What's New Version 1.4 (Feb 2000) to Version 3.0 (November 2003)

New in Version 3.0 (November 2003)

This was a major rewrite. The main aim was to make it possible to have several different complete applications all in the same directory (perhaps different Base case and different Policy Shocks and Policy Closures). With careful choices of Sim Names, users should now be able to do this routinely, efficiently and confidently. For details, see the new Chapter Several Complete Applications in the Same Directory.

This version was used in the MONASH Model Course at Monash University in November 2003. Because the tools for managing several different applications in the same directory were only completed with the later Version 3.1, this Version 3.0 is a short-term version. Serious users who have Version 3.0 are entitled to a free upgrade to Version 3.1 (see above) if they ask any time in the first half of 2004.

The system of recording simulation details and recording times and dates of files created has been changed. This makes switching between different runs (for example, different policy runs using the same base) more reliable. It also makes checking of prequisites and answers to Where to start? more robust and helpful. There are new items Are Results Still OK? under the Tasks menu which are related to these topics. These let you check to see if specified results files are still as they were when you last ran the relevant simulation, and to check if you would get the same results if you were to run everything again from the start.

Unfortunately, this change in the system of recording times and dates of files for Version 3.0 (November 2003) means that current versions of RunDynam cannot give information about jobs run with earlier versions of RunDynam.

However (and this is important), Simulation Details files and ZIP archives produced with earlier versions of RunDynam can still be used with the current version. So it is still possible to load applications archived with earlier versions.

If you are an experienced user who has been in the habit of always ignoring checking of prerequisites and the importance of choosing Sim Names carefully, we encourage you to give these aspects of RunDynam another try. [We understand why you have found these things frustrating in the past. We hope that you will find these parts of RunDynam much more intuitive and reliable now. If you still find these aspects confusing and frustrating, please contact the developers of this software who will endeavour to make things more natural and to fix the remaining bugs in this area.]

We also encourage you to try using Are Results Still OK? and Where To Start?.

With this version, choosing Sim Names with the current restriction on the length of file names was still somewhat counter-intuitive. This has been fixed with the long file names introduced with Version 3.1 (December 2003).

As well as the time and date, the software now also records the size (in bytes) of files created during a run. This is used when checking if a file is the same now as when it was created.

You can load just one or two columns from a saved Simulation Details file onto the Closure/Shocks page. This is important if you are managing several complete applications in the same directory.

Buttons for Loading and Saving Sim Details are now available on the Sim Overview page. As experienced users know, you should switch between different applications by Loading the relevant Sim Details (rather than by just changing the Sim Names on the Sim Overview page) since this load all aspects (including times and dates of runs). We hope that having these buttons visible will remind users of this.

You can omit some years at the start of the Closure/Shocks page.

Certain key words are not allowed in CMFSTART files.

The names of SOL files used for shocks in the Rerun and Policy have been changed.

You can save a Simulation Description, and you can view the Simulation Descriptions in ZIP archives.

You can restore files from a Results Zip file.

You can suppress a screen saver during a run.

New in Version 2.12 (August 2003)

The option to make log files visible during a run was added.

New in Version 2.10 (May 2002)

In some versions of this software, it is possible to solve using Rational Expectations (as described in the MONASH Model book by Peter Dixon and Maureen Rimmer).

A Demonstration Version of RunDynam may be available on the GEMPACK web site.

New in Version 2.03 (March 2002)

When you select a new Model on the Model/Data page, the program quickly runs a job to find out some information about the Model EXE. At present this information is used in deciding whether or not to use a Batch job for simulations.

There is a new menu item in the Run Preferences menu Never Use Bat Job for Simulations which allows you to override the usual method of running simulations.

You do not need to indicate if the model is a Winconsole EXE under the Windows NT family (Windows NT, 2000 or XP) of operating systems.

Version 1.4 (February 2000) to Version 2.02 (November 2001)

There was a major rewrite of the software in October and November 2001. Click here to see what was new in Version 1.4 (February 2000) to Version 2.02 (November 2001)

URL of this topic: www.copsmodels.com/webhelp/rundynam/hc_whatsnewb.htm

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