IDF Editor - New Feature Suggestions

[JasonGlazer]

A number of suggestions for new features for IDF Editor were collected:

• Remember the last viewing setup including full screen vs partial screen, display of all objects or just in-use objects, column widths*
• In existing Search and Replace show the results of the search group by the type of object and allow selecting for everything within a type of object, perhaps show the results in a hierarchical list*
• Allow the decimal separator to be a comma instead of just a period*
• Allow rdd and expidf files with Linux and MacOS line endings to be loaded
• Allow user to specify the screen font size *
• Automatically extend extensible fields
• Provide option to disable validation checks for input fields when parametrics such as jeplus are used
• Allow multiple objects to be deleted at once when more than one is selected the Del Obj is pressed
• Allow a selected range of cells across objects and fields to be deleted at once (see jmarrec below)*
• Allow multiple objects to be duplicated at once
• Make copying and pasting individual cell values easier. Ctrl+C Ctrl+V usually copies and pastes the whole object. In order to change individual values we have to double click and then paste. It would be great if we could do this faster without double clicking like in excel. e.g. if we want to change the lighting power density of multiple lighting objects.*
• Add the ability to compare the differences between two IDFs*
• Enhance the node editor enhanced with a visual aid, such as a drag and drop interactive diagram showing the connections for chillers, boilers, pumps, fans, mixers, splitters, branches branch lists, controllers etc. *
• Add ability to have multiple windows have views on the same file so that scrolling between objects is reduced. This would be like cloning the window in Excel.*
• Add ability to apply sorting order to IDF files to a group of files rather than opening and saving each one individually.
• Add additional save option to not only have object sorted but also the objects within each class are sorted by the object name.
• Add wizard for assembling branches and loops when objects are selected. Create a wizard that would allow components that are not connected to any branches yet to create the branches, branch lists, mixers, splitters, etc.*
• When creating new objects once a name is added automatically name referenced nodes. Would probably need a new slashcode to describe the "suffix" to add to the name of the object for each node that is referenced.
• When name is changed update names of nodes that are similar. Since often the node names referenced in an object are closely related to the name of the object, if the name of a object is changed offer to update the names of nodes based on the revised name. This would be especially useful when an object is copied and the name and node names are the primary editing that is needed.
• Offer to update names in other objects when name is edited. Add option so that when a name gets changed in an original object it can be changed in all objects (or selected objects) that reference that name. *
• Offer to update x,y,z coordinate when matching coordinate is updated in another object. When using IDF Editor to move a wall requires editing the same coordinates multiple times. Add a option to allow other coordinates to be updated when a matching coordinate is updated. *
• Add filter for object names for files with large number of the same objects. When using IDF Editor with a file that contains a very large number of the same objects it would be good to show only objects which names contain certain text so that they can be edited together. Also make sure that "Fill Right" works when filtering is used only on the objects in view. *
• Provide backward/forward command and buttons to move between history of viewed objects.*
• Autosize column widths
• Automatically save time-stamped backups*
• Preserve indenting for EMS programs or provide EMS programming indentation automatically*
• For objects that are lists it would be useful to move the items up and down the list to insert and remove items on the list and not have any blank spaces*
• User comments should be editable*
• Allow for plug-in editors specific for certain kinds of objects or fields*
• Add undo*
• Add hierarchical class list
• Add help file for IDF Editor
• Printing
• Add help menu item that would go directly to URL for IORef documentation for the object being edited*
• Add output variables to the end of the RVI file automatically when additional output variables are added to the IDF*
• Add ability to paste from spreadsheet - see discussion here*
• Add display mode to see commented out objects and add command to change objects to commented out or not commented out.*
• Run script on save - updates a group of files and those are just read only*
• Enhance jumping by nodes (perhaps graphical or a different view replacing class list)*
• Class list is more flexible and has multiple "views" to show other arrangements or relationships of objects*

When working on a specific suggestion, create a new issue and make a pull request off of that specific issue.

[jmarrec]

Jason, being able to delete all selected cells would be nice. For example I want to reset (leave blank) the "Fan Power Ratio Function of Speed Ratio Curve Name" and the "Fan Efficiency Ration Function of Speed Ratio Curve Name" for all 29 of my Fan:OnOff

Selecting all cells and pressing "delete" would be nice.

[JasonGlazer]

As part of #5128 addressed:

• Provide option to disable validation checks for input fields when parametrics such as jeplus are used
• Allow multiple objects to be deleted at once when more than one is selected the Del Obj is pressed
• Allow multiple objects to be duplicated at once

[JasonGlazer]

As part of #6291 addressed:

• When name is changed update names of nodes that are similar. Since often the node names referenced in an object are closely related to the name of the object, if the name of a object is changed offer to update the names of nodes based on the revised name. This would be especially useful when an object is copied and the name and node names are the primary editing that is needed.

But with a slightly different approach. New 'Duplicate Object and Change' menu item under Edit and 'Dup Obj + Chg' toolbar item. This will duplicate the currently selected object and for each field in the object replace any text with new text. The original suggested text for change is based on the name of the object. This is especially useful for HVAC related objects when the node names are based on some of the same text as the name of the object.

[aaron-boranian]

In IDF Editor automatically extend extensible fields

Currently IDF Editor shows a warning of “too many fields” when an IDF file is opened and a specific object has more fields than the number of fields defined in the Energy+.idd file when the object is extensible. Add a feature to automatically extend these fields in the IDF Editor.

Migrated from UserVoice feedback from @JasonGlazer

[mldichter]

IDF Editor greys out currently ignored fields

Many fields in objects are ignored depending on the contents of other fields in the current object. Having ignored fields greyed out based on other field contents would make editing IDFs more straight forward for the user. A simple example is the Fan:SystemModel object, which has a Motor Efficiency field and a Fan Total Efficiency field. For the user to determine which field is being used by first going to the IO Ref,

it's not clear to the user how those fields interact with the other Fan:SystemModel fields. The user can always read up on all the objects fields in the IO Ref, and it's sometimes necessary to read the IDF Editor field documentation as well, but having those ignored fields greyed out would be a lot easier.

Other objects, like many of the Coil:* objects, can have much more complicated field dependencies. Debugging these objects can be difficult because sometimes an empty field to the user is actually in use but with a default value the user is unaware of.

Fan:SystemModel,
  VAV_1_Fan,                          !- Name
  HVACOperationSchd,                  !- Availability Schedule Name
  VAV_1_HeatC -VAV_1_FanNode,         !- Air Inlet Node Name
  VAV_1 Supply Equipment Outlet Node, !- Air Outlet Node Name
  AUTOSIZE,                           !- Design Maximum Air Flow Rate
  Continuous,                         !- Speed Control Method
  0.0,                                !- Electric Power Minimum Flow Rate Fraction
  1017.592,                           !- Design Pressure Rise
  0.93,                               !- Motor Efficiency
  1.0,                                !- Motor In Air Stream Fraction
  AUTOSIZE,                           !- Design Electric Power Consumption
  TotalEfficiencyAndPressure,         !- Design Power Sizing Method
  ,                                   !- Electric Power Per Unit Flow Rate
  ,                                   !- Electric Power Per Unit Flow Rate Per Unit Pressure
  0.6045,                             !- Fan Total Efficiency
  VAV Fan Curve,                      !- Electric Power Function of Flow Fraction Curve Name
  ,                                   !- Night Ventilation Mode Pressure Rise
  ,                                   !- Night Ventilation Mode Flow Fraction
  ,                                   !- Motor Loss Zone Name
  ,                                   !- Motor Loss Radiative Fraction
  Fan Energy;                         !- End-Use Subcategory

[JasonGlazer]

@mldichter this is an great idea that I think would help all users of the IDF Editor but it does require expressing the inter-field dependency relationships in the Energy+.idd/Energy+.schema.epJSON files which they currently do not contain. It would be a significant effort just to figure out all the dependencies for all of the input objects. I think most of these dependencies are probably described in the documentation but some may only be expressed in source code.

[mldichter]

@JasonGlazer There's also inter-object dependencies. The Building object North degrees being used is dependent on the GlobalGeometryRules having a Relative coordinate system.

Yes. This would be quite an effort, but this could be a net saving of time for developers, and users, simply from less unmet hours posts.