Time Series Editor

The time-series dialog is used to define temporal variations for model properties. Time-series are defined independently from a specific parameter and can be assigned to a parameter in a later work step.

Time series consist of a unique ID as an identifier, (possible) a Name, a Curve type, Time mode, and a set of value pairs (time vs. value). Time series can be edited within the dialog by changing the values in the table on the right-hand side.

Time series can be imported from *.pow text files by clicking on the Import button. Export is possible for the current time series, a number of time series to be selected after the export file has been specified, or for all time series in FEFLOW. Likewise, the Delete button can be used to delete the current, several, or all time series.

The context menu of the diagram view allows panning, zooming, etc.

ID

The ID is the unique identifier for each time series. To create a new time series from here, a new ID can be typed in the ID field.

Create new time series

This button can be used to create new time series. In a dialog it can be chosen whether to use the next free ID or a user-defined ID for the new time series.

Name

The name is not mandatory and can be used additionally for better identification of the time series.

Curve Type

The curve type setting determines the handling of the curve between the data pairs. By default, a linear interpolation is applied. Alternatively, Akima1 or Akima2 interpolation or constant steps can be used. Akima1 is based on a third-order polygonal spline interpolation of the function values while Akima2 applies additional middle points to smooth the function. The constant steps method applies a step-wise constant function without requiring a user-defined steep ramp by inserting extra time stages.

 

The Akima interpolation can fail if the time series contains jumps. In such cases a warning message is displayed and the default linear option is automatically reset.

Time Mode

In Cyclic mode a time series defined for only part of the simulation time is applied over and over until the end of the simulation. With the default Linear setting, the series is applied linearly in time.

In cyclic time series, the last list entry corresponds to the first one (e.g., an annual time series starting with a time of 0 days could have a last entry for the time 365 days, the latter than being the start of the second cycle). Both first and last entry have to have the same value as they represent the same time stage in cyclic mode. The first and last entries in the time series may not be gaps in cyclic mode.

 

Defining a time series for only part of the simulation period in linear mode does not deactivate the corresponding model feature (typically, a boundary condition) for the time before the starting time of the series and after its end. Instead of this, the first value is used before the first time series entry, and the last value is used after its corresponding time. Gaps at the beginning and/or end of a time series can be used to avoid this behaviour.

Value Pairs

Time series can be edited within the dialog in the table on the right-hand side. Direct editing of a value can be initiated by double click onto the corresponding table cell. Further editing options are provided by the tool buttons above the table view:

 

Symbol	Description
	Copy selected time-series rows to clipboard
	Paste current clipboard values to time series
	Add empty time-series row at current position
	Remove selected time-series row (s)
	Insert a gap into the time series after current position. Hold <Shift> key to insert gap before current position.
	Move time-series gap up
	Move time-series gap down
	Unit operations

Paste from Clipboard

Tabular data for time series can be pasted into the time series from the clipboard. With this, data can be easily copied to the clipboard in spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel/Access or in a text editor and added to a time series.

FEFLOW supports text with tab separation for the columns and line breaks for the rows. Only the first two columns are read (time and value). If the first line contains anything other than numbers, then it is interpreted as header line and not pasted.

 

While pasting from the clipboard, the values are interpreted according to the operating system settings for the number format. With this, for example data from Excel using comma as the decimal separator can be pasted easily into FEFLOW that always uses a dot.

 

Empty lines in between value pairs are interpreted as gaps in the time series. Empty lines at the end of the copied block are ignored.

Gaps in Time Series

Time series may have gaps to for example turn a boundary condition off during a certain period or to limit the application of a BC to a certain time period. Gaps can be introduced by either using the tool buttons in the time-series editor, by importing a *.pow file with corresponding definitions or by pasting tables with empty lines representing the gaps from the clipboard.

 

Time series with gaps cannot be used to attribute time-varying material data as material properties may not have gaps.

Shortcuts

The following keyboard shortcuts are available in the time-series editor:

 

Shortcut	Description
<Insert>	Add a new row at current position
<Enter>	Finish editing of a cell
<Esc>	Skip edits, discard edited value (discard row if still incomplete)
<Tab>	Move to next editable cell, add row if current cell is the last one
<Del>	Delete selected row (s)
<Ctrl>-<c>	Copy selected row (s) to clipboard
<Ctrl>-<v>	Paste data from clipboard, overwriting ALL existing rows
<Break>	Insert gap below current row
<Shift>-<Break>	Insert gap above current row
<Ctrl>-<Up>	Move selected gap up one row
<Ctrl>-<Down>	Move selected gap down one row
<Up>	Editing: Move one cell up
<Down>	Editing: Move one cell down
<Home>	Jump to first cell during editing
<End>	Jump to last cell during editing

Units

Unit settings in time series provide the means to edit time series (both time and values) in user-defined units. While the unit class for the Time values is always time, for the Values the unit class needs to be set before being able to set a suitable user unit.

The values entered or pasted from clipboard are interpreted in user units. For internal storage and whenever they are used in FEFLOW, the values are automatically converted into the internal FEFLOW unit of the corresponding unit class.

 

It has to be ensured that the correct unit class is set for each time series that uses user units.

 

he User Unit for a specific Unit Class is not only property of a specific FEFLOW model or even time series, but also a setting for an installation of FEFLOW. Thus FEFLOW will always come up with the previously selected User Unit. Selecting a User Unit for a time series is identical to choosing a User Unit in the Unit Conversion dialog.