Release 7.6.4 beta build posted

I just posted a new beta build of 7.6.4 version. You can find it at the usual place:

http://svn.code.sf.net/p/electricdss/code/trunk/Distrib/x86/
http://svn.code.sf.net/p/electricdss/code/trunk/Distrib/x64/

Please report any issues found.

There a couple of significant changes that warranted increment the release version from 7.6.3 to 7.6.4. The build number remains sequential so it is easier to see where issues may have cropped up.

So what's new?

Variables

You can now use variables in scripts.

Variable names begin with @. There are several intrinsic variables like @result that contains the last string written to the Result window. See the help on the var command. Here's an example:

Clear

// declare some variables
var @HVkv=69
var @MVkv=12.47
var @LVkv=0.48
var @loadkv1="@LVkv 3 sqrt /"
var @sourcepu=1.04

New Circuit.Vartest
~ BasekV=@HVkv pu=@sourcepu

! show the @loadkv1 variable value in the Result window
var @loadkv1

! show all the @var values
var

new transformer.TR1 phases=3 windings=2 XHL=7
~ buses=[sourcebus, MVbus] kVs=[@HVkV, @MVkV] kVAs=[10000 10000]

new transformer.TR2 phases=3 windings=2 XHL=7
~ buses=[ MVbus, LVbus] kVs=[ @MVkV, @LVkV] kVAs=[100 100]

New Load.L1 phases=1 Bus1=LVBus.1.0 kV=@LoadkV1  kW=20

New Load.L2 phases=3 Bus1=LVBus kV=@LVkV  kW=200

// MV-connected 1-phase load
New Load.L3 phases=1 Bus1=MVBus.2.0 kV="@MVkv 3 sqrt /"  kW=200

Solve

Export voltages
Fileedit @Lastexportfile    ! this is an intrinsic variable

Var    ! get list of all variables

Command Line /nogui Switch

You can execute OpenDSS scripts using the command line. This feature has been present for several years although not many use it, but a few find it essential. The OpenDSS simply loads up the script file and executes it like any other script file. If you don't put a Quit command in, the program will pause with the control panel showing.

With the 7.6.4 version you can suppress the windows altogether. You do this by adding a switch after the filename on the command line:

OpenDSS  MyScriptFile.DSS  /nogui

or

OpenDSS  MyScriptFile.DSS  -nogui

The program will execute the script without popping up any windows. This feature should be useful for anyone wishing to run the program under Apache Web Server for example.