A new interactive environment for computer-aided experiments

Abstract

Computer-aided experimentation not only requires a "natural" computer language and direct program execution but also a really convenient environment for storing and recovering experi ment protocols, model descriptions, and results, which can in clude extensive time-history records. This note describes such an environment in the framework of the DESCTOP work sta tion language. Time history, program, and data files are auto matically labeled with problem identification codes, which are updated as the experiment proceeds. At the same time, the system keeps a "notebook file" which automatically records references to saved files and, in response to programmed or command-mode statements, also records program and data changes as well as user's comments. What is more, the notebook file itself is an executable DESCTOP program, whose segments can be edited and executed to recover simulation time histories and to perform postprocessing operations.