refactor: move generation of matfile to separate function

[danielolsen]

Purpose

Decouple the matfile generation from the client/server setup. Closes #364.

What the code is doing

Code doesn't functionally change, it's just reorganized.

Testing

Not tested yet to prepare a scenario, but tested for creating a matfile from a base grid.

Usage Example/Visuals

>>> from powersimdata.input.grid import Grid
>>> from powersimdata.scenario.helpers import export_case_mat
>>> grid = Grid('Texas')
Reading bus.csv
Reading plant.csv
Reading gencost.csv
Reading branch.csv
Reading dcline.csv
Reading sub.csv
Reading bus2sub.csv
Reading zone.csv
>>> export_case_mat(grid, "dummy.mat")

Time estimate

5 minutes to understand, maybe longer to decide exactly where you think this should live.

[BainanXia]

Make sense.

[rouille]

I would create a new module in PowerSimData/input next to grid.py since it can be used outside the scenario framework and it is an input of the simulation

[danielolsen]

I would create a new module in PowerSimData/input next to grid.py since it can be used outside the scenario framework and it is an input of the simulation

Propose a location and I will move it. I have no attachment to the current one, I just wanted to decouple the function somehow. Wherever we put it, it would probably be good to have a convenience method on the Grid object that calls the function.

[rouille]

I would create a new module in PowerSimData/input next to grid.py since it can be used outside the scenario framework and it is an input of the simulation

Propose a location and I will move it. I have no attachment to the current one, I just wanted to decouple the function somehow. Wherever we put it, it would probably be good to have a convenience method on the Grid object that calls the function.

powersimdata.input.case_mat. I like the name of the function (export_case_mat).

I would wait that model is merged in before creating a method in the Grid class that creates the case file.

[danielolsen]

powersimdata.input.case_mat. I like the name of the function (export_case_mat).

I would wait that model is merged in before creating a method in the Grid class that creates the case file.

Once a Grid is instantiated, does it matter where it came from in order to write the tables into a matfile?

[rouille]

powersimdata.input.case_mat. I like the name of the function (export_case_mat).
I would wait that model is merged in before creating a method in the Grid class that creates the case file.

Once a Grid is instantiated, does it matter where it came from in order to write the tables into a matfile?

No it does not. I said to wait because we did quite some modifications in the Grid class in ben/create and it would be nice to avoid conflicts. If you are eager to implement the method I will handle them.

[danielolsen]

Once a Grid is instantiated, does it matter where it came from in order to write the tables into a matfile?

No it does not. I said to wait because we did quite some modifications in the Grid class in ben/create and it would be nice to avoid conflicts. If you are eager to implement the method I will handle them.

I am not in a particular rush. I needed to do this for some of my own work, and I used an ugly workaround, and in the process I saw how simple the change could be so I decided to get the ball rolling on a PR.

[rouille]

Beautiful