[kepler-dev] Prototyping Workflows

[Dan Higgins]

Hi Glen,
We did have such a prototyping actor in Kepler at one time that 
generated Java stub code. It got dropped (for various reasons I cannot 
remember!). However, a complex workflow can easily be prototyped using 
the Composite actor. Just drag as many Composites as needed to the 
canvas, add input/output ports, change the Composites names to 
appropriate values. Each Composite can represent a high level logical 
function in a workflow design. It doesn't need to do anything initially, 
while later it can be opened and detailed subworkflows can be 
constructed inside the composite (either with existing low level actors 
or new ones.)

Dan Higgins
NCEAS

Glen Jarvis wrote:
> Ilkay,
>     I have been reviewing some of the Kepler publications. In the  
> publication that you and several other authors (Chad Berkley, Efrat  
> Jaeger, Matthew Jones, Bertram Ludascher and Steve Mock) wrote, titled  
> "Kepler: An Extensible System for Design and Execution of Scientific  
> Workflows, you (et al.) mentioned the design actor:
>
>
>   
>> Prototyping workflows: Kepler allows scientists to prototype SWFs  
>> before implementing the actual code needed for execution. Kepler’s  
>> design actor can be seen as a “blank slate” which prompts the  
>> scientist for critical information about an actor, e.g., the actor’s  
>> name, and port information. Once the user has prototyped an actor in  
>> this way, a corresponding stub is compiled at run-time and added to  
>> the user’s library.  The user can then use this stub on the workflow  
>> canvas to prototype a workflow.
>>     
>
> I didn't see any reference to this in the Developer's Tutorial  
> (http://www.kepler-project.org/Wiki.jsp?page=KeplerDevelopersTutorial).
>
> Is the design actor still in use? If so, do you think it would be  
> helpful to show how this can be done in an introductory developer  
> video? Are there more materials that explain how this happens? (I  
> personally don't know how to do this.)
>
> Ideally, I would have worked through each of the steps of learning,  
> creating videos and reviewing documentation. In this way, I would have  
> worked progressively through the material, learning and contributing  
> as I have gone along.
>
> Unfortunately, because of other deadlines and unexpected events that I  
> have had, I have jumped around quite a bit to just get the answer that  
> I need. I am very interested in learning to prototype a workflow  
> before Monday for something I'm working on. Is this any different,  
> however, than simply creating our own code stubs in the HelloWorld or  
> similar tutorials?
>
> Any help you, or anyone on Kepler-dev, could give would be great.
>
>
>
> Warmest Regards,
>
>
> Glen Jarvis
>   


-- 
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Dan Higgins                                  higgins at nceas.ucsb.edu
http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/    Ph: 805-893-5127
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) Marine Science Building - Room 3405
Santa Barbara, CA 93195
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