Back to main GOLD page The parameter file is stored in the GOLD distribution directory. It contains all of the parameters used by GOLD (e.g. VDW radii, H-bond energies and so on) other than those which are specified in the configuration file. The idea is that parameters which are most likely to vary with problem are defined in the configuration file (usually named gold.conf). A front end has been provided to simplify editing of this configuration file. All other program parameters are contained in the GOLD parameter file (usually called ga.params). By editing this file, the user can therefore alter the default behaviour of GOLD.
A copy of the default GOLD parameter file is kept in the GOLD installation directory. If a user wishes to alter any of the parameters, this file should be copied to a new location and edited. GOLD can then be run using the edited file. GOLD gets the location of the parameter file from the configuration file line param_file = <parameter file location>. This is most easily defined using the Param File button in the front end.
The format of the parameter file is quite strict: incorrect editing may cause GOLD to behave in unexpected ways or even to crash. Because of the large number of parameters, no guarantee can be given that the program will behave reliably with anything other than the default parameterisation.
For more information see the comments in the parameter file.