I have linked many parameters in my model to values in the internal ModelDatabase. This works great.
Now I want to allow the user to import a new "Input File" for a specific scenario. I have added a fileChooser element on the Simulation Experiment screen and in the onUpload action I use the ModelDatabase.importFromExternalDB to upload the relevant sheet to the relevant table.
However, this does not seem to work. Initially I thought that the update simply did not happen but when I stop the model in the AnyLogic IDE and start it again in the IDE, the new values are used.
It appears as if the update only happens on startup/close and that the database is "static" while running. I did set the auto-commit parameter to true on the importFromExternalDB function, but this made no difference.
Is there a function I can call to force a "refresh" of the internal database?
You probably load the data at runtime using the default code such as selectFrom("some String with query")
However, these always load from the cached dbase to speed things up.
Instead, you must force AnyLogic to load from the live dbase using an additional argument. In this example, it would be selectFrom(false, "some String query")
This is also documented in the help:
So go through all queries in your model and add the appropriate boolean arg to force-load from the non-cached dbase.
Related
the basic idea behind the modeling issue is a breakdown of a production machine.
I would like to model this by setting the arrival rate (simply arrivals per second) to zero (Source.rate = 0). After the machine is repaired, the arrival rate is set to its actual value again (e.g., Source.rate = 5). While the first command does the job, the second does not seem to have any effect, i.e. new agents are not created.
The segment of the model is rather simple: Source --> Select Output (decision about breakdown) --> true: go on in production; false: delay (repair machine) --> go on in production.
Source.rate = 0 is called at the out port (false) of "breakdown" and Source.rate = 5 at the out port of "repair".
https://i.stack.imgur.com/hqGoI.png
Of cause, this issue might be modeled differently (e.g., using hold with disabled "forced pushing"), however, it is not clear for me why my approach does not work.
Thanks in advance!
Instead of using source.rate=5; use source.set_rate(5);
To expand on Felipe's answer with an explanation:
Instead of using source.rate=5; use source.set_rate(5);
rate is effectively a Parameter (in the AnyLogic sense) of the Source block. (All AnyLogic's Process Modeling blocks are actually themselves Agents developed by AnyLogic, and thus with Parameters, Variables, etc.)
You can set an AnyLogic Parameter directly (via just assigning a value as you did), but they also all have a set_<parameter name> method (function) which should really always be used instead because this triggers any internal on-change logic for this Parameter. It is only this triggered logic (internal to the Source block) which causes the Source to 're-evaluate' the rate properly.
(You can use on-change logic for Parameters in your own models, and need to do so when altering a parameter requires some 'adjustments' to the rest of the model; i.e., in situations where the change doesn't 'just work' due to other bits of the model reading the new value after the change point.)
I don't know why your model doesn't work (maybe more details of your model is needed), but a simple solution which I tested and worked, is as below:
You can set the source's "Type of arrival" to "calls of inject() function", add an event to your model and set its "Trigger type" to "Rate" and set its rate value to 5. Then in action code of the event use below code:
if(yourCondition)
{
source.inject(1);
}
I hope it helps you.
I have a script that performs a bunch of experiments on different datasets, below is part of the logic to determine whether a dataset needs to be loaded. Basically we load the dataset if there is none already loaded, or if the currently loaded one doesn't match the one we need by name.
This example crashes with the error The class dataset has no property or method named 'name' at the if statement (the class does in fact have this property):
if(~exist('dataset','var')||~strcmp(dataset.name,datasets{datai}.id))
loaded=load(datasets{datai}.filename);
dataset=loaded.dataset;
end
If I debug and stop at the line, I can access dataset.name in the debugger without performing any further actions. I don't think the reason is the dataset object not existing. In the loop I ran, the first dataset was correctly loaded, but the second one (where the name check comes into play) wasn't.
This rewriting works:
if(~exist('dataset','var')||~strcmp(nom,datasets{datai}.id))
loaded=load(datasets{datai}.filename);
dataset=loaded.dataset;
nom=dataset.name;
end
Why was I able to access dataset.name in the debugger, and why does the rewriting fix the issue?
We are developing an ABM under AnyLogic 7 and are at the point where we want to make multiple simulations from a single experiment. Different parameters are to be set for each simulation run so as to generate results for a small suite of standard scenarios.
We have an experiment that auto-starts without the need to press the "Run". Subsequent pressing of the Run does increment the experiment counter and reruns the model.
What we'd like is a way to have the auto-run, or single press of Run, launch a loop of simulations. Within that loop would be the programmatic adjustment of the variables linked to passed parameters.
EDIT- One wrinkle is that some parameters are strings. The Optimization or Parameter Variation experiments don't lend themselves to enumerating a set of strings to be be used across a set of simulation runs. You can set a string per parameter for all the simulation runs within one experiment.
We've used the help sample for "Running a Model from Outside Without Presentation Window", to add the auto-run capability to the initial experiment setup block of code. A method to wait for Run 0 to complete, then dispatch Run 1, 2, etc, is needed.
Pointers to tutorial models with such features, or to a snip of code for the experiment's java blocks are much appreciated.
maybe I don't understand your need but this certainly sounds like you'd want to use a "Parameter Variation" experiment. You can specify which parameters should be varied in which steps and running the experiment automatically starts as many simulation runs as needed, all without animation.
hope that helps
As you, I was confronted to this problem. My aim was to use parameter variation with a model and variation were on non numeric data, and I knew the number of runs to start.
Then i succeed in this task with the help of Custom Variation.
Firstly I build an experiment typed as 'multiple run', create my GUI (user was able to select the string values used in each run.
Then, I create a new java class which inherit from the previous 'multiple run' experiment,
In this class (called MyMultipleRunClass) was present:
- overload of the getMaximumIterations method from default experiment to provide to default anylogic callback the correct number of iteration, and idnex was also used to retrieve my parameter value from array,
- implementation of the static method start,
public static void start() {
prepareBeforeExperimentStart_xjal( MyMultipleRunClass.class);
MyMultipleRunClass ex = new MyMultipleRunClass();
ex.setCommandLuneArguments_xjal(null);
ex.setup(null);
}
Then the experiment to run is the 'empty' customExperiment, which automatically start the other Multiple run experiment thru the presented subclass.
Maybe it exists shortest path, but from my point of view anylogic is correctly used (no trick with non exposed interface) and it works as expected.
I have a series of ToFile blocks in my Simulink model that each have a unique filename (e.g. "Pulse.mat". I want to store the results of my simulation in timestamped folders based roughly on when I hit the run button / use the sim command.
My solution was to write two scripts, one called during the InitFcn callback and one for the StopFcn/CloseFcn callback (and PreSaveFcn callback).
The InitFcn callback would find all ToFile blocks and change the filename from "Pulse.mat" to something like "../runs//Pulse.mat", and the StopFcn/CloseFcn/PreSaveFcn to revert them to their original ".mat" names. This worked on my small test model, however when I attempted to integrate it into my actual model I receive the following error:
Error evaluating 'StopFcn' callback of block_diagram '<model_name>'.
Caused by:
Cannot change parameter 'Filename' of '<ToFile Block>' while simulation is running. The block was made virtual as it was optimized for simulation
From my research I discovered that the StopFcn actually executes before the simulation is "done" (for whatever reason), but why did it work in my initial test model? Do my ToFile blocks in my actual model have some property set that causes this error to occur?
The block has been virtualised in your larger model; which seems to be changing the execution point. One option might be to untick 'Block Reduction' in the 'Optimisation' pane of the model configuration parameters dialogue.
Alternatively, there might be another approach that you could try -
Setting the model properties 'StartFcn' to something like :
evalin('base','resultTimTag = datestr(clock, ''yyyymmdd_HHhMM'');')
and setting the model properties 'StopFcn' to :
targetDir = evalin('base','resultTimTag');
mkdir(targetDir);
outputs = dir('*.mat');
for i=1:length(outputs)
movefile(outputs(i).name,targetDir);
end
evalin('base','clear resultTimeTag');
It's possibly a little more brute-force than your approach, but seems to work quite nicely...
I run into this regularly, and am just looking for best practice/approach. I have a database / datamodule-containing app, and want to fire up the database/datasets on startup w/o having "active at runtime" set to true at design time (database location varies). Also run a web "check for updates" routine when the app starts up.
Given TForm event sequences, and results from various trial and error, I'm currently using this approach:
I use a "Globals" record set up in the main form to store all global vars, have one element of that called Globals.AppInitialized (boolean), and set it to False in the Initialization section of the main form.
At the main form's OnShow event (all forms are created by then), I test Globals.AppInitialized; if it's false, I run my "Initialization" stuff, and then finish by setting Globals.AppInitialized := True.
This seems to work pretty well, but is it the best approach? Looking for insight from others' experience, ideas and opinions. TIA..
I generally always turn off auto creation of all forms EXCEPT for the main form and possibly the primary datamodule.
One trick that I learned you can do, is add your datamodule to your project, allow it to auto-create and create BEFORE your main form. Then, when your main form is created, the onCreate for the datamodule will have already been run.
If your application has some code to say, set the focus of a control (something you can't do on creation, since its "not visible yet") then create a user message and post it to the form in your oncreate. The message SHOULD (no guarantee) be processed as soon as the forms message loop is processed. For example:
const
wm_AppStarted = wm_User + 101;
type
Form1 = class(tForm)
:
procedure wmAppStarted(var Msg:tMessage); message wm_AppStarted;
end;
// in your oncreate event add the following, which should result in your wmAppStarted event firing.
PostMessage(handle,wm_AppStarted,0,0);
I can't think of a single time that this message was never processed, but the nature of the call is that it is added to the message queue, and if the queue is full then it is "dropped". Just be aware that edge case exists.
You may want to directly interfere with the project source (.dpr file) after the form creation calls and before the Application.Run. (Or even earlier in case.)
This is how I usually handle such initialization stuff:
...
Application.CreateForm(TMainForm, MainForm);
...
MainForm.ApplicationLoaded; // loads options, etc..
Application.Run;
...
I don't know if this is helpful, but some of my applications don't have any form auto created, i.e. they have no mainform in the IDE.
The first form created with the Application object as its owner will automatically become the mainform. Thus I only autocreate one datamodule as a loader and let this one decide which datamodules to create when and which forms to create in what order. This datamodule has a StartUp and ShutDown method, which are called as "brackets" around Application.Run in the dpr. The ShutDown method gives a little more control over the shutdown process.
This can be useful when you have designed different "mainforms" for different use cases of your application or you can use some configuration files to select different mainforms.
There actually isn't such a concept as a "global variable" in Delphi. All variables are scoped to the unit they are in and other units that use that unit.
Just make the AppInitialized and Initialization stuff as part of your data module. Basically have one class (or datamodule) to rule all your non-UI stuff (kind of like the One-Ring, except not all evil and such.)
Alternatively you can:
Call it from your splash screen.
Do it during log in
Run the "check for update" in a background thread - don't force them to update right now. Do it kind of like Firefox does.
I'm not sure I understand why you need the global variables? Nowadays I write ALL my Delphi apps without a single global variable. Even when I did use them, I never had more than a couple per application.
So maybe you need to first think why you actually need them.
I use a primary Data Module to check if the DB connection is OK and if it doesn't, show a custom component form to setup the db connection and then loads the main form:
Application.CreateForm(TDmMain, DmMain);
if DmMain.isDBConnected then
begin
Application.CreateForm(TDmVisualUtils, DmVisualUtils);
Application.CreateForm(TfrmMain, frmMain);
end;
Application.Run;
One trick I use is to place a TTimer on the main form, set the time to something like 300ms, and perform any initialization (db login, network file copies, etc). Starting the application brings up the main form immediately and allows any initialization 'stuff' to happen. Users don't startup multiple instances thinking "Oh..I didn't dbl-click...I'll do it again.."