AcpStyles

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ACP offers a wide variety of styles and options to control the look and functioning of the user interface. Many of these go beyond what is (currently) available in Desktop Analytica (DTA).

The easiest way to set most of these styles and options is to use the ACP Style Library. Select Add Library... from the File menu and select the ACP Style Library to add into your model. This library lets you select most ACP styles and options interactively from checkboxes and menus. You can configure Navigation styles, Node styles and Frame nodes. For many options, it shows a preview of what it will look like in ACP. When you set an option, it automatically sets the corresponding CloudPlatformStyles , so you don't need to worry about them, and can ignore the rest of this page.

This page is for those geeks who want to know the details of these CloudPlatformStyles , or if you want to use those few CloudPlatformStyles not (yet) accessible in the ACP Style Library.

You set general styles and options that apply to the whole model by adding flags to the CloudPlatformStyles attribute for the main model. You set styles specific to a particular module or node by adding flags to the CloudPlatformStyles attribute for that object.

The easiest way to view and edit the CloudPlatformStyles attribute in Desktop Analytica is to use the Attribute panel. Select CloudPlatformStyles from the list of Attributes at the top of that panel. By default, CloudPlatformStyles is not shown in the Object window, so you first need to set it to be shown in the Attributes dialog.

The CloudPlatformStyles and their flags are not case sensitive.

When you put multiple flags in a CloudPlatformStyles attribute, you can separate them by commas, spaces, or newlines. We recommend putting each flag on a separate line for clarity. ACP just looks for the particular text values and doesn't care about the separators.

Model level styles

These styles apply to the entire model. You set them in the CloudPlatformStyles attribute for the Main Model. (They have no effect when set for a submodule.)

Navigation style

These Navigation_style options control how a user can view and access the module hierarchy:

• Navigation_style: Outline -- Show an expandable tree of modules on the left of the ACP window, similar to the outline view in desktop Analytica (showing only modules not other objects). This is the default style when you upload a model with no ACP styles set or no Acp styles library embedded, or if you have not yet set the Navigation style in the Acp styles library.
• Navigation_style: Top diagram only -- Show only the top diagram, with no Outline and no tabs. This lets you make a simple web application with a single UI page. The diagram size is the size of the top diagram last saved in Desktop Analytica (in a non - maximized window).

For 'Tabbed application', each module in the main model becomes a tab. The order of the tabs follows the sequence of the module nodes in the main diagram, from left to right then top to bottom. The diagram size foreach tab (module) is the size of the top diagram last saved in Desktop Analytica (in a non-maximized window).

• Navigation_style: Top_tabs -- The main modules in the top model appear as a row of tabs across the top of the window. Click a tab to show the diagram for that module.
• Navigation_style: Side_tabs -- The main modules in the top model appear as a column of tabs on the left of the window. Click a tab to show the diagram for that module.

We describe each in more detail below.

Outline Tree

By default, when using the Outline Navigation style, ACP shows an expandable outline tree of modules on the left hand side of the window, similar to the Outline view in Analytica on the desktop. This makes it easy to navigate a model with an extensive hierarchy of modules. This outline is only present with Outline Navigation style.

A navigation flag is not needed for this style, but if you want to explicitly set this style you can add Navigation_style: Outline to the top diagram's CloudPlatformStyles attribute.

Outline Tree

• show_outline: no For small models, and most web apps, you may want to suppress the Outline view even when using the Outline Navigation style. Do this by inserting this text into the top diagram's CloudPlatformStyles attribute (See image below). (If a model has only one diagram, i.e. with no modules, it never shows the outline tree.)
  

Toolbar Tabs

• show_tabs: no

By default, ACP shows navigation tabs for "Diagram", "Object", "Table", "Graph" along the top. Use this flag to hide those tabs. If you display the model inputs and outputs on the diagram -- using embedded tables and graphs on the diagram -- your users may not need those tabs. (You can also use show_tabs: yes to explicitly show the tabs.) Only present with the Outline Navigation style, these tabs are not compatible with and will not display if the Model title is showing - because they would tend to overlap the model title.

Module hierarchy bar

For a multi-module model using tabbed navigation, ACP shows the model hierarchy in a bar at the top of the diagram by default. The model hierarchy header shows you where you are in a large model by listing the titles of the ancestor modules in which the current diagram is nested. You can click any ancestor to click up levels in the hierarchy. The Hierarchy Bar takes up much less screen real estate than the Outline Tree.

ACP doesn't show the hierarchy bar when you are viewing a top level module, since its title is already in the selected tab. With a two-level tab navigation, it shows the hierarchy bar only when viewing a module nested 3 or more levels down. Basically, the hierarchy header does not duplicate what you can see in the tabs.

Note that this setting is not based on a CloudPlayerstyle attribute, but rather on the Show module hierarchy check box in the model Preferences in Analytica. If you want to set this preference manually, with the model opened in Analytica, on the Edit menu, select Preference..., and check (or uncheck) the Show module hierarchy checkbox. If you are using the ACP styles library, the Styles library will set this to the default setting automatically once you select a Navigation style.

Top Diagram Only

Not to be confused with the Cloudplayerstyle flag of similar name: top_diagram_only: yes. This is a navigation style most easily set with the ACP styles library. In addition to the top_diagram_only:yes flag, the Styles library will set the flags show_outline:no, show_tabs:no, and show_parent_diagram_button:no .

Tabbed Module Navigation

As an alternative to the Outline view, you can set the Navigation_style to use use a tabbed interface which is often more convenient and familiar for web applications. By default, the main model appears as the first tab. You can sw

There are two tabbed styles, Top_tabs, with a row of tabs across the top; and Side_tabs with a column of tabs down the side. Top_tabs works well if you have up to 5 to 8 modules in the main diagram (tabs), depending on the length of their titles and the width of the ACP window. If you have a lot of modules, or they have long titles, it may be better to use Side_tabs.

'Top tabs or side tabs.' The first tab displays the top level diagram, and the remaining tabs display the modules present on the top level diagram of the model. (The modules will not display on the diagram, so you need to tweak your diagram for playing in ACP so that it looks right without these present). The size of the diagram is determined by the size of the top level diagram window when the model was last saved in Analytica.

• navigation_style: top_tabs

This setting instructs ACP to use the 'Tabs across top' navigation style.

• navigation_style: side_tabs

This setting instructs ACP to use the 'Side tabs' navigation style. Side tabs work better than top tabs when there are more module nodes present.

Use top diagram size for all ACP windows

• Use_top_diagram_size:Yes Sets the size of all diagrams based on the size of the diagram window of the top level when the model was last viewed in Desktop Analytica (in non-maximized mode). This is mandatory in all but Outline style, and optional in the Outline style. Use_top_diagram_size:No is the same as if the flag is not set, and is the default in Outline Navigation style - the ACP diagram will use the entire canvas.

Tab color

When using Tabbed Navigation, you can use these flags to control how the color of the tabs display on your model in ACP. To use, add one of them to the CloudPlayerStyle attribute of the top level diagram of your model. They have no effect if added to a module other than the top diagram.

• Tab_color: Default The default. Non-selected tabs are bluish white. The selected tab uses the background color for that diagram.
• Tab_color: Background All tabs use their diagram background color, whether selected or not
• Tab_color: Node The selected Tab uses its diagram background color; The other tabs use the color of their Module node (not their diagram background color). You can use this to change the color of the tabs by modifying their node color in an Analytica functions.

• all_tabs_diagram_color: yes This flag has been deprecated and may not work in future ACP releases. Replaced by Tab_color: Background .

Display Only a Single Diagram

• top_diagram_only: yes

Use this flag if you want to restrict users access to only the top diagram. With this flag, any action that would normally bring up a different diagram will just reload the top diagram. (If you are using this setting, you will also want to also not display the Outline Tree as explained above, since clicking on the modules in the Outline will have no effect.)

Go into Parent Button

The user clicks this button to display the parent module diagram of the current diagram:

It appears by default in the Outline navigation style, but not in the tabbed styles. The button does not appear in the top diagram, where it would have no function.

• show_parent_diagram_button: no

Set this flag to "no" to stop displaying the 'Go into Parent' button.

Show or hide the Model title

• show_model_title: no

Hide the title of the model, which appears by default in the top Teal bar.

Show or hide the Uncertainty view menu

In desktop Analytica, the Uncertainty views menu appears above each result graph or table to let you select Mid to display its deterministic value, or Mean, Probability distribution, and other ways to display a probabilistic value. By default, ACP shows the Uncertainty menu if a probabilistic view is selected, but hides the menu when 'Mid' is selected. That avoids cluttering the user interface with an irrelevant menu for variables or models that are deterministic. But it also means that for a variable that has a probabilistic value, you can't see it again after you select Mid in ACP, or if you saved the variable with Mid view in desktop Analytica before uploading the model to ACP.

You can override this default behavior with this ACP style for the entire model:

• Show_uncertainty_view: No Never show the uncertainty menu. Suitable for models with no probabilistic values, or if you want to fix a particular probabilistic view for each variable so that ACP users can't change it.
• Show_uncertainty_view: Yes Always show the uncertainty menu even for variables that are not probabilistic, as in Desktop Analytica.

Hide the Banner and Logo

Another flag it's easier to use the ACP Style Library to set, since it is only compatible with the parent button and toolbar tabs hidden. The Styles library changes all the flags at once, and prevents you from entering incompatible combinations.

• show_banner: no

Hides the banner space usually present at the top of ACP. The banner typically contains the Lumina Logo, the Parent Diagram button, tabs, Close Model button, and Save button.

• This could be useful for customizing the appearance of a model embedded in a web page, for instance.

• If you play a model without the banner area in ACP, there isn't a convenient way to close the model without closing the browser.

Exclude the top level diagram from tabs

You should use the ACP Style Library if you want to set this flag, to avoid incompatible settings.

• Optionally, Enter the text Show_as_tab: no in the CloudPlatformStyles attribute of the top level module.

• show_as_tab: no

Excludes the top level diagram and just shows the submodules of the top level diagram as tabs. Since the top diagram will not display in ACP, you include the key user interface pages as modules in the main model. Can be used only with 'Top tabs' or 'Side tabs' styles.

• When setting tabbed Navigation styles using the ACP Styles Library, the default is for the Top level diagram to be included, except with two tiers of tabs, for which it is (Currently) required to exclude the top diagram from the tabs.

If you want to see what it looks like, play this model Array examples in ACP, with the show_as_tab: no style in the cloud platform styles attribute, and set to tabs along top.

• Play this model in ACP and the top level diagram does not show. Rather the diagram for 'Intro to Arrays' shows as the first tab and then the other tabs.

Styles for diagram nodes

You can set some styles for your model which will affect how nodes on the diagram are displayed. -->

• Note that the 2 styles calc_on_open: yes and auto_recalc_results: yes have not been implemented in ACP3 and have been replaced with the Desktop Analytica functionality for Proactive_Evaluation.
• show_hover_highlight: no

By default, ACP displays a hover highlight -- a contrasting light rectangle behind a node -- when you move the cursor over the node. You can suppress this by including the show_hover_highlight: no. This style should be applied to the top level model object. It does have any effect currently when applied to individual nodes. (The hover highlight is different from the Help Balloon described below.)

• show_copy_table_icon: no

Usually, ACP displays a copy table icon near the upper right hand corner of a result table (or edit table, but less useful here). Clicking the icon copies the table as displayed so it can be pasted into another place, e.g. Excel. If you want to hide this icon, this is the flag to use. The Copy Table Icon is the icon shown in the image below. This style should be applied to the top level model object. It doesn't have any effect currently when applied to individual nodes.

• ShowIONodeButtonText: no

This flag will cause the text Calc/Result/Edit Table etc. to not appear on the input / output buttons

Needs to be added to the CloudPlatformStyle attribute for the top diagram of your model. Has not yet been implemented for individual nodes.

Balloon Help

When you move the cursor over a node, ACP usually shows a "balloon" popup next to the node with the title, units and description of the node (if it has one) to help end users understand what its for, or what to enter for a user input. If the node has no description, the balloon help will not appear.

• show_id_in_balloon: yes

Use this flag to show each node's identifier below its title in the balloon -- unless the identifier and title are identical (except for spaces which are replaced by underscores).

• show_definition_in_balloon: yes

Use this flag to show the node's definition in the balloon below the description.

• hover_balloon_delay

When you mouse over a node, there's a short delay of about half a second before it displays the balloon (to prevent wild balloon appearance when you move the cursor rapidly over a diagram.) You can tweak this delay time measured in milliseconds by inserting this flag. E.g. hover_balloon_delay: 200 to reduce the delay to .2 seconds.

The three flags above go in the CloudPlatformStyles of the model and apply to all nodes in the model. You can also modify some aspects of the balloon separately for each node by inserting these flags in CloudPlatformStyles for each node:

• show_hover_balloon: no

Insert this flag in the CloudPlatformStyles for a node, to suppress display of its balloon.

• show_hover_balloon_title: no

Insert this flag in the CloudPlatformStyles for a node, to suppress its title in the balloon.

Enhanced Diagram Graphics

You can control the appearance of nodes, with bevels, shadows, and highlights, by setting these in the CloudPlatformStyles for the model. By default (for now) ACP displays nodes without these effects, similar to Desktop Analytica, looking rather flat like this:

• node_drop_shadow: yes

Setting this flag, displays a drop shadow behind each node, giving a kind of 3D effect:

• bevel_node_border: yes

Setting this flag, displays a bevel border for each node, giving another kind of 3-D effect:

• glow_hover_highlight: yes

Set this flag to show a "glowing" highlight around each node when you move the cursor over a node.
glow_hover_highlight: no. Switches off this behavior, which is the default behavior in ACP

Here is the glow hover effect on a node, along with Drop shadow and Beveled border effects.

These effects are new and are still somewhat experimental, so, they are off by default. You are welcome to try them out, by setting CloudPlatformStyles for the main model. Eventually, these effects may become the default. Then you'll be able to turn each one off using Node_drop_shadow: no, Bevel_node_border: no, andGlow_hover_highlight: no.

Styles to adjust the ACP canvas

Set the ACP canvas size

The default ACP3 Flash Canvas is set to "100%". This means that the canvas is the same size as the browser window.

There are two cloud player styles for optionally controlling screen size.

• screen_width: 999, and screen_height: 999

where 999 is the number of pixels to use for your ACP canvas. If you use these flags you need to add space for the Banner/Tabs/Hierarchy headers or the outline on the left.

Scroll Bars

• Add_scroll_bars: yes

You can add this flag to the top level diagram's CloudPlatformStyles attribute if you want to add scroll bars on a large diagram. New to ACP 5.1: Scroll bars no longer show by default, since they take up screen space.

Node Level Settings

These style flags and options apply to individual nodes (variables), rather than the model as a whole. So, you set these flags on the CloudPlatformStyles for selected objects (nodes).

Other node level flags

Prevent nodes from showing on the diagram

• Show_Object: no

You can prevent nodes or modules from showing on the diagram of your model, by adding this flag to the CloudPlatformStyles attribute of the object you wish to hide.

• Once played in ACP the objects aren't visible, and if the outline is displayed the module will not be shown in the Outline either.

Asychronous calls

See the what's new page here also Explanation of ACP's use of Asynchronous polling

• use_async_calls: no

This flag needs to be set in the top diagram of your model if you don't want to use asynchronous calls. This may slightly speed up model playing for some models of course, you don't want to add this flag if you have features in your model which require asynchronous polling)

• use_async_calls: yes

This flag has been deprecated since asynchronous polling has been implemented as default in ACP, and will be removed from this wiki eventually.

"ACP Current User" Variable

Add a variable to your model which will show the current user's email address as a result.

• Open the model in Desktop Analytica.
• Add a variable with identifier Acp_current_user to the model and save it.

• When you play the model in ACP, and evaluate Acp_current_user, the result is the user e.g. johndoe@gmail.com {when playing an email invite the result will be "anonymous"}.

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Embedded Tables and Graphs

In ACP it is possible to display graphs and tables directly on the diagram. The CloudPlatformStyles can be used to specify the region on the diagram to display these tables or graphs.

More on embedded tables and graphs.

See Also

• ACP Style Library
• media:ACP style library.ana
• Analytica Cloud Player
• ACP Rendering tables and graphs on the diagram
• Putting ACP in a Web Page
• Help balloons
• Attributes
• Manage attributes