[Requirement] UI components for selecting, configuring, and running workflows

Executive summary

For the "80%" of basic workflow use, we need a simple interface that reduces the need for Python knowledge.

Context and background knowledge

Users need to create and configure workflows. In many cases the workflow are pre-built in the ESS* packages and need configuration. Simple GUI tools based on (probably?) ipywidgets are needed for all ESS* packages. These GUI components will, step by step (e.g., in a series of tabs), allow for:

1. Select a workflow. Assume that we can get a list of workflows from the package, i.e., as input. Each workflow will come with a description (e.g., the docstring) which should be displayed.
2. Set workflow params in widgets.
3. Optionally, define tables of params.
4. Select targets for computation, could be a single final result, or multiple, including intermediate results.
5. Run the workflow.
6. Plot or save outputs.

This requirement is a high-level overview, individual parts will be described in more detail in sub-requirements.

Have a look at, e.g., https://docs.mantidproject.org/v6.1.0/algorithms/LoadEventNexus-v1.html. The widget and the table of properties in the docs page was generated programmatically. This corresponds to step 2.) above.

Inputs

• A package can provide a list of workflows.
• Input params can be obtained from the workflow. There will be a mapping between input keys of the workflow and implementations of a Param class. The latter includes things such as a description (to be shown in the GUI), bounds, validators, ...
  • Need a way of marking parameters as advanced, so they can be hidden in default view of widgets.
• Targets could be any key in the pipeline, but likely we will want some customization, i.e., the workflow may specify this.

Methodology

Python function in a helper module that can be used to auto-generate a widget.

Outputs

A widget that can be used in a Jupyter notebook. Depending on where we stop in the listing, this might return a configured pipeline, a task graph, results, or even run, plot, and save directly.

Which interfaces are required?

Python module / function

Test cases

ESSsans is a good candidate for prototyping and trying this out

Comments

No response

No source files or entry points are named; begin by reading the requirement and inspecting ESSsans, the suggested prototype candidate, along with the proposed Python helper module and ipywidgets approach. The issue is done only when a concrete sub-requirement defines the widget scope, inputs, outputs, and test cases; this high-level requirement does not specify those completion criteria.