cwl
What is a .cwl file?
application/yaml
CWL (Common Workflow Language) is an open standard for describing command-line analysis workflows portably. A .cwl document is YAML (or JSON) declaring a cwlVersion and a class of CommandLineTool, Workflow, or ExpressionTool, with typed inputs and outputs, input bindings that map values onto command-line arguments, and — for workflows — steps wired together by source references. Requirements and hints declare the container image and resources a step needs.
How to use a .cwl file
Use an example .cwl file to test workflow parsers, validators, and execution engines, verifying that step dependencies form the expected graph, that input bindings produce the documented command line, and that an unsupported cwlVersion is rejected.
Download example .cwl files
- CWL CommandLineTool DefinitionA CWL v1.2 CommandLineTool with typed inputs, positional and prefixed bindings, a JavaScript outputEval expression, resource requirements, a Docker hint, and an IANA $namespaces block. Inert: it describes an invocation and runs nothing.
- CWL Workflow (Six-Step Topology)A CWL Workflow carrying the same six-step ETL topology as the Airflow and Argo fixtures, with dependencies expressed as step output references and a multi-source input resolved by pickValue. For cross-format DAG conversion tests.
- CWL Scatter and Cross-ProductCWL scatter in both forms: a single-parameter scatter over an array input, and a two-parameter scatter with scatterMethod flat_crossproduct. The scatter dimensionality is what distinguishes correct CWL engines from approximate ones.
- CWL Workflow, Intentionally InvalidAn intentionally invalid CWL document: a nonexistent cwlVersion, an unknown class, a step consuming an output no step produces, and outputs given as a bare string. Four documented faults for a CWL validator to report.