Pre & post Search validity checks; user warnings

[grumpyinca]

Originally proposed in #703, this content is now extracted into a new issue in the unassigned (now 4.8) milestone. This delay is to permit a better understanding of user response to validity alerts before implementing this change.

After Search, Add test(s) for any variable or Calc Input invalid
If so,
displayMessage(errorMsg, 'danger', 'Errors', '/docs/Help/errors.html#searchErr')
where errorMsg is something along the lines of:
"This design has one or more Variables or Calculation Inputs with an invalid value.
See Alerts and Help (below) for details."

Consider the same (similar) feature for after Seek and Trade.

Add pre-function checks to Trade.

[grumpyinca]

This issue re-surfaced in today's conversation. The high-level approach is something like:

• Continue to allow Search to attempt solution of "invalid" designs
• At the conclusion of Search, Seek & Trade, check for invalid values
• If invalid values are found, notify the user with a pop-up. (Reference further details available in Alerts; Manual intervention required)
• Use AutoSave data to (optionally?) restore pre-(Search, Seek, Trade) state of design

Possible test case:
User sets OD_Free to 0.0 and runs Search. Search fails to return a design that is either valid or feasible. The pop-up supplies a brief explanation and a reference to an Alert or doc entry that provides more detail on the situation and how to manually intervene so that the next Search is successful.

Moving to milestone 5.0.

[grumpyinca]

Again, this issue was the subject of conversation today.

Several points in favor of various validity checks and possible user interaction prior to (Search, Seek or Trade) were discussed. Specifically:

• If an independent variable is invalid and in Fixed status, there should be user interaction and likely the (Search, Seek or Trade) function cancelled
• If an independent variable is outside the valid range and in Free status, the variable can be (silently?) changed to the nearest valid value before the (Search, Seek or Trade) function is invoked.
• If a Calculation Input is invalid there should be user interaction and likely the (Search, Seek or Trade) function cancelled
• If a constraint on any Independent or Dependent Variable is invalid there should be user interaction and likely the (Search, Seek or Trade) function cancelled

[grumpyinca]

Just for reference ...

Search currently tests for and blocks operation for:

• No free independent variables
• constraints are inconsistent

Seek currently tests for and (may not?) block operation for:

• No free independent variables
• constraints are inconsistent

Trade currently runs a search and may return "OBJ < OBJMIN - USE OF TRADE IS NOT APPROPRIATE".

[1fifoto]

Our discussion today suggested the following. Instead of having a pop-up appear after search, the termination message (AKA termination_condition) be used to report anything after a search, seek or trade operation. As an aside, the termination message could be use to report the failure or success of any other ODOP operation such as setting a variable or checking a checkbox. Also we felt that the termination message should allow richer format such as full HTML including links within constraints of page size and shifting the display too far down. The link and HTML capability would allow the termination message to direct the user to more help documentation to solve the problem encountered with the just completed search, seek or trade. Doing this is done in lieu of creating and directing the user to the Alerts which in turn would have a Help button to more help documentation. We feel that there is a difference between operation results (displayed in this enhanced HTML termination message) and Alerts which are generated by checking-rules that check the state of the current design model.

TLDR: Put a message and a link in the termination message after a failing search to more information in the docs.