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Comments and Documentation within an OpenStudio Model?

asked 2024-10-09 17:38:29 -0600

Does anyone know if there's a way to embed comments within OpenStudio models, similar to comments in an EnergyPlus idf? I don't see a way through the application to do this, but is this something available in the SDK? I'm not sure if the capability is there, but it's based around a different keyword, and I'm not finding it. Being able to comment/document a model with metadata, references, and links would be extremely helpful when creating or collaborating on models because critical documentation wouldn't need a secondary set of notes. The ability to leave documentation comments in an EnergyPlus idf file is a helpful feature but feels like a direct product of these usually being written directly in a text editor.

I did come across openstudio::IdfObject::comment(), however my impression is that this is operating on idf objects (either created or imported) rather than on OpenStudio objects directly.

If this is not something that's available and not currently in the development pipeline, what repo would be the most appropriate to put this issue?

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Comments

I agree on the need to document model creation/editing. Apart from some geometry, I do 99% of model creation/editing via Ruby/Python bindings (i.e. SDK), + versioning control. App/Plugin? Mainly to validate/communicate. Sure, there's a learning curve, but once up to speed it can offer significant productivity/QAQC gains. I heavily document Ruby/SDK scripts (e.g. metadata, rationale). Sometimes, I do need to share rationale/process/model. Other times, I just don't trust my memory 18 months from now. I know others operate this way. Maybe not what you're after, yet similar outcome IMHO.

Denis Bourgeois's avatar Denis Bourgeois  ( 2024-10-11 12:38:06 -0600 )edit

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answered 2024-10-11 09:53:46 -0600

I assume the only comment methods available in OpenStudio are associated with IDF objects because there isn't always a 1:1 correlation between OSM objects and IDF objects. OpenStudio sometimes tries to hide the gory details of EnergyPlus by using somewhat higher-level approaches (e.g., look at how EnergyPlus nodes are handled in OpenStudio). So if there was some way to add comments to an OSM object/field, there wouldn't necessarily be a good way to translate/preserve them in the IDF.

Thus, OpenStudio simply allows you to make comments directly on IDF objects/fields.

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Asked: 2024-10-09 17:38:29 -0600

Seen: 107 times

Last updated: Oct 11