Hourly users - how do you minimise your hourly usage?

answered 2012-11-15 17:18:54 -0500

AdamF
111 ●4 ●6 ●13

I run PSSE as often as I can through python, copying in the code provided by PTI to provide system paths which allow the import of psspy. My scripts can then be executed by double clicking them or running them through a python environment if debugging is necessary. This is a broad description of my approach to saving my own time when working with PSSE. It has the benefit of reducing the hours used on my PSSE license as well.

When I upgrade PSSE versions from time to time I get new dongles and therefore don't need to be ultra-conservative on hours so I try to target only those tasks which are most wastefull of my time. Here's one example:

Here is a very generic sample of python code for loading a set of cases one at a time and performing some operation on all of them.

psspy.progress_output(2, 'transcript.txt',[0,0])
psspy.prompt_output(2, 'transcript.txt', [2,0])
psspy.report_output(2, 'transcript.txt',[2,0])
cases = ['2013SUM','2013FAL','2013WIN'] #usually many more than three cases
for case in cases:
    psspy.case('MyCaseSeries-' + case + '.sav')
    psspy.runrspnsfile('MyIDEV-' + case + '.sav')
    #perform other tasks...
    psspy.fdns([1,2,1,1,1,0,0,_i])
    ival = psspy.solved()
    if ival == 0: 
        psspy.save('MyCaseSeries-' + case + '-improved.sav')
        print case, 'solved:)'
    else:
        print case, 'not solved:('

This code will write all the gory details of my process into 'transcript.txt' but will provide me with easy to read output on the python terminal to indicate whether the cases solved after making changes. I often run dozens of idevs on a set of 16 or more cases using this method.