5.2 Top menu buttons

5.2.1 New Project

A SPHY model project always involves two files, being the SPHY model configuration file (*.cfg) and the SPHY model project file (*.qgs). The *.cfg file contains the SPHY model configuration, and is the same file that is used when running SPHY as a standalone application. The *.qgs is a QGIS project file and contains the layers and map canvas view settings.

If the New project button is clicked, then the user is asked where to save the new project and to provide a filename (XXXX.cfg) for the project. You can choose any filename, except “sphy_config.cfg”. If a current SPHY model project was open in QGIS, then it will be asked to save the current project first before creating a new project. It is mandatory to save the new project to the same disk where the SPHY model source code has been installed (Section 3.1.4). Otherwise an error will occur.

After creating a new project, the map canvas will be emptied, and the GUI looks like Figure 27. The user may now continue completing the different tabs.

Figure 27: SPHY model interface after creating a new project.

5.2.2 Open Project

Opening an existing project allows you to continue with a previous SPHY model interface project. By clicking the Open project button you will be asked to select a *.cfg project file to be opened. If a current SPHY model project was open in QGIS, then it will be asked to save the current project first before opening another project. Opening an existing project results in the QGIS canvas to be cleared, and the layers present in the *.qgs file to be added to the canvas. All model settings present in the *.cfg file will be added to the SPHY model GUI. Your SPHY model interface could now look something comparable to Figure 28.

Figure 28: Example of SPHY model interface after opening an existing project

5.2.3 Save and Save As

The GUI allows you to save your SPHY model project. After clicking the Save or Save As buttons, these buttons will become unavailable (see Figure 28) until you change something (e.g. a parameter setting) in the GUI. This means these buttons are also an indicator of recent changes to the interface. As soon as you change/modify something in the GUI, these buttons will become available again. It should be noted that running the model automatically results in saving your SPHY model project before the model is executed. This accounts for all GUI model settings to be saved in the *.cfg file and to run the model with these GUI settings.

The Save and Save As buttons save the GUI settings to the *.cfg file and the map canvas layers and view settings to the *.qgs file. The Save As button allows you to save the SPHY model project under another filename. This may be useful if you need to study for example the effect of a parameter change without losing your previous model run settings and output.