Unable to run with camera specification in YAML file

[dmhensi]

A successful output pipeline that contains a camera and is written to a YAML file with the "save" command {actions.save("foo.yaml","yaml")} does not function when bought in with the "load" command.
The following error presents:

  msg: |
    Ascent::execute failed 
    file: /scratch/dmhensi/smash/smash_with_ascent_2026-05-26-2/source/conduit/src/libs/conduit/conduit_node.cpp
    line: 15121
    message: 
    Node::as_int32() const -- DataType int64 at path params/renders/r1/auto_camera/samples does not equal expected DataType int32
[Error] Ascent::execute 
file: /scratch/dmhensi/smash/smash_with_ascent_2026-05-26-2/source/conduit/src/libs/conduit/conduit_node.cpp
line: 15121
message: 
Node::as_int32() const -- DataType int64 at path params/renders/r1/auto_camera/samples does not equal expected DataType int32

Here is snippet form the yaml file.

    s3:
      plots:
        p1:
          type: "pseudocolor"
          field: "alternating"
      renders:
        r1:
          image_prefix: "econduits3r1"
          type: "auto_camera"
          auto_camera:
            metric: "dds_entropy"
            field: "alternating"
            samples: 5

Removing the "samples 5" from the offending yaml file produces an error:

    Ascent::execute failed 
    file: /scratch/dmhensi/smash/smash_with_ascent_2026-05-26-2/source/ascent/src/libs/ascent/runtimes/flow_filters/ascent_runtime_rendering_filters.cpp
    line: 1506
    message: 
    Auto Camera must specify number of 'samples'
[Error] Ascent::execute 
file: /scratch/dmhensi/smash/smash_with_ascent_2026-05-26-2/source/ascent/src/libs/ascent/runtimes/flow_filters/ascent_runtime_rendering_filters.cpp
line: 1506
message: 
Auto Camera must specify number of 'samples'

Visiting ascent_runtime_rendering_filters.cpp reveals the offending code:

            if(!render_node.has_path("auto_camera/field"))
                    ASCENT_ERROR("Auto Camera must specify a 'field'");
            if(!render_node.has_path("auto_camera/metric"))
                    ASCENT_ERROR("Auto Camera must specify a 'metric'");
            if(!render_node.has_path("auto_camera/samples"))
                    ASCENT_ERROR("Auto Camera must specify number of 'samples'");

            std::string field_name = render_node["auto_camera/field"].as_string();
            std::string metric     = render_node["auto_camera/metric"].as_string();
            int samples            = render_node["auto_camera/samples"].as_int32();

The "as_int32(); appears to defeat the parsing of the int from the YAML file. I haven't gone further on this.
If this is already fixed I'd like to know a version to move up to.

[cyrush]

@dmhensi -- thanks for the report, working on a fix for this in this PR:
#1731

[dmhensi]

The following fix works for me:

diff --git a/src/libs/ascent/runtimes/flow_filters/ascent_runtime_rendering_filters.cpp b/src/libs/ascent/runtimes/flow_filters/ascent_runtime_rendering_filters.cpp
index 6abbbb4c..5322ef26 100644
--- a/src/libs/ascent/runtimes/flow_filters/ascent_runtime_rendering_filters.cpp
+++ b/src/libs/ascent/runtimes/flow_filters/ascent_runtime_rendering_filters.cpp
@@ -1507,7 +1507,7 @@ CreateRenders::execute()
 
             std::string field_name = render_node["auto_camera/field"].as_string();
             std::string metric     = render_node["auto_camera/metric"].as_string();
-            int samples            = render_node["auto_camera/samples"].as_int32();
+            int samples            = render_node["auto_camera/samples"].to_int32();
 
             if(!collection->has_field(field_name))
             {
@@ -1523,17 +1523,17 @@ CreateRenders::execute()
             int width  = 1024;
             if(render_node.has_path("auto_camera/bins"))
             {
-              int bins = render_node["auto_camera/bins"].as_int32();
+              int bins = render_node["auto_camera/bins"].to_int32();
               auto_cam.SetNumBins(bins);
             }
             if(render_node.has_path("auto_camera/height"))
             {
-              height = render_node["auto_camera/height"].as_int32();
+              height = render_node["auto_camera/height"].to_int32();
               auto_cam.SetHeight(height);
             }
             if(render_node.has_path("auto_camera/width"))
             {
-              width = render_node["auto_camera/width"].as_int32();
+              width = render_node["auto_camera/width"].to_int32();
               auto_cam.SetWidth(width);
             }

[cyrush]

yes, that will work as well as the to_value() change.