Question-and-Answer Resource for the Building Energy Modeling Community
 | 1 | initial version |
The blue fields mean that there are optional data fields in the ModelObject that are empty.
OpenStudio Models are backed by idf syntax just like EnergyPlus. This is true while OpenStudio is working with the Model in memory and when it is saved to disk as an osm file. The latter is obvious if you have ever opened an osm file in a text editor (not something we support). For the blue to show up, optional fields at the end of an object have to be totally absent. If there is a comma or series of commas signaling one or more empty fields, you wont see blue in the inspector you will just see a text input with nothing in it.
This goofy blue is not exactly desired behavior and I would like to eradicate them whenever I get a chance. The simplest solution is to make sure all fields are initialized to some value, so when I create new model objects I make a point to initialize everything, but there are many early objects that still do this.
Another trick to deal with this is to set the min-fields code in the idd object of the OpenStudio Model IDD file. This will force the OpenStudio guts to initialize all of those optional fields that may be at the end of an object to a blank. In other words it will insert a bunch of commas which has the handy effect of making the blue go away, although not initializing the fields to intelligent values.
If anyone (@julien Marrec) wants to make pull requests to address some of these I would be happy to accept and merge them.
| | 2 | No.2 Revision |
The blue fields mean that there are optional data fields in the ModelObject that are empty.
OpenStudio Models are backed by idf syntax just like EnergyPlus. This is true while OpenStudio is working with the Model in memory and when it is saved to disk as an osm file. The latter is obvious if you have ever opened an osm file in a text editor (not something we support). For the blue to show up, optional fields at the end of an object have to be totally absent. If there is a comma or series of commas signaling one or more empty fields, you wont see blue in the inspector you will just see a text input with nothing in it.
This goofy blue is not exactly desired behavior and I would like to eradicate them whenever I get a chance. The simplest solution is to make sure all fields are initialized to some value, so when I create new model objects I make a point to initialize everything, but there are many early objects that still do don't this.
Another trick to deal with this is to set the min-fields code in the idd object of the OpenStudio Model IDD file. This will force the OpenStudio guts to initialize all of those optional fields that may be at the end of an object to a blank. In other words it will insert a bunch of commas which has the handy effect of making the blue go away, although not initializing the fields to intelligent values.
If anyone (@julien Marrec) wants to make pull requests to address some of these I would be happy to accept and merge them.
