first);
                      // Backwards-compatibility. Output the label with and
                      // without escaping whitespace:
                      if (label.find("_20") != std::string::npos)
                        out << "\\label{"
                            << Utilities::replace_in_string(label, "_20", " ")
                            << "}\n";
                      out << "\\label{" << label << "}\n";
                    }
                    out << "\n\n";

                    out << "\\index[prmindex]{" << escape(demangle(p->first))
                        << "}\n";
                    out << "\\index[prmindexfull]{";
                    for (const auto &path : target_subsection_path)
                      out << escape(path) << "!";
                    out << escape(demangle(p->first)) << "}\n";

                    // finally print value and default
                    out << "{\\it Value:} " << escape(value) << "\n\n"
                        << '\n'
                        << "{\\it Default:} "
                        << escape(p->second.get<std::string>("default_value"))
                        << "\n\n"
                        << '\n';

                    // if there is a documenting string, print it as well but
                    // don't escape to allow formatting/formulas
                    if (!p->second.get<std::string>("documentation").empty())
                      out << "{\\it Description:} "
                          << p->second.get<std::string>("documentation")
                          << "\n\n"
                          << '\n';

                    // also output possible values, do not escape because the
                    // description internally will use LaTeX formatting
                    const unsigned int pattern_index =
                      p->second.get<unsigned int>("pattern");
                    const std::string desc_str =
                      patterns[pattern_index]->description(
                        Patterns::PatternBase::LaTeX);
                    out << "{\\it Possible values:} " << desc_str << '\n';
                  }
                else if (is_alias_node(p->second) == true)
                  {
                    const std::string alias =
                      p->second.get<std::string>("alias");

                    // print name
                    out << "\\item {\\it Parameter name:} {\\tt "
                        << escape(demangle(p->first)) << "}\n"
                        << "\\phantomsection";
                    {
                      // create label: labels are not to be escaped but mangled
                      std::string label = "parameters:";
                      for (const auto &path : target_subsection_path)
                        {
                          label.append(mangle(path));
                          label.append("/");
                        }
                      label.append(p->first);
                      // Backwards-compatibility. Output the label with and
                      // without escaping whitespace:
                      if (label.find("_20") != std::string::npos)
                        out << "\\label{"
                            << Utilities::replace_in_string(label, "_20", " ")
                            << "}\n";
                      out << "\\label{" << label << "}\n";
                    }
                    out << "\n\n";

                    out << "\\index[prmindex]{" << escape(demangle(p->first))
                        << "}\n";
                    out << "\\index[prmindexfull]{";
                    for (const auto &path : target_subsection_path)
                      out << escape(path) << "!";
                    out << escape(demangle(p->first)) << "}\n";

                    // finally print alias and indicate if it is deprecated
                    out
                      << "This parameter is an alias for the parameter ``\\texttt{"
                      << escape(alias) << "}''."
                      << (p->second.get<std::string>("deprecation_status") ==
                              "true" ?
                            " Its use is deprecated." :
                            "")
                      << "\n\n"
                      << '\n';
                  }
              out << "\\end{itemize}" << '\n';
            }

          break;
        }

      case Description:
        {
          // first find out the longest entry name to be able to align the
          // equal signs
          std::size_t longest_name = 0;
          for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_iterator p =
                 current_section.begin();
               p != current_section.end();
               ++p)
            if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
              longest_name =
                std::max(longest_name, demangle(p->first).length());

          // print entries one by one. make sure they are sorted by using
          // the appropriate iterators
          for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_assoc_iterator p =
                 current_section.ordered_begin();
               p != current_section.not_found();
               ++p)
            if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
              {
                // print name and value
                out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                    << "set " << demangle(p->first)
                    << std::setw(longest_name - demangle(p->first).length() + 1)
                    << " "
                    << " = ";

                // print possible values:
                const unsigned int pattern_index =
                  p->second.get<unsigned int>("pattern");
                const std::string full_desc_str =
                  patterns[pattern_index]->description(
                    Patterns::PatternBase::Text);
                const std::vector<std::string> description_str =
                  Utilities::break_text_into_lines(
                    full_desc_str, 78 - overall_indent_level * 2 - 2, '|');
                if (description_str.size() > 1)
                  {
                    out << '\n';
                    for (const auto &description : description_str)
                      out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2 + 6) << ""
                          << description << '\n';
                  }
                else if (description_str.empty() == false)
                  out << "  " << description_str[0] << '\n';
                else
                  out << '\n';

                // if there is a documenting string, print it as well
                if (p->second.get<std::string>("documentation").length() != 0)
                  out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2 + longest_name + 10)
                      << ""
                      << "(" << p->second.get<std::string>("documentation")
                      << ")" << '\n';
              }

          break;
        }

      default:
        Assert(false, ExcNotImplemented());
    }


  // if there was text before and there are sections to come, put two
  // newlines between the last entry and the first subsection
  {
    unsigned int n_parameters = 0;
    unsigned int n_sections   = 0;
    for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_iterator p =
           current_section.begin();
         p != current_section.end();
         ++p)
      if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
        ++n_parameters;
      else if (is_alias_node(p->second) == false)
        ++n_sections;

    if ((style != Description) && (style != ShortText) && (n_parameters != 0) &&
        (n_sections != 0))
      out << "\n\n";
  }

  // now traverse subsections tree, in alphabetical order
  for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_assoc_iterator p =
         current_section.ordered_begin();
       p != current_section.not_found();
       ++p)
    if ((is_parameter_node(p->second) == false) &&
        (is_alias_node(p->second) == false))
      {
        // first print the subsection header
        switch (style)
          {
            case Text:
            case Description:
            case ShortText:
              out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                  << "subsection " << demangle(p->first) << '\n';
              break;

            case LaTeX:
              {
                auto escape = [](const std::string &input) {
                  return Patterns::internal::escape(
                    input, Patterns::PatternBase::LaTeX);
                };

                out << '\n' << "\\subsection{Parameters in section \\tt ";

                // find the path to the current section so that we can
                // print it in the \subsection{...} heading
                for (const auto &path : target_subsection_path)
                  out << escape(path) << "/";
                out << escape(demangle(p->first));

                out << "}" << '\n';
                out << "\\label{parameters:";
                for (const auto &path : target_subsection_path)
                  out << mangle(path) << "/";
                out << p->first << "}";
                out << '\n';

                out << '\n';
                break;
              }

            default:
              Assert(false, ExcNotImplemented());
          }

        // then the contents of the subsection
        const std::string        subsection     = demangle(p->first);
        std::vector<std::string> directory_path = target_subsection_path;
        directory_path.emplace_back(subsection);

        recursively_print_parameters(directory_path,
                                     style,
                                     overall_indent_level + 1,
                                     out);

        switch (style)
          {
            case Text:
              // write end of subsection. one blank line after each
              // subsection
              out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                  << "end" << '\n'
                  << '\n';

              // if this is a toplevel subsection, then have two
              // newlines
              if (overall_indent_level == 0)
                out << '\n';

              break;

            case Description:
              break;

            case ShortText:
              // write end of subsection.
              out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                  << "end" << '\n';
              break;

            case LaTeX:
              break;

            default:
              Assert(false, ExcNotImplemented());
          }
      }
}



// Print a section in the desired style. The styles are separated into
// several verbosity classes depending on the higher bits.
//
// If bit 7 (128) is set, comments are not printed.
// If bit 6 (64) is set, default values after change are not printed.
void
ParameterHandler::print_parameters_section(
  std::ostream &     out,
  const OutputStyle  style,
  const unsigned int indent_level,
  const bool         include_top_level_elements)
{
  AssertThrow(out, ExcIO());

  const boost::property_tree::ptree &current_section =
    entries->get_child(get_current_path());

  unsigned int overall_indent_level = indent_level;

  switch (style)
    {
      case XML:
        {
          if (include_top_level_elements)
            {
              // call the writer function and exit as there is nothing
              // further to do down in this function
              //
              // XML has a requirement that there can only be one single
              // top-level entry, but a section has multiple entries and
              // sections. we work around this by creating a tree just for
              // this purpose with the single top-level node
              // "ParameterHandler" and assign the full path of down to
              // the current section under it
              boost::property_tree::ptree single_node_tree;

              // if there is no subsection selected, add the whole tree of
              // entries, otherwise add a root element and the selected
              // subsection under it
              if (subsection_path.size() == 0)
                {
                  single_node_tree.add_child("ParameterHandler", *entries);
                }
              else
                {
                  std::string path("ParameterHandler");

                  single_node_tree.add_child(path,
                                             boost::property_tree::ptree());

                  path += path_separator + get_current_path();
                  single_node_tree.add_child(path, current_section);
                }

              write_xml(out, single_node_tree);
            }
          else
            Assert(false, ExcNotImplemented());

          break;
        }
      case Text:
      case ShortText:
        {
          // if there are top level elements to print, do it
          if (include_top_level_elements && (subsection_path.size() > 0))
            for (const auto &path : subsection_path)
              {
                out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                    << "subsection " << demangle(path) << std::endl;
                overall_indent_level += 1;
              }

          // first find out the longest entry name to be able to align the
          // equal signs to do this loop over all nodes of the current
          // tree, select the parameter nodes (and discard sub-tree nodes)
          // and take the maximum of their lengths
          std::size_t longest_name = 0;
          for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_iterator p =
                 current_section.begin();
               p != current_section.end();
               ++p)
            if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
              longest_name =
                std::max(longest_name, demangle(p->first).length());

          // likewise find the longest actual value string to make sure we
          // can align the default and documentation strings
          std::size_t longest_value = 0;
          for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_iterator p =
                 current_section.begin();
               p != current_section.end();
               ++p)
            if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
              longest_value =
                std::max(longest_value,
                         p->second.get<std::string>("value").length());


          // print entries one by one. make sure they are sorted by using
          // the appropriate iterators
          bool first_entry = true;
          for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_assoc_iterator p =
                 current_section.ordered_begin();
               p != current_section.not_found();
               ++p)
            if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
              {
                const std::string value = p->second.get<std::string>("value");

                // if there is documentation, then add an empty line
                // (unless this is the first entry in a subsection), print
                // the documentation, and then the actual entry; break the
                // documentation into readable chunks such that the whole
                // thing is at most 78 characters wide
                if ((!(style & 128)) &&
                    !p->second.get<std::string>("documentation").empty())
                  {
                    if (first_entry == false)
                      out << std::endl;
                    else
                      first_entry = false;

                    const std::vector<std::string> doc_lines =
                      Utilities::break_text_into_lines(
                        p->second.get<std::string>("documentation"),
                        78 - overall_indent_level * 2 - 2);

                    for (const auto &doc_line : doc_lines)
                      out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                          << "# " << doc_line << std::endl;
                  }



                // print name and value of this entry
                out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                    << "set " << demangle(p->first)
                    << std::setw(longest_name - demangle(p->first).length() + 1)
                    << " "
                    << "= " << value;

                // finally print the default value, but only if it differs
                // from the actual value
                if ((!(style & 64)) &&
                    value != p->second.get<std::string>("default_value"))
                  {
                    out << std::setw(longest_value - value.length() + 1) << ' '
                        << "# ";
                    out << "default: "
                        << p->second.get<std::string>("default_value");
                  }

                out << std::endl;
              }

          break;
        }

      case LaTeX:
        {
          auto escape = [](const std::string &input) {
            return Patterns::internal::escape(input,
                                              Patterns::PatternBase::LaTeX);
          };

          // if there are any parameters in this section then print them
          // as an itemized list
          bool parameters_exist_here = false;
          for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_assoc_iterator p =
                 current_section.ordered_begin();
               p != current_section.not_found();
               ++p)
            if ((is_parameter_node(p->second) == true) ||
                (is_alias_node(p->second) == true))
              {
                parameters_exist_here = true;
                break;
              }

          if (parameters_exist_here)
            {
              out << "\\begin{itemize}" << std::endl;

              // print entries one by one. make sure they are sorted by
              // using the appropriate iterators
              for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_assoc_iterator p =
                     current_section.ordered_begin();
                   p != current_section.not_found();
                   ++p)
                if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
                  {
                    const std::string value =
                      p->second.get<std::string>("value");

                    // print name
                    out << "\\item {\\it Parameter name:} {\\tt "
                        << escape(demangle(p->first)) << "}\n"
                        << "\\phantomsection\\label{parameters:";
                    for (const auto &path : subsection_path)
                      out << mangle(path) << "/";
                    out << p->first;
                    out << "}\n\n" << std::endl;

                    out << "\\index[prmindex]{" << escape(demangle(p->first))
                        << "}\n";
                    out << "\\index[prmindexfull]{";
                    for (const auto &path : subsection_path)
                      out << escape(path) << "!";
                    out << escape(demangle(p->first)) << "}\n";

                    // finally print value and default
                    out << "{\\it Value:} " << escape(value) << "\n\n"
                        << std::endl
                        << "{\\it Default:} "
                        << escape(p->second.get<std::string>("default_value"))
                        << "\n\n"
                        << std::endl;

                    // if there is a documenting string, print it as well
                    if (!p->second.get<std::string>("documentation").empty())
                      out << "{\\it Description:} "
                          << p->second.get<std::string>("documentation")
                          << "\n\n"
                          << std::endl;

                    // also output possible values
                    const unsigned int pattern_index =
                      p->second.get<unsigned int>("pattern");
                    const std::string desc_str =
                      patterns[pattern_index]->description(
                        Patterns::PatternBase::LaTeX);
                    out << "{\\it Possible values:} " << desc_str << std::endl;
                  }
                else if (is_alias_node(p->second) == true)
                  {
                    const std::string alias =
                      p->second.get<std::string>("alias");

                    // print name
                    out << "\\item {\\it Parameter name:} {\\tt "
                        << escape(demangle(p->first)) << "}\n"
                        << "\\phantomsection\\label{parameters:";
                    for (const auto &path : subsection_path)
                      out << mangle(path) << "/";
                    out << p->first;
                    out << "}\n\n" << std::endl;

                    out << "\\index[prmindex]{" << escape(demangle(p->first))
                        << "}\n";
                    out << "\\index[prmindexfull]{";
                    for (const auto &path : subsection_path)
                      out << escape(path) << "!";
                    out << escape(demangle(p->first)) << "}\n";

                    // finally print alias and indicate if it is deprecated
                    out
                      << "This parameter is an alias for the parameter ``\\texttt{"
                      << escape(alias) << "}''."
                      << (p->second.get<std::string>("deprecation_status") ==
                              "true" ?
                            " Its use is deprecated." :
                            "")
                      << "\n\n"
                      << std::endl;
                  }
              out << "\\end{itemize}" << std::endl;
            }

          break;
        }

      case Description:
        {
          // if there are top level elements to print, do it
          if (include_top_level_elements && (subsection_path.size() > 0))
            for (const auto &path : subsection_path)
              {
                out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                    << "subsection " << demangle(path) << std::endl;
                overall_indent_level += 1;
              };

          // first find out the longest entry name to be able to align the
          // equal signs
          std::size_t longest_name = 0;
          for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_iterator p =
                 current_section.begin();
               p != current_section.end();
               ++p)
            if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
              longest_name =
                std::max(longest_name, demangle(p->first).length());

          // print entries one by one. make sure they are sorted by using
          // the appropriate iterators
          for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_assoc_iterator p =
                 current_section.ordered_begin();
               p != current_section.not_found();
               ++p)
            if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
              {
                // print name and value
                out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                    << "set " << demangle(p->first)
                    << std::setw(longest_name - demangle(p->first).length() + 1)
                    << " "
                    << " = ";

                // print possible values:
                const unsigned int pattern_index =
                  p->second.get<unsigned int>("pattern");
                const std::string full_desc_str =
                  patterns[pattern_index]->description(
                    Patterns::PatternBase::Text);
                const std::vector<std::string> description_str =
                  Utilities::break_text_into_lines(
                    full_desc_str, 78 - overall_indent_level * 2 - 2, '|');
                if (description_str.size() > 1)
                  {
                    out << std::endl;
                    for (const auto &description : description_str)
                      out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2 + 6) << ""
                          << description << std::endl;
                  }
                else if (description_str.empty() == false)
                  out << "  " << description_str[0] << std::endl;
                else
                  out << std::endl;

                // if there is a documenting string, print it as well
                if (p->second.get<std::string>("documentation").length() != 0)
                  out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2 + longest_name + 10)
                      << ""
                      << "(" << p->second.get<std::string>("documentation")
                      << ")" << std::endl;
              }

          break;
        }

      default:
        Assert(false, ExcNotImplemented());
    }


  // if there was text before and there are sections to come, put two
  // newlines between the last entry and the first subsection
  if (style != XML)
    {
      unsigned int n_parameters = 0;
      unsigned int n_sections   = 0;
      for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_iterator p =
             current_section.begin();
           p != current_section.end();
           ++p)
        if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
          ++n_parameters;
        else if (is_alias_node(p->second) == false)
          ++n_sections;

      if ((style != Description) && (!(style & 128)) && (n_parameters != 0) &&
          (n_sections != 0))
        out << std::endl << std::endl;

      // now traverse subsections tree, in alphabetical order
      for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_assoc_iterator p =
             current_section.ordered_begin();
           p != current_section.not_found();
           ++p)
        if ((is_parameter_node(p->second) == false) &&
            (is_alias_node(p->second) == false))
          {
            // first print the subsection header
            switch (style)
              {
                case Text:
                case Description:
                case ShortText:
                  out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                      << "subsection " << demangle(p->first) << std::endl;
                  break;
                case LaTeX:
                  {
                    auto escape = [](const std::string &input) {
                      return Patterns::internal::escape(
                        input, Patterns::PatternBase::LaTeX);
                    };

                    out << std::endl
                        << "\\subsection{Parameters in section \\tt ";

                    // find the path to the current section so that we can
                    // print it in the \subsection{...} heading
                    for (const auto &path : subsection_path)
                      out << escape(path) << "/";
                    out << escape(demangle(p->first));

                    out << "}" << std::endl;
                    out << "\\label{parameters:";
                    for (const auto &path : subsection_path)
                      out << mangle(path) << "/";
                    out << p->first << "}";
                    out << std::endl;

                    out << std::endl;
                    break;
                  }

                default:
                  Assert(false, ExcNotImplemented());
              }

            // then the contents of the subsection
            enter_subsection(demangle(p->first));
            print_parameters_section(out, style, overall_indent_level + 1);
            leave_subsection();
            switch (style)
              {
                case Text:
                  // write end of subsection. one blank line after each
                  // subsection
                  out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                      << "end" << std::endl
                      << std::endl;

                  // if this is a toplevel subsection, then have two
                  // newlines
                  if (overall_indent_level == 0)
                    out << std::endl;

                  break;
                case Description:
                  break;
                case ShortText:
                  // write end of subsection.
                  out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                      << "end" << std::endl;
                  break;
                case LaTeX:
                  break;
                default:
                  Assert(false, ExcNotImplemented());
              }
          }
    }

  // close top level elements, if there are any
  switch (style)
    {
      case XML:
      case LaTeX:
      case Description:
        break;
      case Text:
      case ShortText:
        {
          if (include_top_level_elements && (subsection_path.size() > 0))
            for (unsigned int i = 0; i < subsection_path.size(); ++i)
              {
                overall_indent_level -= 1;
                out << std::setw(overall_indent_level * 2) << ""
                    << "end" << std::endl;
              }

          break;
        }

      default:
        Assert(false, ExcNotImplemented());
    }
}



void
ParameterHandler::log_parameters(LogStream &out)
{
  out.push("parameters");
  // dive recursively into the subsections
  log_parameters_section(out);

  out.pop();
}



void
ParameterHandler::log_parameters_section(LogStream &out)
{
  const boost::property_tree::ptree &current_section =
    entries->get_child(get_current_path());

  // print entries one by
  // one. make sure they are
  // sorted by using the
  // appropriate iterators
  for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_assoc_iterator p =
         current_section.ordered_begin();
       p != current_section.not_found();
       ++p)
    if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
      out << demangle(p->first) << ": " << p->second.get<std::string>("value")
          << std::endl;

  // now transverse subsections tree
  // now traverse subsections tree,
  // in alphabetical order
  for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_assoc_iterator p =
         current_section.ordered_begin();
       p != current_section.not_found();
       ++p)
    if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == false)
      {
        out.push(demangle(p->first));
        enter_subsection(demangle(p->first));
        log_parameters_section(out);
        leave_subsection();
        out.pop();
      }
}



void
ParameterHandler::scan_line(std::string        line,
                            const std::string &input_filename,
                            const unsigned int current_line_n,
                            const bool         skip_undefined)
{
  // save a copy for some error messages
  const std::string original_line = line;

  // if there is a comment, delete it
  if (line.find('#') != std::string::npos)
    line.erase(line.find('#'), std::string::npos);

  // replace \t by space:
  while (line.find('\t') != std::string::npos)
    line.replace(line.find('\t'), 1, " ");

  // trim start and end:
  line = Utilities::trim(line);

  // if line is now empty: leave
  if (line.length() == 0)
    {
      return;
    }
  // enter subsection
  else if (Utilities::match_at_string_start(line, "SUBSECTION ") ||
           Utilities::match_at_string_start(line, "subsection "))
    {
      // delete this prefix
      line.erase(0, std::string("subsection").length() + 1);

      const std::string subsection = Utilities::trim(line);

      // check whether subsection exists
      AssertThrow(skip_undefined || entries->get_child_optional(
                                      get_current_full_path(subsection)),
                  ExcNoSubsection(current_line_n,
                                  input_filename,
                                  demangle(get_current_full_path(subsection))));

      // subsection exists
      subsection_path.push_back(subsection);
    }
  // exit subsection
  else if (Utilities::match_at_string_start(line, "END") ||
           Utilities::match_at_string_start(line, "end"))
    {
      line.erase(0, 3);
      while ((line.size() > 0) && (std::isspace(line[0])))
        line.erase(0, 1);

      AssertThrow(
        line.size() == 0,
        ExcCannotParseLine(current_line_n,
                           input_filename,
                           "Invalid content after 'end' or 'END' statement."));
      AssertThrow(subsection_path.size() != 0,
                  ExcCannotParseLine(current_line_n,
                                     input_filename,
                                     "There is no subsection to leave here."));
      leave_subsection();
    }
  // regular entry
  else if (Utilities::match_at_string_start(line, "SET ") ||
           Utilities::match_at_string_start(line, "set "))
    {
      // erase "set" statement
      line.erase(0, 4);

      std::string::size_type pos = line.find('=');
      AssertThrow(
        pos != std::string::npos,
        ExcCannotParseLine(current_line_n,
                           input_filename,
                           "Invalid format of 'set' or 'SET' statement."));

      // extract entry name and value and trim
      std::string entry_name = Utilities::trim(std::string(line, 0, pos));
      std::string entry_value =
        Utilities::trim(std::string(line, pos + 1, std::string::npos));

      // resolve aliases before we look up the entry. if necessary, print
      // a warning that the alias is deprecated
      std::string path = get_current_full_path(entry_name);
      if (entries->get_optional<std::string>(path + path_separator + "alias"))
        {
          if (entries->get<std::string>(path + path_separator +
                                        "deprecation_status") == "true")
            {
              std::cerr << "Warning in line <" << current_line_n
                        << "> of file <" << input_filename
                        << ">: You are using the deprecated spelling <"
                        << entry_name << "> of the parameter <"
                        << entries->get<std::string>(path + path_separator +
                                                     "alias")
                        << ">." << std::endl;
            }
          path = get_current_full_path(
            entries->get<std::string>(path + path_separator + "alias"));
        }

      // get the node for the entry. if it doesn't exist, then we end up
      // in the else-branch below, which asserts that the entry is indeed
      // declared
      if (entries->get_optional<std::string>(path + path_separator + "value"))
        {
          // if entry was declared: does it match the regex? if not, don't enter
          // it into the database exception: if it contains characters which
          // specify it as a multiple loop entry, then ignore content
          if (entry_value.find('{') == std::string::npos)
            {
              // verify that the new value satisfies the provided pattern
              const unsigned int pattern_index =
                entries->get<unsigned int>(path + path_separator + "pattern");
              AssertThrow(patterns[pattern_index]->match(entry_value),
                          ExcInvalidEntryForPattern(
                            current_line_n,
                            input_filename,
                            entry_value,
                            entry_name,
                            patterns[pattern_index]->description()));

              // then also execute the actions associated with this
              // parameter (if any have been provided)
              const boost::optional<std::string> action_indices_as_string =
                entries->get_optional<std::string>(path + path_separator +
                                                   "actions");
              if (action_indices_as_string)
                {
                  std::vector<int> action_indices =
                    Utilities::string_to_int(Utilities::split_string_list(
                      action_indices_as_string.get()));
                  for (const unsigned int index : action_indices)
                    if (actions.size() >= index + 1)
                      actions[index](entry_value);
                }
            }

          // finally write the new value into the database
          entries->put(path + path_separator + "value", entry_value);
        }
      else
        {
          AssertThrow(
            skip_undefined,
            ExcCannotParseLine(current_line_n,
                               input_filename,
                               ("No entry with name <" + entry_name +
                                "> was declared in the current subsection.")));
        }
    }
  // an include statement?
  else if (Utilities::match_at_string_start(line, "include ") ||
           Utilities::match_at_string_start(line, "INCLUDE "))
    {
      // erase "include " statement and eliminate spaces
      line.erase(0, 7);
      while ((line.size() > 0) && (line[0] == ' '))
        line.erase(0, 1);

      // the remainder must then be a filename
      AssertThrow(line.size() != 0,
                  ExcCannotParseLine(current_line_n,
                                     input_filename,
                                     "The current line is an 'include' or "
                                     "'INCLUDE' statement, but it does not "
                                     "name a file for inclusion."));

      std::ifstream input(line.c_str());
      AssertThrow(input,
                  ExcCannotOpenIncludeStatementFile(current_line_n,
                                                    input_filename,
                                                    line));
      parse_input(input, line, "", skip_undefined);
    }
  else
    {
      AssertThrow(
        false,
        ExcCannotParseLine(current_line_n,
                           input_filename,
                           "The line\n\n"
                           "        <" +
                             original_line +
                             ">\n\n"
                             "could not be parsed: please check to "
                             "make sure that the file is not missing a "
                             "'set', 'include', 'subsection', or 'end' "
                             "statement."));
    }
}



std::size_t
ParameterHandler::memory_consumption() const
{
  // TODO: add to this an estimate of the memory in the property_tree
  return (MemoryConsumption::memory_consumption(subsection_path));
}



bool
ParameterHandler::operator==(const ParameterHandler &prm2) const
{
  if (patterns.size() != prm2.patterns.size())
    return false;

  for (unsigned int j = 0; j < patterns.size(); ++j)
    if (patterns[j]->description() != prm2.patterns[j]->description())
      return false;

  // instead of walking through all
  // the nodes of the two trees
  // entries and prm2.entries and
  // comparing them for equality,
  // simply dump the content of the
  // entire structure into a string
  // and compare those for equality
  std::ostringstream o1, o2;
  write_json(o1, *entries);
  write_json(o2, *prm2.entries);
  return (o1.str() == o2.str());
}



MultipleParameterLoop::MultipleParameterLoop()
  : n_branches(0)
{}



void
MultipleParameterLoop::parse_input(std::istream &     input,
                                   const std::string &filename,
                                   const std::string &last_line,
                                   const bool         skip_undefined)
{
  AssertThrow(input, ExcIO());

  // Note that (to avoid infinite recursion) we have to explicitly call the
  // base class version of parse_input and *not* a wrapper (which may be
  // virtual and lead us back here)
  ParameterHandler::parse_input(input, filename, last_line, skip_undefined);
  init_branches();
}



void
MultipleParameterLoop::loop(MultipleParameterLoop::UserClass &uc)
{
  for (unsigned int run_no = 0; run_no < n_branches; ++run_no)
    {
      // give create_new one-based numbers
      uc.create_new(run_no + 1);
      fill_entry_values(run_no);
      uc.run(*this);
    }
}



void
MultipleParameterLoop::init_branches()
{
  multiple_choices.clear();
  init_branches_current_section();

  // split up different values
  for (auto &multiple_choice : multiple_choices)
    multiple_choice.split_different_values();

  // finally calculate number of branches
  n_branches = 1;
  for (const auto &multiple_choice : multiple_choices)
    if (multiple_choice.type == Entry::variant)
      n_branches *= multiple_choice.different_values.size();

  // check whether array entries have the correct
  // number of entries
  for (const auto &multiple_choice : multiple_choices)
    if (multiple_choice.type == Entry::array)
      if (multiple_choice.different_values.size() != n_branches)
        std::cerr << "    The entry value" << std::endl
                  << "        " << multiple_choice.entry_value << std::endl
                  << "    for the entry named" << std::endl
                  << "        " << multiple_choice.entry_name << std::endl
                  << "    does not have the right number of entries for the "
                  << std::endl
                  << "        " << n_branches
                  << " variant runs that will be performed." << std::endl;


  // do a first run on filling the values to
  // check for the conformance with the regexp
  // (later on, this will be lost in the whole
  // other output)
  for (unsigned int i = 0; i < n_branches; ++i)
    fill_entry_values(i);
}



void
MultipleParameterLoop::init_branches_current_section()
{
  const boost::property_tree::ptree &current_section =
    entries->get_child(get_current_path());

  // check all entries in the present
  // subsection whether they are
  // multiple entries
  //
  // we loop over entries in sorted
  // order to guarantee backward
  // compatibility to an earlier
  // implementation
  for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_assoc_iterator p =
         current_section.ordered_begin();
       p != current_section.not_found();
       ++p)
    if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == true)
      {
        const std::string value = p->second.get<std::string>("value");
        if (value.find('{') != std::string::npos)
          multiple_choices.emplace_back(subsection_path,
                                        demangle(p->first),
                                        value);
      }

  // then loop over all subsections
  for (boost::property_tree::ptree::const_iterator p = current_section.begin();
       p != current_section.end();
       ++p)
    if (is_parameter_node(p->second) == false)
      {
        enter_subsection(demangle(p->first));
        init_branches_current_section();
        leave_subsection();
      }
}



void
MultipleParameterLoop::fill_entry_values(const unsigned int run_no)
{
  unsigned int possibilities = 1;

  std::vector<Entry>::iterator choice;
  for (choice = multiple_choices.begin(); choice != multiple_choices.end();
       ++choice)
    {
      const unsigned int selection =
        (run_no / possibilities) % choice->different_values.size();
      std::string entry_value;
      if (choice->type == Entry::variant)
        entry_value = choice->different_values[selection];
      else
        {
          if (run_no >= choice->different_values.size())
            {
              std::cerr
                << "The given array for entry <" << choice->entry_name
                << "> does not contain enough elements! Taking empty string instead."
                << std::endl;
              entry_value = "";
            }
          else
            entry_value = choice->different_values[run_no];
        }

      // temporarily enter the
      // subsection tree of this
      // multiple entry, set the
      // value, and get out
      // again. the set() operation
      // also tests for the
      // correctness of the value
      // with regard to the pattern
      subsection_path.swap(choice->subsection_path);
      set(choice->entry_name, entry_value);
      subsection_path.swap(choice->subsection_path);

      // move ahead if it was a variant entry
      if (choice->type == Entry::variant)
        possibilities *= choice->different_values.size();
    }
}



std::size_t
MultipleParameterLoop::memory_consumption() const
{
  std::size_t mem = ParameterHandler::memory_consumption();
  for (const auto &multiple_choice : multiple_choices)
    mem += multiple_choice.memory_consumption();

  return mem;
}



MultipleParameterLoop::Entry::Entry(const std::vector<std::string> &ssp,
                                    const std::string &             Name,
                                    const std::string &             Value)
  : subsection_path(ssp)
  , entry_name(Name)
  , entry_value(Value)
  , type(Entry::array)
{}



void
MultipleParameterLoop::Entry::split_different_values()
{
  // split string into three parts:
  // part before the opening "{",
  // the selection itself, final
  // part after "}"
  std::string prefix(entry_value, 0, entry_value.find('{'));
  std::string multiple(entry_value,
                       entry_value.find('{') + 1,
                       entry_value.rfind('}') - entry_value.find('{') - 1);
  std::string postfix(entry_value,
                      entry_value.rfind('}') + 1,
                      std::string::npos);
  // if array entry {{..}}: delete inner
  // pair of braces
  if (multiple[0] == '{')
    multiple.erase(0, 1);
  if (multiple[multiple.size() - 1] == '}')
    multiple.erase(multiple.size() - 1, 1);
  // erase leading and trailing spaces
  // in multiple
  while (std::isspace(multiple[0]))
    multiple.erase(0, 1);
  while (std::isspace(multiple[multiple.size() - 1]))
    multiple.erase(multiple.size() - 1, 1);

  // delete spaces around '|'
  while (multiple.find(" |") != std::string::npos)
    multiple.replace(multiple.find(" |"), 2, "|");
  while (multiple.find("| ") != std::string::npos)
    multiple.replace(multiple.find("| "), 2, "|");

  while (multiple.find('|') != std::string::npos)
    {
      different_values.push_back(
        prefix + std::string(multiple, 0, multiple.find('|')) + postfix);
      multiple.erase(0, multiple.find('|') + 1);
    }
  // make up the last selection ("while" broke
  // because there was no '|' any more
  different_values.push_back(prefix + multiple + postfix);
  // finally check whether this was a variant
  // entry ({...}) or an array ({{...}})
  if ((entry_value.find("{{") != std::string::npos) &&
      (entry_value.find("}}") != std::string::npos))
    type = Entry::array;
  else
    type = Entry::variant;
}


std::size_t
MultipleParameterLoop::Entry::memory_consumption() const
{
  return (MemoryConsumption::memory_consumption(subsection_path) +
          MemoryConsumption::memory_consumption(entry_name) +
          MemoryConsumption::memory_consumption(entry_value) +
          MemoryConsumption::memory_consumption(different_values) +
          sizeof(type));
}

DEAL_II_NAMESPACE_CLOSE