PyPLECS: Python Automation for PLECS Simulations

PyPLECS

Advanced automation for PLECS simulations with a web UI, REST API, and orchestration tools.

This repository contains the PyPLECS core library, a FastAPI-based web GUI for monitoring and controlling simulations, and helper installers/scripts to bootstrap a development or deployment environment.

Key features

• Automated orchestration of PLECS simulations (sequential and parallel)
• FastAPI web GUI with WebSocket real-time updates
• Cache system for simulation results (file-based / parquet)
• CLI helper pyplecs-setup for configuration and environment checks
• Windows installer script to create a .venv, install deps and configure the PLECS executable path

Requirements

• Python 3.8+ (3.10+ recommended)
• On Windows: PowerShell / pwsh available for installer scripts
• PLECS (external, optional) if you want to run GUI-driven simulations

Core Python dependencies are listed in requirements.txt and in pyproject.toml.

Installation

Two main ways to prepare the project environment: automated (Windows) or manual (cross-platform).

Automated (Windows) installer

The repository includes an advanced installer at tools/installers/windows_installer.ps1 that will:

• Create a .venv in the project root
• Install required Python packages into the venv
• Probe common PLECS install locations and update config/default.yml with the found executable path
• Optionally run a basic test suite to validate the setup

Run non-interactively from the project root (PowerShell):

pwsh -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\tools\installers\windows_installer.ps1 -Yes

To force recreation of the .venv, add the -ForceVenv switch:

pwsh -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\tools\installers\windows_installer.ps1 -Yes -ForceVenv

Installer logs are written to tools/installer_windows.log and status JSON to tools/installer_windows_status.json.

Manual (cross-platform)

1. Create and activate a virtual environment in the project root:

python -m venv .venv
# On Linux/macOS
source .venv/bin/activate
# On Windows (PowerShell)
.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

2. Install dependencies:

pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements.txt

3. (Optional) Install the package in editable mode for development:

pip install -e .

First steps and installation checks

• Verify the virtual environment exists and python resolves to .venv's interpreter.
• Basic check: run the web GUI locally (see Usage below).
• Use pyplecs-setup CLI (installed via pyproject.toml entry points) for convenience commands:

python -m pyplecs.cli.installer create-config
python -m pyplecs.cli.installer check-windows

Usage

Start the Web GUI

The lightweight starter script is start_webgui.py at the project root. Run it from the project root (with the .venv active):

python start_webgui.py

Default server address: http://127.0.0.1:8001

Available pages:

• / - Dashboard
• /simulations - Simulation manager
• /cache - Cache monitor
• /settings - Configuration (PLECS paths, orchestration settings)

CLI

• pyplecs-setup (entry point) provides helper tasks such as creating a minimal config/default.yml and running platform checks.

Configuration

The primary configuration file is config/default.yml. The Windows installer can populate the plecs.executable_paths entry. Example minimal config written by the installer:

plecs:
	executable_paths:
		- 'C:\\Program Files\\Plexim\\PLECS 4.7 (64 bit)\\plecs.exe'

Other application settings are stored centrally and loaded via pyplecs.config.

Running tests

The project includes pytest tests under tests/. Run the full test suite with the venv Python:

.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1  # Windows PowerShell
python -m pytest -q

For a quick installation validation without GUI dependencies, run the smoke test:

python -m pytest tests/test_smoke.py -v

The Windows installer offers an option to run pytest tests/test_basic.py to validate integration.

Troubleshooting

PLECS Path Configuration

If you get a PLECS executable not found error, update the path in config/default.yml:

plecs:
  executable_paths:
    - "C:/Program Files/Plexim/PLECS 4.7 (64 bit)/plecs.exe"  # Update to your version

You can add multiple paths for different PLECS versions:

plecs:
  executable_paths:
    - "D:/OneDrive/Documenti/Plexim/PLECS 4.7 (64 bit)/plecs.exe"
    - "C:/Program Files/Plexim/PLECS 4.7 (64 bit)/plecs.exe"
    - "C:/Program Files/Plexim/PLECS 4.6 (64 bit)/plecs.exe"

Installation Issues

• .venv not present: ensure the installer was run from the project root. The installer will create .venv in the repository root. Use -ForceVenv to recreate.
• Missing Python packages (ImportError): activate the venv and run pip install -r requirements.txt.
• Installer logs: tools/installer_windows.log and tools/installer_windows_status.json contain detailed outcomes and error codes.

Common error codes (written in status JSON):

• venv_creation_failed / venv_creation_exception - venv creation failed
• pip_install_failed / pip_install_exception - dependency installation failed
• plecs_path_invalid - supplied PLECS path could not be found

If you need interactive help on Windows, run the PowerShell installer without -Yes to use prompts.

Contributing

Contributions welcome. Please open issues or pull requests. Follow these guidelines:

• Run tests before pushing changes: python -m pytest
• Keep code style with black and flake8 as configured in requirements.txt
• Update docs/PROGRESS_MEMO.md with high-level progress notes for large changes

License

This project is licensed under the terms in the LICENSE file.

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If you want, I can also generate a short Quick Start section with example commands tailored to Windows or Linux — tell me which platform you'd like prioritized.