Summary of improvements for OMEdit GUI usability

[Francesco Casella]

This ticket is meant to collect and prioritize the improvements that need to be done to the OMEdit GUI in order to make it usable with the MSL and with most modern Modelica 3.2r2 compliant libraries. Each item is covered by a specific ticket.

Short-term urgent improvements

• #3054 Clarify "Revert from previous" button

• #2908 Changes in sub-models should be reflected in models using them immediately, not only when changes to the latter models are made.

• #2081 Conditional connectors should be displayed correctly. This feature is used extensively in the Modelica.Mechanics and Modelica.Electrical libraries. It requires that the API functions return the correct visibility attribute.

• #2906 Drop-down choices for enumeration (and possibly boolean) parameters

• #2079 Replaceable classes and replaceable objects (e.g. the Medium package in all Modelica.Fluid models, or the HeatTransfer model in the Modelica.Fluid.Vessels.ClosedVolume) should show up in the parameter window, with a drop-down menu filled in based on the choices or choicesAllMatching annotations. Once a specific choice is made, it should be possible to change the parameters and/or replaceable classes/models of the redeclared model/component, e.g. by clicking on a button. This feature is essential for the Modelica.Fluid library, as well as for many user libraries such as ThermoPower. Requires new API functions and some additional work on OMEdit.

• #2845 Consistent view between textual view and library browser view of packages should be always guaranteed. Requires to update the views in OMEdit whenever the focus is changed between the different sub-windows.

• #2391 Improved handling of custom modifers (e.g. start attributes) from the GUI. Modifers, once applied, should still show up when the parameter window is re-opened later.

• #2390 Fully support the showStartAttribute annotation, which is widely used in Modelica.Mechanics.

• #2190 Copy class feature within the same package.

• #2903 Add option to output protected variables to simulation setup window, output tag.

• #2477 Better snap-to-grid features when using blocks from the MSL

• #2506 Keep connecting lines manhattanized and allow no-nonsense editing of models copied from the MSL (e.g. it should be possible to move one component without weird side-effects on the diagram)

• #2611 Zoom issue should be fixed.

• #2988 Zoom In/Out with MouseWheel.

• #2392 Show default values differently in the Component Parameters window.

• #2956 Moving a complete model disassembles everything

• #2960 Speed up the exploration of the package tree and the drag-n-drop actions.

• #2596 Re-simulate with changed options. Currently if we want to make a new simulation with different simulations options, e.g. a different final time we have to re-build the whole executable, that is a waste of time.

• #2985 Updating submodel icons where they are used. This ticket is not really urgent. But it is related to #2908, that has already been fixed, so fixing this one is sort of completion of the job. In case it is difficult to fix it could be postponed.

• #1900 Handle connections to expandable connectors in OMEdit

• #3287 Allow input of common parameters and replaceable classes in a multiple component selection

• #2250 Support DisplayUnit and unit conversion for parameter input in OMEdit

• #3558: Flip icons with text boxes correctly

Medium-term recommended improvements

• #2676 Handle models in separate files

• #2905 Comment- and formatting-preserving parsing and unparsing is required to avoid that OMEdit scrambles up the code of existing Modelica classes when saving them on file.

• #2891 Hierarchical editing of systems for graphical modification of parameter and replaceable models. Requires substantial work to implement some API function, as well as in OMEdit to display the information properly.

• #2892 Undo/Redo feature in the Diagram view of the model editor.

• #2190 Copy class to a different package.

• #2166 See exact simulation values through snap to curve feature

• #2696: Display enhancement of very large and very small numbers on vertical axis

[Lennart Ochel]

I would like to mention #2395 - Support connectorSizing annotation.

[massimo ceraolo]

I've always been a strong supporter of OMEdit GUI improvements.

I understand that if the list gets too long it would become difficult to satisfy all the items.
Therefore I add here only possible improvements that I strongly recommend and that have already appeared in tickets:

• snap to grid connecting wires (ticket #2477)
• keep connecting lines manhattanized (ticket #2506)
• make dymola-created diagrams manageable (comment from Kokert to ticket #2506). In fact when one opens Dymola diagrams in OMEdit they seem ok. But as soon as one moves an icon everything gets messed up
• zoom issue (ticket #2611)

[massimo ceraolo]

Replying to ceraolo:

After a year I can state that all the issues quoted in this comment have been solved:
a great work has been done! Thanks to all developers.

I know that OMEdit is currently under heavy development, so much more is coming. This will make OM and OMEdit even more usable.
I already use it for a one-semester course at my University and will keep doing this.

[Francesco Casella]

Note that there are 14 more fixes ready on Adeel's development branch, they just need a few updates on the front end to be committed to the master version.