Installing IRENA FlexTool - SpineToolbox

Installing Spine Toolbox and IRENA FlexTool on a local computer

Follow video tutorial for installation here: Link to YouTube.

Install Miniconda (or Anaconda) [Can be ignored if already installed]
Start Anaconda prompt
Create new Python environment [Also possible to use existing, up-to-date, Spine Toolbox environment]

conda create -n flextool python=3.8

conda activate flextool

conda install git

cd to a directory into which both FlexTool and Spine Toolbox will make their own folders
Clone the FlexTool Git repository

git clone https://github.com/irena-flextool/flextool

Install Spine Toolbox [Can be skipped if using existing Toolbox environment]

git clone https://github.com/Spine-project/Spine-Toolbox.git

cd Spine-Toolbox

python -m pip install --upgrade pip

python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

In case of problems when installing Spine Toolbox, more instructions are available at: https://github.com/Spine-project/Spine-Toolbox#installation

Generate databases from templates:

cd ../flextool

Run update_flextool.py script. This will generate the Input_data.sqlite and Results.sqlite from their templates. These are not directly in the repository to avoid future overwrites. Update_flextool.py can also be used later when one wants to update the tool.

python update_flextool.py

Open a conda prompt.
Activate the environment

conda activate flextool
Launch Spine Toolbox

python -m spinetoolbox
Open FlexTool3 project in Spine Toolbox (Choose the flextool folder from File > Open project dialog)

Start anaconda/miniconda prompt
conda activate flextool (or whatever is your conda environment name for IRENA FlexTool)

If using Spine Toolbox, start by updating Spine Toolbox:

cd to the repository folder Spine-Toolbox, where you cloned it. For example cd C:\Users\YourUser\Documents\Spine-Toolbox
git pull
python -m pip install -U -r requirements.txt
cd back to FlexTool directory, where you cloned it. For example cd C:\Users\YourUser\Documents\flextool

Update IRENA FlexTool:

cd to the FlexTool directory
python update_flextool.py
This will pull the new version of the tool as well as migrating the input databases to the new version without destroying the data. Making a backup copy of the input data is still a good practice. The input_data_template.sqlite should not be used directly but by making a copy of it.
- The updated databases are:
  - The database chosen as the input data in the tool!!!
  - init.sqlite
  - input_data_template.sqlite
  - time_settings_only.sqlite
  - how to example databases
If the git complains about merge conflicts, it is probably due to you modifying the template files. Use git restore . and git pull. This will restore ALL the files downloaded from the repository to their original states. Then repeat python update_flextool.py
The Results.sqlite will only get additive changes, as we do not want to destroy your data. This causes old parameter definitions to linger in the database. You can remove them by replacing the database with a copy of the Results_template.sqlite that is kept up to date.
One can also migrate other input databases to the new version by calling:
- python migrate_database.py *absolute_path_to_database* or
- python migrate_database.py database_name.sqlite if in the main flextool folder

Update of IRENA FlexTool to the latest version is done as follows:

Start anaconda prompt
conda activate flextool (or whatever is your conda environment name for IRENA FlexTool)
cd to the FlexTool directory
git restore . (THIS WILL DELETE YOUR LOCAL CHANGES TO THE FILES IN THE WORKFLOW. This will be improved in the future. Currently you can work around this by making your own input files (Excel or SQLite) and pointing the workflow items (Excel_input_data or Input_Data) to your own files instead of the input_data.sqlite or FlexTool_import_template.xlsx.)
git pull Then do the update_flextool discribed above to migrate the databases:
python update_flextool.py