Using Refl1D

The Refl1D library is organized into modules. Specific functions and classes can be imported from a module, such as:

>>> from refl1d.sample.layers import Slab

The most common imports have been gathered together in refl1d. This allows you to use names like Slab directly:

>>> from refl1d.names import *
>>> s = Slab(silicon, thickness=100, interface=10)

This pattern of importing all names from a file, while convenient for simple scripts, makes the code more difficult to understand later, and can lead to unexpected results when the same name is used in multiple modules. A safer, though more verbose pattern is to use:

>>> import refl1d as ref
>>> s = ref.sample.layers.Slab(ref.sample.materialdb.silicon, thickness=100, interface=10)

This documents to the reader unfamiliar with your code (such as you when looking at your model files two years from now) exactly where the name comes from.