Omnetpp.ini - How to create loop for the host parametres - omnet++

Question

I have 1000 hosts. I need to simulate the situation when host[0] connects with other 999 hosts by PingApp in accordance with a timetable.
For example
**.host[0]*.numPingApps = 999 #number of hosts
**.host[0]*.pingApp[*].typename = "PingApp"
**.host[0]*.pingApp[*].packetSize = 42 B
**.host[0]*.pingApp[*].sendInterval = 1 s
**.host[0]*.pingApp[*].srcAddr = "host[0]"
**.host[0]*.pingApp[0].destAddr = "host[1]"
**.host[0]*.pingApp[0].startTime = 0 s
**.host[0]*.pingApp[0].stopTime = 5s
**.host[0]*.pingApp[1].destAddr = "host[2]"
**.host[0]*.pingApp[1].startTime = 0.1 s
**.host[0]*.pingApp[1].stopTime = 5.1 s
**.host[0]*.pingApp[2].destAddr = "host[3]"
**.host[0]*.pingApp[2].startTime = 0.2 s
**.host[0]*.pingApp[2].stopTime = 5.2 s
**.host[0]*.pingApp[3].destAddr = "host[4]"
**.host[0]*.pingApp[3].startTime = 0.3 s
**.host[0]*.pingApp[3].stopTime = 5.3 s
and so on...
How can I create the loop for automatic changes of parameters: startTime, stopTime, destAddr, number of pingApp?
I need to increase startTime and stopTime by 0.1s at every step of one point increase of pingApp number and destAddr.
Help me please!
Thank you!

Answer 1

Actually, every host should have only one Ping Application. To achieve your goal you can use the following settings:
**.host[*].numApps = 1
**.host[*].app[0].typename = "PingApp"
**.host[999].app[0].destAddr = "host[0]"
**.host[*].app[0].destAddr = "host[" + string(parentIndex()+1) + "]"
**.host[*].app[0].startTime = replaceUnit (0.1*(parentIndex()), "s")
**.host[*].app[0].stopTime = replaceUnit (5 + 0.1*(parentIndex()), "s")
The paretnIndex() returns the index of the host in vector of hosts, reference OMNeT++ Manual. For the last node (i.e. host[999]) destAddr is set by hand because parentIndex()+1 will return 1000, and there is no host[1000].
The second NED function - replaceUnit() - is used to add the unit to the result of calculation.

Answer 2

Here is an other quasi solution:
From the PingApp's documentation:
string destAddr = default(""); // destination address(es), separated by spaces, "*" means all IPv4/IPv6 interfaces in entire simulation
Specifying '*' allows pinging ALL configured network interfaces in the
whole simulation. This is useful to check if a host can reach ALL other
hosts in the network (i.e. routing tables were set up properly).
To specify the number of ping requests sent to a single destination address,
use the 'count' parameter. After the specified number of ping requests was
sent to a destination address, the application goes to sleep for 'sleepDuration'.
Once the sleep timer has expired, the application switches to the next destination
and starts pinging again. The application stops pinging once all destination
addresses were tested or the simulation time reaches 'stopTime'.
So if you have only these hosts in the network and you don't mind that in the beginning the host pings itself too, destAddr="*" and count=1

Answer 3

I combined answers of #Rudi and #JerzyD. and got the workable solution:
**.host[0]*.numPingApps = 999
**.host[0]*.pingApp[*].typename = "PingApp"
**.host[0]*.pingApp[*].sendInterval = 1 s
**.host[0]*.pingApp[*].packetSize = 42 B
**.host[0]*.pingApp[0..998].destAddr = "host[" + string(index()+1) + "]"
**.host[0]*.pingApp[0..998].startTime = replaceUnit (0.1 * (index()), "s")
**.host[0]*.pingApp[0..998].stopTime = replaceUnit (5 + 0.1 * (index()), "s")