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Suggested Development Workflow

When developing a new model, and in general when working with Macro and Julia, we recommend that you run your models and Julia commands in a Julia REPL:

julia> using Macro
julia> # Load a system
julia> system = load_system("path/to/system_data.json")
julia> # Generate a model
julia> model = generate_model(system)
julia> # Set the optimizer
julia> set_optimizer(model, optimizer)
julia> # Run optimization
julia> optimize!(model)
# [... other commands ...]

This interactive approach is recommended instead of creating a script and running it directly from the terminal:

julia my_new_model.jl

Using VS Code

If using VS Code, this workflow is particularly easy to implement with the Julia extension enabled. You can:

  1. Open your script
  2. Move the cursor to any line
  3. Press cmd/ctrl + return/enter to execute that line in an interactive REPL
  4. Select multiple lines and use the same shortcut to execute them as a group

Benefits of the Interactive Workflow

  • Performance: Julia's JIT (Just-In-Time) compilation means each method is compiled the first time it's called. Subsequent calls with the same argument types will be much faster, as the compiled code is cached.

  • Debugging: The REPL maintains all variables in memory, making it easier to:

    • Inspect variable values using @show or println
    • Modify and re-run code without restarting the entire program
    • Use the debugger with @enter or @run
    • Test small code snippets in isolation

  • Interactivity:

    • Plots and graphs automatically open in separate windows
    • Results are immediately visible
    • You can modify parameters and re-run simulations on the fly

When to Use Scripts

Once your model has been thoroughly debugged and tested in the REPL, you can switch to using scripts for:

  • Production runs
  • Large-scale optimizations
  • Sharing data and models with others

Both workflows can be used interchangeably at this stage, depending on your needs.

In the next section, you'll find several useful methods and utilities for working with new models in Macro.