code: def _read_sample_names(fname):
      
      try:
          with open(fname, 'r') as infile:
              subsamples = [x.split()[0] for x in infile.readlines() if x.strip()]
  
      except Exception as inst:
          print("Failed to read input file with sample names.\n{}".format(inst))
          raise inst
  
      return subsamples
docs: Read in sample names from a plain text file. This is a convenience
      function for branching so if you have tons of sample names you can
      pass in a file rather than having to set all the names at the command
      line.