Component model for Delphes modules?

[Dave Casper]

Thanks for providing this great tool.

The current structure of Delphes makes development and exchange of new modules awkward, since adding a new module requires modifying the core Delphes source code (in several places). These edits then have to be re-done when a new version of Delphes is installed.

Have you considered moving to a component-based architecture, similar to that used in many current tools (e.g. GAUDI @LHCb, ATHENA @ATLAS, root, etc)?

With such an architecture, user-written and user-enhanced modules would be built in separate shared libraries, and loaded by Delphes at run-time (based on the steering cards). They could also be exchanged easily between users. No changes to the Delphes source code, and no recompilation, would then be necessary to hook up a new module.

For users who simply use the baseline configuration, nothing would change.