diff --git a/Inst_eddies/inst_eddies_in.py b/Inst_eddies/inst_eddies_in.py
index df0ec4ebd52315fe78bd709f471174a8ca507dcc..fadb864fccb59eb78f78f769596910eedab33091 100755
--- a/Inst_eddies/inst_eddies_in.py
+++ b/Inst_eddies/inst_eddies_in.py
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
 
-"""We are assuming that all input NetCDF files are in the same
-directory and that the time coordinate is in days since 1950-1-1."""
 
 import argparse
 import datetime
@@ -18,13 +16,9 @@ import time
 import csv
 
 argparser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
-argparser.add_argument("first_file",
+argparser.add_argument("file", nargs = "+",
                        help = "NetCDF file containing SSH and velocity at a "
                        "single date")
-argparser.add_argument("--template",
-                       help = "template of basename with date format, only "
-                       "used for several dates")
-argparser.add_argument("-l", "--last_date", help = "%%Y-%%m-%%d")
 argparser.add_argument("-b", "--bbox", nargs=4, type = float,
                        metavar = ("xmin", "xmax", "ymin", "ymax"))
 args = argparser.parse_args()
@@ -33,26 +27,15 @@ inst_eddies_exe = "@CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR@/inst_eddies"
 if not os.access(inst_eddies_exe, os.X_OK):
     sys.exit(inst_eddies_exe + " not found or not executable")
 
-# Get the first date from the time coordinate in the NetCDF file:
-with netCDF4.Dataset(args.first_file) as f:
-    my_date = f["time"][:].item()
-
-my_date = round(my_date)
-my_date = datetime.date(1950, 1, 1) + datetime.timedelta(my_date)
-#--
+if os.access("main_nml.txt", os.R_OK):
+    print("Will use main_nml.txt.")
+else:
+    sys.exit('"main_nml.txt" not found')
 
-dirname = path.dirname(args.first_file)
-nc_file = args.first_file
+d = input("Enter first date (integer value):")
+d = int(d)
 nco_instance = nco.Nco()
 
-if args.last_date:
-    last_date = parser.parse(args.last_date).date()
-    
-    if last_date > my_date and not args.template:
-        sys.exit("template option required for several dates")
-else:
-    last_date = my_date
-
 for orient in ["cyclo", "anti"]:
     if os.access(f"SHPC_{orient}", os.F_OK): shutil.rmtree(f"SHPC_{orient}")
     os.mkdir(f"SHPC_{orient}")
@@ -61,8 +44,8 @@ perf_report = open("perf_report.csv", "w", newline='')
 writer = csv.writer(perf_report, lineterminator = "\n")
 writer.writerow(["date", "elapsed NCO", "elapsed Fortran"])
         
-while True:
-    print("inst_eddies.py: Date:", my_date)
+for nc_file in args.file:
+    print("inst_eddies.py: Date:", d)
 
     if os.access(nc_file, os.F_OK):
         my_pc = time.perf_counter()
@@ -80,11 +63,12 @@ while True:
         os.symlink("unpacked.nc", "uv.nc")
         elapsed_NCO = time.perf_counter() - my_pc
         my_pc = time.perf_counter()
-        subprocess.run(inst_eddies_exe, check = True)
+        subprocess.run(inst_eddies_exe, check = True, input = str(d) + "\n",
+                       text = True)
         elapsed_Fortran = time.perf_counter() - my_pc
         os.remove("h.nc")
         os.remove("uv.nc")
-        writer.writerow([my_date, elapsed_NCO, elapsed_Fortran])
+        writer.writerow([d, elapsed_NCO, elapsed_Fortran])
     else:
         print("inst_eddies.py: Missing file:", nc_file)
 
@@ -94,10 +78,7 @@ while True:
                 n_shapes = len(shpr)
                 ishape_last.write(str(n_shapes - 1) + "\n")
 
-    my_date += datetime.timedelta(1)
-    if my_date > last_date: break
-    basename = my_date.strftime(args.template)
-    nc_file = path.join(dirname, basename)
+    d += 1
 
 perf_report.close()
 os.remove("unpacked.nc")