1 Creating new models

By the end of this page you will be able to:


Find your way around PhixFlow

When you first open your PhixFlow training instance, you will see a list of available applications in the central canvas. The area on the right is the Repository which displays all the applications and associated objects available in PhixFlow.



When you create your first analysis model, PhixFlow opens a modelling window. To start adding modelling objects, drag them from the toolbar, for example:

Save models and modelling objects

When you are modelling data in PhixFlow, you will be making changes:

  • to a model, the objects it includes and its layout.
  • to settings for the model itself, or to settings for its objects. Use one of the toolbar icons at the top of the settings tab:
    •  Apply to save your changes but keep the settings tab open.
    •  Apply and Close to save your changes and close the settings tab.

When you save the settings, also remember to save the model. Click  Save on the context toolbar to save the model.

Work in an Application

All work will be carried out in the Analysis Training Application. In here you will find all the resources for this course.

  1. From the list of applications shown when you login, double click on Analysis Training.
  2. The application will open and its home screen will be displayed. 

To see the list of applications available to you, click the 9 dots in the top left hand corner of PhixFlow.

Create and open a new model

  1. From the Home screen, select Analysis and in the window that opens click Add New.

    1. To open an existing model simply double-click on it.

  2. In the Create Analysis Model box set:

    1. Name: Introduction to Modelling

  3. Click Create.
  4. In the white workspace on the left, PhixFlow opens a new empty model.

Add objects to your model

You can have multiple models open and each will be displayed on their own tab above the toolbar. When a model is open, PhixFlow displays the model name and its toolbar. Drag modelling objects from the toolbar to add them to your model.

To drag a modelling object into your model:

  1. Hover your mouse over  Tables in the toolbar to show the list of Table options.
  2. Click and hold  Calculate.
  3. Drag the table onto the model.
  4. Then drop the table. 

To move any object in a model, simply click, drag, then drop the icon in a new location.

When you have multiple objects in your model, hold Ctrl on your keyboard while selecting the objects, then use the Align tool to arrange them:

 

Objects on Multiple Models

Tables, and other analysis objects such as file collectors, can exit on more that one model. Edits in one of the models will impact the same table in all other models. Therefore the models can be thought of as a view of a set of objects.  The benefit of this is we do not need to duplicate tables or objects.

Change object settings

When you drop an object into the model, on the right PhixFlow opens a settings tab.

  1. In the Table settings → Basic Settings, set:
    NamePractice Table
  2. Click  Apply and Close to save and close the settings tab.
  3. PhixFlow updates the Table icon in your model to display the name Practice Table.
  4. Now save your model. Click  Save in the toolbar.

Undo a change to a model

Sometimes you may make a change to a model that you do not want to keep.

  1. In your model, drag the table to a different location.
  2. Without saving, click  Refresh in the toolbar.
  3. Notice that the model returns to its previously saved layout.

Move the canvas

Sometimes objects on the canvas may not fit on your screen. When this happens, the  button will appear. 

  1. Click the  button to view the canvas in the direction of the arrow pointer.
  2. Alternatively, hold shift while clicking and dragging anywhere on the canvas to manually move the canvas.