"Module Improvements" Page at NCSA

"Module Improvements" (modimp) is a series of improvements to the Environment Modules package provided on Cray systems that controls the user's shell environment to control configuration of compilers and system software. These improvements make the module command interface better and more user-friendly, and include some Cray-specific tweaks to help utilize Cray-specific modules better.

There are five components to modimp that can be turned on or off at the user's control. Two of the modules are not loaded by default due to environment memory concerns; this can be controlled by either the user or installing administrators.

module command outputs to stdout rather than stderr; this allows grep-ing of module listings, for instance. Loaded and on by default.
tab-completion for parameters of module commands. Contains tweaks to prepend module names with Cray-specific module name prefixes. Loaded and on by default.
Enables dynmaic prompt. Prompt can be set up to change characters depending on modules loaded, directory state, system state, and other user environment state. Not loaded by default.
Modimp command activates shell Show-all-if-ambiguous setting. Loaded by default, but not turned on by default, since it effects tab-completion for ALL commands, not just module.
A new Cray-specific module sub-command "PrgEnvLoad" that loads the PrgEnv-* module specified, regardless of which one (if any) is currently loaded. "module swap PrgEnv-gnu PrgEnv-cray" is not re-entrant (which causes a problem for scripts) but "module PrgEnvLoad PrgEnv-gnu" is re-entrant.

Module Improvements will be released under the University of Illinois Open-Source License. We plan to release it in Decemeber 2016.

For questions about Module Improvements, please contact me at csteffen@ncsa.illinois.edu.