How can I make a dynamic flexible status bar

Question

Hello!

I got an interesting question and thought it would be nice to share the answer here.

Question: How can I make a status bar that is dynamic/flexible in AIMMS?

This is how I tried it, but it didn't work:

StringParameter sp_fixedStatusBar {
	IndexDomain: (webui::indexApplicationExtension,webui::indexStatusBarSpec);
	Definition: {
		data 
		{ 
		  ( 1, icon      ) : "aimms-glass"       ,  
		  ( 1, color     ) : "red"               ,  
		  ( 1, text      ) : "sp_context",
		  ( 1, tooltip   ) : "sp_statusTooltip"  ,  
		  ( 1, procedure ) : "pr_toggleDeveloper",  
		  ( 1, state     ) : "Active" 
		}
	}
}

For those unfamiliar with the data { } construct, this may be a pitfall, since you imagine that the string parameter could be used like above - but it doesn't work that way.

This construct only allows you to add data - it doesn't cater for the dynamic/flexible part.

But there are two solutions.

Dynamic definition

Probably the simplest solution to this, is just to switch from the data { } construct to the { } construct, as below:

StringParameter sp_dynamicStatusBar {
	IndexDomain: (webui::indexApplicationExtension,webui::indexStatusBarSpec);
	Definition: {
		{
			( '1', 'header'    ) : "",
			( '1', 'icon'      ) : "aimms-glass", 
			( '1', 'color'     ) : "red", 
			( '1', 'text'      ) : sp_context,
			( '1', 'tooltip'   ) : sp_statusTooltip,
			( '1', 'procedure' ) : "pr_toggleDeveloper",
			( '1', 'state'     ) : "Active"
		}
	}
}

Please note that:

You need now to place simple quotes around the elements you want to define the value
You need to remove the double quotes from the string parameters

This allows for the status bar to be flexible and updated automatically when values change.

Initial values or Procedure defined

The other solution is to not make the status bar string parameter defined. Either initialize it with the initial values option, or by a procedure that fills it out.

Like for the above, you could update the text via a procedure, like:

sp_dynamicStatusBar('1','text') := "My new text";

Please note that sp_dynamicStatusBar cannot be “defined” anymore, or else you will get an error.

You can download an example of this working in the Vessel Scheduling example: https://how-to.aimms.com/Articles/590/590-vessel-scheduling.html

Hope it helps!

hall2 · Answer

Oh, I completely see your point of view. Making AIMMS status bars fully dynamic can be challenging. The key point is that anything that needs to change at runtime just won't work well in the `data { }` construct because it is static by design. The clearest option if you want modifications to spread automatically is to switch to the `{ }` dynamic definition.

One thing I typically do is combine that with a little update procedure; essentially, leave `sp_dynamicStatusBar` un-defined and simply push the new data via something like this whenever something changes (like context or status)."Updated text" is displayed in

``aimms
sp_dynamicStatusBar('1','text'); "green" is displayed in
sp_dynamicStatusBar('1','color'); ```

In this manner, you can have the bar react in real time to events or procedure outputs without violating AIMMS regulations. Additionally, quoting the indices is crucial because AIMMS is particular about the difference between `'1'` and `1`. Although it's little, many people are bitten by it.

The general idea for any AIMMS webui status bar is to utilize quotes on indices, update via procedure, and consider **dynamic = no `data { }`. It's easy once you figure out that pattern.

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