ssc_auto_exec not using var table "required_if"

[tyneises]

When using ssc_auto_exec to call a cmod, we use ‘SIMULATION_PARAMETER’ to designate variables that the UI doesn’t provide to the cmod. It appears that all the variables that don’t have SIMULATION_PARAMETER are required to be in the UI, even if “required_if” is false.

For example, the following SSC branch currently contains exactly one new line of code in the mspt cmod that adds a new input var, “is_dispatch123”, that i) is not required, ii) does not have ‘SIMULATION_PARAMETER’ in UI Hints, iii) is not defined in the UI, iv) is not used anywhere in the cmod. The MSPT model will fail on open because it uses ssc_auto_exec on MSPT System Design. https://github.com/NREL/ssc/tree/add-temp-mspt_cmod_var

[tyneises]

This SAM issue (probably) requires this fix: #1464

[tyneises]

I'm replacing an old comment that I just deleted to try to clarify the problem and give simple examples in the this comment...

@sjanzou pull request #1702 makes auto_exec ignore blank required_if entries (i.e. ""). I think ideally it would check for those variables but not require them.

More importantly, auto_exec still cannot use conditional or default required_if. For example, in the cmod below, I change the required_if field for SSC_INPUT "is_dispatch123" in two ways:

1. "is_dispatch = 1"
2. "?=0"

In both cases, the auto_exec callback from the System Design page fails because it can't find "is_dispatch123" in the UI even though it isn't required.

My wish is that the auto_exec would have the same cmod parsing functionality as clicking Simulate in the UI.

https://github.com/NREL/ssc/tree/add-temp-mspt_cmod_var