====== The Configuration File .CF - Overview======

 

=====What is in the Configuration File?=====

The .CF file (Configuration File) defines the **settings** for the simulation to run, for example the name for the area input file, the name of the output files or the meteorological settings. \\
Each simulation task is identified by its .CF file. You might use the same area input file (.IN) in different simulations, but each simulation needs its own .CF file. ENVI-met comes along with several example files. 

Every ENVI-met input file is a simple ASCII-Text file. „Simple" means, that it has no formatting commands in it. So don't save it as a special document of your word processor. If you use MS Word for example, choose "Text only" as output format. 
 
**We recommend the use of the ENVI-met Configuration Editor which comes along with the program distribution. The editor also allows you to add new sections to the CF.-file by just using the mouse button.**

Each configuration file consists of a **basic information block** which must be included to run the model:

  * [[Basic Settings|Basic Settings - The Minimal Configuration File]]

In addition, different "**sections**" can be added to the configuration. Each section begins with a keyword (e.g. „''[SOIL]''") followed by the settings. 

  * [[Sections|Overview of all Sections in ENVI-met 4.0]]

Sections allow to overwrite default values of ENVI-met. Some sections will probably be included in each of the .CF files, some of them seldom or never. If a section is not included in the .CF file, the default values (shown in brackets behind the entries) are used.

**It doesn't matter in which order the sections appear in the configuration file, but inside a section itself, the information must follow the fixed sequence.** (Remark lines with „%" do not affect the sequence order).
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