News in 1.4.0

Sympathy for Data version 1.4.0 offers support for Python 3, improved responsiveness and several new features such a Flow overview window, a popup dialog for adding nodes and an improved library filter with highlighting of matches.

Many small improvements were made to the standard node library, for example, exporter plugins preview the filenames automatically.

Nodes and flows from 1.3.0 should be compatible with 1.4.0.

Node/plugin changes:

  • “Table Search and Replace” has been replaced with Replace values in Table with Table.

  • Old Matlab nodes have been replaced with new ones, which are using the new MATLAB API.

  • A bug which prevented all markers being used in the Figure nodes has been resolved.

  • TimeSync ADAF can now use both integer and float time bases and propagates basis unit.

  • Filter ADAFs filter column can be selected from a dropdown list instead of being hardcoded.

  • Workflow examples have been added for (almost) all library nodes.

  • Improved performance of Interpolate ADAF(s).

  • Future imports in Calculator and other code input. This changes the meaning of the operator / to always mean “true division”. To get floor division use the operator //. Literal strings will also be interpreted differently. The syntax 'text' will now produce a text object (str in python 3, unicode in python 2). Use the syntax b'binary' to produce a binary object (bytes in python 3, str in python 2).

  • Preview button have been removed and preview handling have been updated for all export/import nodes.

  • Node Export Texts can now use dynamic file extensions.

  • Many obsolete nodes have been deprecated and are due for removal in the next major version, 1.5.0. To see if your flows contain any of these nodes, go to File/Preferences/Advanced and check ‘Display a warning when running deprecated nodes’, and run your flows. You can then use the new Flow overview to find these nodes.

  • TimeSync ADAFs now correctly saves column attributes for the raster column.

  • Set column attributes in Table(s) can remove attributes.

  • Icons for all standard library nodes previously missing an icon. Default icon has been updated.

Platform:

  • Support for running Sympathy under Python 3. The platform and nodes from the standard library should work well under Python 3. Third party libraries written for Python 2 will probably need to be upgraded to run on Python 3.

  • Synchronous task handling based on Twisted instead of ZeroMQ. This should reduce delay when executing and make the GUIs more responsive overall while lowering the load on your system.

  • Automatic viewer reload when nodes are executed.

  • Improved handling of node states. For example, if a node produces an error all following nodes will be clearly marked as not executable.

  • Significant GUI speedups when working with large flows with many subflows.

  • Improved library view with a new search algorithm which gives better, more focused search results, and an advanced search and search highlighting.

  • Add nodes by starting a connection and dropping it on an empty part of the flow. This opens a popup which allows to quickly search and insert a new node from the library. The shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N also opens the same popup at the current mouse position.

  • Flow overview showing all subflows and nodes, and the ability to search for nodes within flows (including subflows and linked flows). Click a node or subflow to go directly to that node or subflow. See Flow overview for more details.

  • Button in the data viewer for jumping to a specific row. When data is transposed this will scroll the view horizontally instead of vertically.

  • Improved layering of nodes so that selected and moved nodes always end up on top.

  • MATLAB API introduced, with Table-like functions, which is much simpler to use.

  • The old MATLAB API has been removed.

  • Flow environment variables are now added by right clicking in a flow, clicking Properties, and then going to the Environment variables tab. This was previously done in Preferences.

  • Added a small example on how to use environment variables for CLI execution.

  • Viewers show the node icon and the name indicates which node/port that is shown.