Modeler

[JamesPHoughton]

Desired functionality:

Equation Editor

• Model equation editor shouldn't have a bunch of superfluous boxes. Every box on the screen should be something that needs to get filled in - units, bounds, comment, equation.
• Hide all the suggestions - make functions and variable names tab-completable, but not cluttering the dialog.
• Tab-completion of variable names in comment box
• Markdown syntax in comment box, allowing hyperlinks
• Allow multiple equation editors open at the same time
• Right clicking on a variable name gives an option to go to that particular variable's implementation
• Allow user to specify a parameter bound as a relation to other parameters
• Syntax highlighting and parenthesis matching
• Comments in equation box
• Regex units equivalency, with rules such that 'fox' and 'foxes' or 'ant' and 'ants' when typed give a 'should this be equivalent do x' dialog/option. Or, when units check is run, suggest possible fixes this way?
• Think about allowing multiple sets of names for variables - ie, have a long-form name, and then also a greek letter, or something, so that when you write equations in papers that expect equation syntax, you have it. Possibly even generate the LaTeX for the equation using the greek letters...

Model diagrams

• hyperlink syntax for model elements
• search for a model element by name or by comment
• Automatically adjust for print vs presentation views (font size, serifs, etc)
• Write out images of model diagrams with a button-click, to allow updates to the model to be easily reflected in a write-up. Or, include the writeup tools in the editor. Or have a separate view renderer which could be embedded in jupyter notebook...
• Set the attributes of a number of selected items (link polarities, minimum or maximum values, initial conditions, units, etc.)
• Hold (+/-) key while adding a link to polarize the link.
• Instead of vensim's 'hide depth', have photoshop-like 'layers' that can act as containers for different model elements, and can be switched on and off.
• Be able to group model elements and move/arrange the groups.

units checker

• a unit error is identified in an equation. Show a model-diagram-like interface with what is on the left and what is on the right hand side of the equals sign, with all the upstream variables. Then show the units for each variable independently, so that you can go through them one at a time and mark the correct ones, eliminating them one at a time, until you find the variable that is incorrect, or that the equation itself is incorrect.

[JamesPHoughton]

Possibly build as an extension/plugin to Atom in order to take advantage of text completion, syntax highlighting, robust refactoring, git integration, and other functionality.

[JamesPHoughton]

Separate model editing from simulation. Ie, build a front end in javascript, in which you can add boxes and lines and equations, and then give it an api to interface with PySD or SDeverywhere or SD.JS backend as an engine.

[JamesPHoughton]

Have a table interface for editing min, max, increment, current values of variables