Simile: Interface to executable Simile models

Description

This package loads, parameterizes, executes and interrogates executable models saved by Simile.

Details

The package loads some Simile libraries into R's tcltk extension, so you need Simile installed to use it. Initialize the package by calling use.simile.at() to tell it where to find Simile in the file system. Tell it where to find the saved executable model with load.model() which returns a handle to the loaded model. This can be used to interrogate static model info via list.objects() and get.model.property(), and to create executable instances with create.model(), which returns their handles.

An executable instance can be parameterized either by loading a Simile parameter metafile with consult.parameter.metafile(), or directly from R arrays with create.param.array() and set.model.parameter(). The functions set.model.step(), reset.model() and execute.model() control execution. get.model.time() returns the time at which execution finished. Use get.value.array() to get the values from any model component as an R array, or get.value.list() to get them as an R list.

This version works with Simile versions 5.94 on.

Author(s)

Simulistics Ltd

References

Simile modelling environment: http://simulistics.com

Examples

require("Simile")
path.to.installation <- tcl("tk_chooseDirectory", "-title",
"Folder where Simile is installed:")
use.simile.at(path.to.installation)

exec.extn <- as.character(tcl("info","sharedlibextension"))
path.to.spiro <- tcl("tk_getOpenFile",
"-title", "Compiled binary for Spiro example:",
"-initialfile", paste("spiro",exec.extn,sep=""))
mHandle <- load.model(path.to.spiro)
objs <- list.objects(mHandle)

for (obj in objs) {
print(c(obj, get.model.property(mHandle, obj, "Class")))
}

iHandle <- create.model(mHandle)
# model step is 0.1 by default but spiro only needs 1.0
set.model.step(iHandle, 1, 1)

# initialize the model, including default slider values
reset.model(iHandle, -2)

xs <- list(get.value.list(iHandle, "/runs/x"))
ys <- list(get.value.list(iHandle, "/runs/y"))
for (count in 1:1739) {
execute.model(iHandle, count)
xs[[count+1]] <- get.value.list(iHandle, "/runs/x")
ys[[count+1]] <- get.value.list(iHandle, "/runs/y")
}
xs <- mapply(c,xs)
ys <- mapply(c,ys)
print("View default pattern -- now try to plot dancer")
plot(xs, ys, type="l")

# now we are going to parameterize it using a state file for the slider helper
# -- to make this work we load the mime library, which is needed only because
# the dancer.spf in Simile v5.94 is an older v4.x format file.

tcl("package","require","mime")
pFile <- tcl("file", "join", path.to.installation, "Examples", "dancer.spf")
consult.parameter.metafile(iHandle, pFile)

# also the file from the distribution has no value for "Wheel outside?"
# so we set this boolean directly
pHandle <- create.param.array(iHandle, "/start/Wheel outside?")
set.model.parameter(pHandle, FALSE)

# apply reset at level 0 to propagate input values
reset.model(iHandle, 0)

xs <- list(get.value.list(iHandle, "/runs/x"))
ys <- list(get.value.list(iHandle, "/runs/y"))
for (count in 1:419) {
execute.model(iHandle, count)
xs[[count+1]] <- get.value.list(iHandle, "/runs/x")
ys[[count+1]] <- get.value.list(iHandle, "/runs/y")
}
xs <- mapply(c,xs)
ys <- mapply(c,ys)
print("OK, but that's not how it looks on Simile is it? Try this...")
plot(xs, ys, type="l")

xs <- aperm(xs, c(2,1))
ys <- aperm(ys, c(2,1))
plot(xs, ys, type="l")