METAL Project News

[Jim]

Today, METAL's Highway Data Examiner was enhanced in two ways:

1) The Vertex Closest Pairs search algorithm visualization now searches for both the closest pair and the most distant pair of waypoints in the graph.

2) The "Option 1" search bar on the "Load Data" panel now matches filenames as well as descriptions.

[Jim]

A new version of HDX has been installed into production today.  This version implements some new algorithm visualizations, has support for conditional breakpoints, and has many bug fixes and UI improvements.

[Jim]

The production HDX has a new feature to load a graph on startup with the load= query string parameter.  For example

https://courses.teresco.org/metal/hdx/?load=AND-region-collapsed.tmg

would load the Andorra graph without bringing up the Load Data panel.

There is also a noav QS parameter that will bypass the Algorithm Visualization selection panel.  It can be used by itself, or in conjunction with the load QS parameter.

Please let me know if you notice that anything has been broken with this update.

[Jim]

Another QS parameter was added to HDX, units= can specify miles, km, ft, or meters.  Your choice will be remembered in a browser cookie and remain in effect until you load HDX with a different

Code: [Select]

units= value.

Issue https://github.com/TravelMapping/EduTools/issues/324 has been opened to reflect the intent to allow this to be changed through the site UI at some point in the future.

[Jim]

A new version of METAL's HDX is almost ready, with a new user interface, a few new algorithms, and various other enhancements.  For now, it can be accessed at https://courses.teresco.org/metal/hdxt/

[yakra]

Ooh. Looking very nice!

[michih]

Is it possible to get back to the start dialog without reloading the url?

The manual needs to be updated once it will be live, e.g. https://travelmapping.net/devel/manual/syserr.php#nearmisspoint

[yakra]

After clicking [Visualize] (even if just Visualize Graph Data Only) there will be a [New Graph] button @ top right.

[Jim]

Still a few things that need fixing, but I have replaced the default production HDX version at https://courses.teresco.org/metal/hdx/ with version 3, the one with this past summer's enhancements.  The previous production version will remain indefinitely at https://courses.teresco.org/metal/hdx2/ but I do not have plans to maintain it.

Please report any bugs and offer any suggestions using GitHub Issues at https://github.com/TravelMapping/EduTools .  Have a look through existing Issues first, though, as there are plenty of things already reported as problems and requested/planned as new features.

[Jim]

Prep for the Summer 2022 project is underway, and I have now started making changes to the production version of HDX as fixes and new features are deemed ready to go.  The version (more or less) that was in production over the last several months remains available at https://courses.teresco.org/metal/hdx20210921/

[Jim]

Version 3.0 of METAL's HDX is now live.

Some of what's new:

• New algorithm visualizations: all-points closest pairs, traveling salesperson (both brute force and twice-around-the-tree approximation), recursive coordinate bisection partitioning, graph bridge detection (in the graph theory sense, not the roads sense), and graph coloring
• Support for graph archive sets (no more graph data generation pauses for major labs/assignments!), including intersection-only graphs, making more graph sets usable with more algorithms
• Load graphs, select AVs, set AV parameters directly through query string parameters
• New TMG file format options for custom data and partitioned graphs
• minor features and bug fixes too numerous to mention

Thanks go out to the METAL Summer 2022 team: Luke, Michael, and Mark.

As always, suggestions, bug reports, etc., are welcome here in the forum or on the project's GitHub repository.

[Jim]

A new version of HDX has been installed, with lots of improvements, plus a redesigned implementation of the Divide and Conquer Closest Pairs algorithm visualization.

Please let me know if you notice any problems with this version.

[Jim]

A new production version of HDX has been installed.  There have been many improvements and fixes, with the main new feature being a "Copy AV URL" button.  This allows the user to load a graph and select and AV and its parameters, then generate a URL (copied to the clipboard) which will get HDX back to that same state.  These URLs could previously be generated manually.  This is intended primarily for instructors setting up cases to run for their students to allow the students to follow a link and be ready to run the specified AV on a given graph.

Please let me know if you notice any problems with this, or if it looks like this version has broken any other functionality.

[Jim]

A new production version of HDX has been installed.  There are many improvements throughout, with some highlights being the implementation of a new and improved conditional breakpoint system and the addition of the A* algorithm visualization.

Please let me know if you notice any problems with this, or if it looks like this version has broken any other functionality.