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An analysis model view shows a picture of an analysis model, or part of an analysis model.

Model views can include datasources, database collector, file collector, streams, alarm generators, database exporters, file exporters and FTP sites.

Model views can be saved, or built on request.

Form:  Model view details

The model view details form appears when you:

  • Add a new model: right click on Analysis Models in the repository browser and select Image Removed Add Analysis Model
  • Open details for an existing model: select a model view in the repository browser and select Display

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Form Icons

The form provides the standard form icons.

Form: Model View Pane

The model view pane can be opened by right-clicking on an existing model in the repository browser and selecting Image Removed Display.

Add new objects

You can drag any object from the menu bar of a model view onto the modelling pane. This will create a new object of this type. See the list of object types under Form Icons.

Drag on existing objects

You can drag objects that have already been created onto a model view pane. For example, if you want to include a stream, open the list of streams in the repository browser, select the stream and drag it onto the pane. Similarly, objects can be added from the list of datasources, file collectors, database collectors, alarm generators, file exporters, database exporters and FTP sites.

When you drag an object onto an model view in this way, if this it linked (via one or more pipes) to other objects on the view, PhixFlow will draw in the links.

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Form Icons

The form provides the standard form icons as well as the following:This page is for data modellers who are new to using PhixFlow. It provides an introduction to using the modelling window.

Opening a Model Window

PhixFlow opens a model window when you:

  • add a new model.  In the repository, right-click on Analysis Models and select 
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    _add
    _add
    nopaneltrue
    .
  • display an existing model. In the repository, double-click on an analysis model's name to open its properties. In the properties toolbar, click the 
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    _model_display
    _model_display
    nopaneltrue
     button to display its model window in the workspace.

The model window shows a picture of either all or part of an analysis model.

Model Properties

In addition to the Common Properties, analysis models have a Name; see Analysis Model. They do not have any other properties, as all their content is in the model itself.

Modelling Objects

The toolbar at the top of a model window includes icons for the different objects that you can add to the model. The types of modelling object are:

Drag an object from the toolbar into the model to add new object of this type. For information about the object icons, see Modelling Window Toolbar Icons, below.

You can also drag in existing modelling objects from the repository. For example, to add an existing stream:

  1. Open the repository → Streams branch and find the stream.
  2. Drag the stream into the model.

Objects in models must be connected by pipes. Hover your mouse pointer over an object to display the popup toolbar and add a 

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_pipe
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 to connect two objects.

Usually you add modelling objects that belong to the same application. However, PhixFlow can share modelling objects between applications. When you drag in a modelling object from a different application, PhixFlow adds a small application icon to the top left of the object's icon.

When you make changes to a model, remember to save your changes by clicking the 

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 button in the model window toolbar. 

Model Window Toolbar Icons

The default mode for the cursor in the model pane window is select. Pressing this button sets the mode to drag. Alternatively, while in select mode, keep the Ctrl key pressed on your keyboard, and with the left mouse button pressed move the pointer.

If you are in drag mode, pressing this button puts you back into select mode (the default mode when you open a new Analysis Model View panemodel window). While in select mode, keeping the left mouse button pressed and dragging over an area of the panewindow, you can select several items in the model. Press the Alt key on your keyboard to include Pipes in the selection.

Organise selected objects in a grid.

Align all selected objects left.

Align all selected objects right.

Align all selected objects to top.

Align all selected objects to bottom.

Distribute all selected objects horizontally.

Distribute all selected objects vertically.

Object Types

Add a new Datasource to the Analysis Model.

Add a new FTP Site to the Analysis Model.

Add a new HTTP Datasource to the Analysis Model.

Add a new Database Collector to the Analysis Model.

Add a new File Collector to the Analysis Model.

Add a new HTTP Collector to the Analysis Model.

Add a new Database Exporter to the Analysis Model.

Add a new File Exporter to the Analysis Model.

Add a new HTTP Exporter to the Analysis Model.

Add a new Stream with function Aggregate to the Analysis Model.

Add a new Stream with function Calculate to the Analysis Model.

Add a new Stream with function Calculate By Set to the Analysis Model.

Add a new Stream with function Cartesian to the Analysis Model.

Add a new Stream with function Merge to the Analysis Model.

Show model details

Image Removed

Zoom in to the model view

Image Removed

Zoom out of the model view

Hover Menu

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Modelling Object Pop-up Toolbar

In the model, hover your mouse pointer over any object to display a pop-up toolbar. The pop-up toolbar some of the same buttons that appear in the menu bar, described above. It also provides the following buttons:

Make this object static.

/

Disable/ enable this object.

Bring up a list of attributes for the object. Attributes can be selected from this list and dragged into an attribute list window for another object, so this is useful when building new objects in the model.

Show the list of views configured on this object.

Show the list of Stream Sets for this object. This brings up the Stream Set viewer.

Bring into the pane model all objects in the model that are inputs to this object.

Bring into the pane model all objects in the model that are outputs of this object.

Run the Analysis Engine analysis process on this object. All objects required to build the object selected will be run, but only these objects; so this may run Analysis . This means PhixFlow may:

  • run analysis on objects that are not in the
pane, and Analysis may not be run
  • model
  • not run analysis on some of the objects that are in the
pane
  • model.

Remove Erase this object from the Analysis Model View panemodel. This does not delete the object from the underlying model in PhixFlow.

Right click menu

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object still exists in the repository, and it's data is available to any other object that refers to it.

Modelling Object Context Menu

Right-click on a modelling object to display its context menu. This includes many of the same options as in the menu bar or the hover menu. A few pop-up toolbar. Some addition options are also available:

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Context Menu OptionDescription
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_object_copy
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nopaneltrue
Create a copy of the object.
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_object_add_input_stream
_object

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_add_input_stream
nopaneltrue
Add a new stream with a pipe that connects into the selected object.
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_object_predecessors
_object_predecessors
nopaneltrue
Add all objects that are used to build this object in the underlying model

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.
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_object_successors
_object_successors
nopaneltrue
Add all objects that use this object in the underlying model

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.

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_stream_rollback
_stream_rollback
nopaneltrue
 Stream

Rollback data in the

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stream. This

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opens the Rollback form.

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nopaneltrue

Permanently

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delete the object from the underlying model in PhixFlow. This removes the object from PhixFlow completely

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.

Only do this if you are certain that you never want to use this object again.

Model

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Window Context Menu

If you right Right-click anywhere on the modelling pane a model window to display the context menu will appear.:

  • Rollback Selected Objects: Rollback the data in the currently selected Streams and Alarm Generators
  • Copy Selected Objects: Create copies of the currently selected objects
  • Delete Selected Objects: Delete selected objects
  • Enable Selected Objects: Enable selected objects
  • Disable Selected Objects: Disable selected objects
  • Switch The Static Flag On In The Selected Objects: Switch the 'static' flag on in the currently selected Streams and Pipes
  • Switch The Static Flag Off In The Selected Objects: Switch the 'static' flag off in the currently selected Streams and Pipes

Moving a Model Window

As models get bigger, you may find that model window only shows part of the model. If part of the model is off-screen, PhixFlow will display arrows:

Image Added Image Added Image Added Image Added

Use the arrows to move the model window to show different parts of the model. Alternatively, you can drag the model around in the model window.

Keyboard support

If you are in select mode Image Added, there are keyboard commands available:

  • Ctrl: Switch
    • either switch to drag mode (move the pointer with the left mouse button pressed)
    / Select
    • or select multiple items (click left mouse button on items).
  • Alt: Include pipes in selection.

See Also