| name | clustalw2 |
| description | Use when running legacy ClustalW 2.1 multiple-sequence-alignment workflows, guide-tree calculations, or interactive alignment sessions from the command line. |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| user-invocable | true |
clustalw2
Quick Start
- Command:
clustalw2 -INFILE=seqs.fa -ALIGN
- Local executable:
/home/vimalinx/miniforge3/envs/bio/bin/clustalw2
- Help entry points:
clustalw2 -HELP, clustalw2 -CHECK, clustalw2 -FULLHELP
When To Use This Tool
- Run ClustalW 2.1 multiple sequence alignments from a legacy workflow.
- Build guide trees or percent-identity matrices with ClustalW's own CLI.
- Convert sequence files between supported alignment/output formats.
- Enter the older interactive terminal menu when you explicitly want that interface.
Common Patterns
clustalw2 -HELP
clustalw2 -INFILE=seqs.fa -ALIGN
clustalw2 -INFILE=aligned.aln -TREE
Recommended Workflow
- Prefer noninteractive flags such as
-INFILE=... and -ALIGN for reproducible runs.
- Use
-HELP or -FULLHELP to review the older option syntax before launching a large job.
- Set output-related flags deliberately if you do not want the default CLUSTAL alignment output.
- Use the interactive mode only when you actually want menu-driven operation.
Guardrails
-h and --help are not valid help flags here; they produce unknown-option errors.
- A bare
clustalw2 invocation enters the interactive menu and waits for choices.
- This CLI uses legacy uppercase single-dash options such as
-INFILE=..., -ALIGN, -TREE, -OUTPUT=....
- Default output format is CLUSTAL unless you override it with
-OUTPUT=.
- The local build reports itself as
CLUSTAL 2.1.