Understanding the basic folder and file structure
- Take some time to understand what files are stored where and why in the configuration
- Understand the way how the configurations of different files are related to each other
- Practise the file relations and the navigation to the related files (e.g. workflows & workflow descriptor etc.)
- Create a (visual) overview containing the different functions of the files (e.g. explorer.xml, filters.xml, topology.xml etc.)
- Create a (visual) overview of relations between configured elements and time lengths
- The clientConfig.xml that is used to create a shortcut is placed under “RootConfigFiles”
- If you create a short cut for an Operator Client or Config Manager place each of those in separate folder, not in your region home.
Understanding the system and configuration task
- Follow the conventions used in a system
- Use the Workflow Navigator to understand the system, especially helpful could be the right click -> Highlight Usage function
- Make a list of every step that is required to get to the desired solution in advance
- Create a (visual) overview of the problem implementation
- Take into account how the configured element will be used by the end user
- If available have a look at an example for your first configuration tasks.
Good to know in the FEWS GUI
- The “Logs” window can be cleared by right clicking on it and press “clear messages”
- Learn and use the most important short cuts from the beginning:
In every display when the cursor is e.g. in the logs window
- F12 is like a Swiss-Army-Knife: provides lots of options (e.g. open database viewer, make ids visible, etc.)
- F5: reload configuration
Manual forecast display
- Ctrl r: run single modules in a workflow
- Ctrl d: run modules of a workflow in debug mode
- F12: provides several options (e.g. showing all workflows)
Database viewer
- F10: shows time series graphically (selecting a time series)
- Right-click on a time series provides additional options
Data handling
- Always reload the configuration in FEWS with F5 after making changes to the configuration.
- When importing always check that the data is still available in the import folder.
- Use a version tracking system like subversion for managing changes.
- If not configured differently data from the import folder is deleted after the import → make a safety copy of the data in this case
- To avoid that the data is deleted from the import folder in a testing phase it is possible to use “deleteImportedFiles = false” in the configuration
- In case of mistakes or during debugging it might be useful to have a clear database viewer. First make a safety copy of the local data store (region home) to a separate folder.
To clear the database viewer, it is possible:
- To delete the whole local data store from the region home
- To remove only certain data press F12 “Delete module instance for selection” the database viewer display
- Making copies of the local data store is also a good way to safe the current data status of the system in case you would like to go back to that state later
- Keep in mind that whether the data is shown in your data viewer, also depends on your current system time. Only data existing at the system time is shown.
- Keep in mind that since the data is often first imported, then processed and then put into a model, there can be different time series for all this data
- Use the database lister to see whether and how time series are written by a workflow
Model integration
- Keep in mind to start with the export activity in the general adapter module, because:
- Export: fews > model,
- Import: model > fews
- The modules folder (region home) is constantly overwritten by the ModuleDataSetFiles→ it doesn’t make sense to change anything in the modules folder
- For debugging it could be useful to run the model once outside Delft-FEWS
