[HTCondor-users] DAG macros

[Brian Candler <B.Candler@xxxxxxxxx>]

The following example comes from
http://research.cs.wisc.edu/htcondor/manual/v7.8/2_10DAGMan_Applications.html

"The example uses a single submit description file in the DAG input file,
and uses the VARS entry to name output files.

The relevant portion of the DAG input file appears as

    JOB A theonefile.sub
    JOB B theonefile.sub
    JOB C theonefile.sub

    VARS A outfilename="A"
    VARS B outfilename="B"
    VARS C outfilename="C"

The submit description file appears as

    # submit description file called:  theonefile.sub
    executable   = progX
    universe     = standard
    output       = $(outfilename)
    error        = error.$(outfilename)
    log          = progX.log
    queue"


However, experimentally it seems that you can name the output/error settings
directly in the DAG VARs.  e.g.

    JOB A theonefile.sub
    JOB B theonefile.sub
    JOB C theonefile.sub

    VARS A output="A" error="error.A"
    VARS B output="B" error="error.B"
    VARS C output="C" error="error.C"

with a simpler submit file:

    # submit description file called:  theonefile.sub
    executable   = progX
    universe     = standard
    log          = progX.log
    queue

It looks like "submit description file commands" and "DAG macros" are in
fact the same thing, and sit in the same namespace.

Is this behaviour dependable? Is it documented anywhere?

The reason for the question: I want to avoid having two names for the same
thing, such as output = $(outputfile). So I had originally tried naming 
DAG macros the same as the submit file commands I was substituting into, e.g.

    VARS A output="tmp.txt"
    ...
    output = $(output)

but this broke badly.

Thanks,

Brian Candler.