How to access directories within root files

[LoekMeijers]

Dear root users,

Within a root file I have, there’s a histogram inside a directory, inside a directory. A screenshot of the way the directories are stacked is posted below:

I have been using root files with histograms stored in them ‘directly on top’, so not within a directory in the root file, and with those files I could access the histograms I wanted to draw in the following way:

#include "TCanvas.h"
#include "TH1D.h"
#include "TLegend.h"
#include "TH2D.h"

void smallmacro()
{

TFile *MyFile = TFile::Open("~/Documents/bonz_files/root_files/data10Mrebin.root");
if(!MyFile || MyFile->IsZombie())
  {
    cout << "Failed to load" << endl;
    return;
  }

 TH1D *ptPionH = (TH1D*) MyFile->Get("ptpionH;1");

 TH1D *ptSigmaH = (TH1D*) MyFile->Get("ptSigmacH;1");
 TH1D *ptPionSigmaH = (TH1D*) MyFile->Get("ptPionSigmaH;1");
 TH1D *ptLambdaSigmaH = (TH1D*) MyFile->Get("ptLambdacs;1");

TCanvas *c1 = new TCanvas("c1", "Canvas 1", 1000,1000);
c1->Divide(2,2);
c1->cd(1);
ptPionH->Draw();
c1->cd(2);
ptSigmaH->Draw();
c1->cd(3);
ptPionSigmaH->Draw();
c1->cd(4)
ptLambdaSigmaH->Draw();
}

I have tried to get to the desired directory in the root file in the following manner:

#include "TCanvas.h"
#include "TH1D.h"
#include "TLegend.h"
#include "TH2D.h"

void data()
{

TFile *f = TFile::Open("~/Documents/bonz_files/root_files/AnalysisResults-Dec3.root");
if(!f || f->IsZombie())
  {
    cout << "Failed to load" << endl;
    return;
  }

 printf("Open File %s\n",f->GetName());
 TDirectory *dir = (TDirectory*)f->Get("PWG3_D2H_InvMassLambdac"); //InvMassLambdac is the directory name
 TDirectory *dir2 = (TDirectory*)dir->Get("coutputLcppProd_Cuts"); //Same goes for coutputLcppProd_Cuts

 TH1D *ptPionSigmaData = (TH1D*) dir2->Get("hSoftPionSigmacPt0");
 ptPionSigmaData->Draw();
}

But this did not work. Can someone tell me what is the correct way of accessing directories within root files?!

Best regards,

Loek Meijers

[ganis]

Dear Loek Meijers,

You have to “cd()” into the directories. See tutorials/io/dirs.C .
Hope it helps.

G Ganis

[LoekMeijers]

Dear Ganis,

I have followed your instructions, and now my code looks like this:

#include "TCanvas.h"
#include "TH1D.h"
#include "TLegend.h"
#include "TH2D.h"

void data()
{

TFile *f = TFile::Open("~/Documents/bonz_files/root_files/AnalysisResults-Dec3.root");
if(!f || f->IsZombie())
  {
    cout << "Failed to load" << endl;
    return;
  }

 TDirectory *f2 = (TDirectory*)f->Get("PWG3_D2H_InvMassLambdac;1");
 f2->cd();
 TDirectory *f3 = (TDirectory*)f2->Get("coutputLcppProd_Cuts;1");
 f3->cd();
 TH1D *ptPionSigmaData = (TH1D*)f3->Get("hSoftPionSigmacPt0");
 ptPionSigmaData->Draw();
}

But I keep getting the following error:

There is still something I’m not doing right. I have taken a look at the root tutorial and didn’t see what I’m doing wrong. Would you happen to know where my mistake is?

Best regards,

Loek

[Wile_E_Coyote]

Try:

TH1 *ptPionSigmaData;
f->GetObject("PWG3_D2H_InvMassLambdac/coutputLcppProd_Cuts/hSoftPionSigmacPt0", ptPionSigmaData);

[LoekMeijers]

I found the problem. The last directory was not actually a directory but a list. The following worked:

void data()
{

TFile *f = TFile::Open("~/Documents/bonz_files/root_files/AnalysisResults-Dec3.root");
if(!f || f->IsZombie())
  {
    cout << "Failed to load" << endl;
    return;
  }

 Int_t n = 6; //Index of the wanted histogram from the list
 TDirectory* dir = (TDirectory*)f->Get("PWG3_D2H_InvMassLambdac");
 TList *hList = (TList*)dir->Get(Form("coutputLcppProd_Cuts"));
 
 TH1D*ptPionSigmaData= (TH1D*)hList->At(n);
 ptPionSigmaData->Draw();

 f->Close();