initHistory: Create Structures for a New History Widget

In PBSmodelling: GUI Tools Made Easy: Interact with Models and Explore Data

Create Structures for a New History Widget

Description

PBS history functions (below) are available to those who would like to use the package's history functionality, without using the pre-defined history widget. These functions allow users to create customized history widgets.

Usage

initHistory(hisname, indexname=NULL, sizename=NULL,
    buttonnames=NULL, modename=NULL, func=NULL, overwrite=TRUE)
rmHistory(hisname="", index="")
addHistory(hisname="")
forwHistory(hisname="")
backHistory(hisname="")
lastHistory(hisname="")
firstHistory(hisname="")
jumpHistory(hisname="", index="")
clearHistory(hisname="")

Arguments

hisname	name of the history "list" to manipulate. If it is omitted, the function uses the value of getWinAct()[1] as the history name. This allows the calling of functions directly from the window description file (except initHistory, which must be called before createWin()).
indexname	name of the index entry widget in the window description file. If NULL, then the current index feature will be disabled.
sizename	name of the current size entry widget. If NULL, then the current size feature will be disabled.
buttonnames	named list of names of the first, prev, next, and last buttons. If NULL, then the buttons are not disabled ever
modename	name of the radio widgets used to change addHistory\'s mode. If NULL, then the default mode will be to insert after the current index.
index	index to the history item. The default ("") causes the value to be extracted from the widget identified by indexname.
func	name of user supplied function to call when viewing history items.
overwrite	if TRUE, history (matching hisname) will be cleared. Otherwise, the imported history will be merged with the current one.

Details

PBS Modelling includes a pre-built history widget designed to collect interesting choices of GUI variables so that they can be redisplayed later, rather like a slide show.

Normally, a user would invoke a history widget simply by including a reference to it in the window description file. However, PBS Modelling includes support functions (above) for customized applications.

To create a customized history, each button must be described separately in the window description file rather than making reference to the history widget.

The history "List" must be initialized before any other functions may be called. The use of a unique history name (hisname) is used to associate a unique history session with the supporting functions.

The indexname and sizename arguments correspond to the given names of entry widgets in the window description file, which will be used to display the current index and total size of the list. The indexname entry widget can also be used by jumpHistory to retrieve a target index.

Author(s)

Alex Couture-Beil, Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo BC

See Also

importHistory, exportHistory

Examples

## Not run: 
# ****** THIS CODE DOES NOT RUN. NEEDS FIXING *****
# Example of creating a custom history widget that saves values 
# whenever the "Plot" button is pressed. The user can tweak the 
# inputs "a", "b", and "points" before each "Plot" and see the 
# "Index" increase. After sufficient archiving, the user can review 
# scenarios using the "Back" and "Next" buttons. 
# A custom history is needed to achieve this functionality since 
# the packages pre-defined history widget does not update plots.

# To start, create a Window Description to be used with createWin 
# using astext=TRUE. P.S. Watch out for special characters which 
# must be "escaped" twice (first for R, then PBSmodelling).

local(envir=.PBSmodEnv,expr={
  oldpar = par(no.readonly=TRUE)

winDesc <- '
  window title="Custom History"
  vector names="a b k" labels="a b points" font="bold" \\
  values="1 1 1000" function=myPlot
  grid 1 3
    button function=myHistoryBack text="<- Back"
    button function=myPlot text="Plot"
    button function=myHistoryForw text="Next ->"
  grid 2 2
    label "Index"
    entry name="myHistoryIndex" width=5
    label "Size"
    entry name="myHistorySize" width=5
'
# Convert text to vector with each line represented as a new element
winDesc <- strsplit(winDesc, "\n")[[1]]

# Custom functions to update plots after restoring history values
myHistoryBack <- function() {
  backHistory("myHistory");
  myPlot(saveVal=FALSE); # show the plot with saved values
}
myHistoryForw <- function() {
  forwHistory("myHistory");
  myPlot(saveVal=FALSE); # show the plot with saved values 
}
myPlot <- function(saveVal=TRUE) {
  # save all data whenever plot is called (directly)
  if (saveVal) addHistory("myHistory");
  getWinVal(scope="L");
  tt <- 2*pi*(0:k)/k;
  x <- (1+sin(a*tt));  y <- cos(tt)*(1+sin(b*tt));
  plot(x, y);
}
  iHistory("myHistory", "myHistoryIndex", "myHistorySize")
  createWin(winDesc, astext=TRUE)
  par(oldpar)
})

## End(Not run)

PBSmodelling documentation built on Nov. 9, 2023, 5:07 p.m.