What's New Version 1.4 (Feb 2000) to Version 2.02 (Nov 2001)

This tells what was new in these versions of RunDynam. Click here to see what is new in more recent versions.

New in Versions 2.01 and 2.02 (November 2001) and Version 2.0 (October 2001)

These versions represent a major rewrite of the software. A number of new features have been added. Also several existing features have been implemented in different, more robust ways (although in most cases users will hopefully see little, if any, differences in these parts).

New features include:

•On machines with 2 processors, the software can solve two simulations at once. This results in a reduction of about 40% in the total time taken for a whole run (Base, Rerun and Policy, or Base and Policy).

•If you ask the software to carry out all of two or more parts of a policy simulation (for example, all of the Base, Rerun and Policy, or all of the Base and Policy), the order in which the simulations are carried out is different. Now, by default, the software aims at carrying out the policy simulations as soon as possible. [Previously the software aimed at finishing all years of the Base, then all years of the Rerun, and finally all years of the Policy.]

•If you have carried out the first few years, you can now ask for spreadsheets to be produced which summarise just these years (even if there are more years unsolved). These spreadsheets can be accessed via the Some option on the Results page.

•New menu item Run Simulations for Selected Years under the Tasks menu lets you specify different years of the Base, Rerun and Policy to do (including spreadsheet jobs if you wish).

•You can now ask the software to zip up all or selected results. You select the types of results (for example, you indicate whether or not to include the Solution files and the updated data files), the years and the simulation types (Base, Rerun, Policy) you wish to be included.

•You can control whether the software moves or deletes pre-existing versions of output files that should be created before a job is run.

•If you ask RunDynam to check that the prerequisite files are still ok and it tells you that (in its opinion) they are not, you are given a chance to override this and try running the simulation anyhow.

•You can obtain information about the accuracy of the different simulations.

•You can have run-specific CMFSTART files -- for example, CMFSTARTP for statements which go into all Command files for the Policy.

•You can obtain a report indicating the time and date of the last successful run of the different simulations and spreadsheet jobs.

•You may need to indicate on the Model/Data page whether the program you are using to solve the model is a winconsole EXE.

•Users who are familiar with previous versions of the software will notice the following major changes in existing features:

•When you are running a job, the software is no longer disabled. This means that you can still look at Results, or the Sim Overview or the Closure and Shocks pages. Of course you should not try to change things which affect the job running [The software tries to protect you in this respect by disabling several menu items and buttons while a simulation job is running.]

•When you are running a job, the Please wait -- GEMPACK at work window does not appear. Instead a description of the current job (or jobs) is shown on the main panel near the bottom of the main form. The Cancel Job button there lets you cancel the job if you wish. There is no longer a Hide button since you have access to the program so can hide it in the usual Windows way. You can also check the progress of the job via the Tasks | Summary of Current Job menu item.

•The software always adds time and dates of files produced to the relevant Simulation Details file. The Simulation Details file name used is the 3-character Sim Name (on the Sim Overview page) for the Base followed by that for the Policy, followed by the appropriate suffix. [For example, BS1PL1.DS3.] [Previously you were asked if you wished to record these times and dates, and were able to select the name of the Simulation Details file you wished to use.]

•When you ask RunDynam to check whether or not the prerequisites for a job are still ok, any messages about prerequisites being not ok are more detailed and hopefully more intelligible. We also believe that this checking is more thorough and reliable that in the previous versions of the software.

•If you ask Where to Start? (see the Tasks menu), you will now be told where you can start for each of the Base, Rerun (if being done) and Policy. [These starting places may be different for the different multi-year simulations. This is partly because RunDynam no longer has a set idea as to the order in which the different simulations and runs need to be carried out.]

•The Graph button on the Results page is now labelled Graph/ViewSOL to indicate that it runs ViewSOL. The state in which ViewSOL opens now depends on the Year-on-year/Cumulative choice in the Which years radio group box (as well as the settings in the other two group boxes).

•Technically minded users may be interested to know that now DOS BAT files are not written or run when carrying out simulations. But you can still ask for these files to be written.

New in Version 1.7 (August 2001)

The default location of the Keep and Temp directories used by this software has been changed.

New in Version 1.6 (November 2000)

When you make a ZIP archive,

the Main TABLO file and the TABLO STI file are added into TABETC.ZIP which is put into the ZIP archive.

you can add extra files (ones which the software would not normally put in the archive).

By default the year-on-year differences spreadsheet file is not created (since many users find it confusing to interpret). You can modify which spreadsheet files are created via the Run Preferences menu.

New in Version 1.5 (September 2000)

If your model has been made with Release 7.0 or later, you can view the TABLO STI file, which is the Stored-input file used to run TABLO to condense the model. This is available under the View menu.

If you view the Main TABLO file or the TABLO STI file (under the View Menu), note that these are now copies of these files (not the original files).

New in Version 1.4 (February 2000)

There have been small changes in the syntax of Dynamic Information files.

This version of RunDynam works with Release 6.0 or Release 7.0 of GEMPACK.

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

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