Change Filter Inputs Before Apply

Development
1

Hi all,
in PV it is currently only possible to access the “change inputs” dialog from context-menu of the pipeline-browser if the corresponding filter has been applied at least once. This is inconvenient for the following reasons:

  1. a wrongly connected filter needs to be deleted and recreated (to avoid the unnecessary apply action)
  2. filters with optional inputs will not automatically trigger the “select inputs” dialog on creation, so one has to first apply the filter without the optional inputs (performing an unnecessary calculation), then open the “select inputs” dialog, and then run the calculation again.

To fix this one needs to make the “select inputs” option available before the apply action was triggered.

For the people who will look at this issue, there is the following related issue:
Kitware is currently integrating a node editor into PV. With this editor it is convenient to reconnect filter input/outputs, but as soon as one creates a filter that requires more than 1 (non-optional) input, then PV automatically opens the tree-based “select inputs” dialog, which is no longer necessary. To consistently fix this issue I suggest to introduce a new PV setting that controls if this dialog is shown automatically on filter creation (defaults to true). End-users who are using the node editor can then turn this option off to do that operation with the editor, while end-users not using the editor are not effected.

Best
Jonas

2
  1. a wrongly connected filter needs to be deleted and recreated (to avoid the unnecessary apply action)

This is a bug and should be fixed in its on right. Change inputs should be accessible without applying.

  1. filters with optional inputs will not automatically trigger the “select inputs” dialog on creation, so one has to first apply the filter without the optional inputs (performing an unnecessary calculation), then open the “select inputs” dialog, and then run the calculation again.

Afaik, there is not concept of optional input in paraview.

That being said, this settings could make sens to be added.

FYI @utkarsh.ayachit

3

PV does support optional inputs (I use them frequently in TTK). In the XML file one needs to add <Hints><Optional /></Hints> to the input definition. If a filter requires 1 mandatory input and one optional, then the “select input” dialog is not shown automatically. I thought this is by design, but maybe that is also a bug.

4

Indeed !

This feature seems to be itentional and not a bug.