Calcpad roadmap or what should be the next features to be developed

[Proektsoftbg]

After the last big change (vectors and matrices) we had to stop for a while and pay more attention on quality: bug fixes, code refactoring, performance improvements and reporting. But the time to add the next bundle of new features is coming. Taking all recent suggestions and feature requests, I compiled the following list:

1. Reading and writing vector/matrix data from/to Excel and text/CSV files.
2. Advanced native data visualization/plotting with more chart types (bar, area, scatter, pie, doughnut, 3D, etc.), more options for line types, colors, widths, axis types (linear, log/Bode), labels, title, etc. Similar to what Excel and, say matplotlib includes.
3. Custom formatting of numbers in the report: engineering, phasor, comma separator, thousands separator - for a section or even individual values.
4. High performance vectors and matrices (hpVector and hpMatrix).
5. Multiple document tabs in one Calcpad window.
6. Native page header/footer support that provides appropriate UI to define and support for Html, Pdf and Word output
7. Function insertion wizard as in Excel and Mathcad and matrix insertion/editing dialog as table. Image insertion window with sizing and options.
8. "Table" data type that can hold 2D or 1D array of strings in a variable. It will display automatically as a table in the output.
9. List of all defined custom variables (with values) and functions with history.
10. Replace WPF with the multiplatform Avalonia UI to have a Linux GUI version.
11. Implement the fully featured and powerful AvaloniaEdit code editor instead of the current RichTextBox control.
12. Code navigation side menu (TOC).
13. Preferences dialog: font size and color, default image saving folder, page size, margins, header and footer.
14. Custom multiline compiled functions.
15. Allow for markdown in comments - headings, bold, italic, etc.
16. Add special math functions: gamma, beta, zeta, Bessel, Erf, Fresnel integrals, elliptic, etc.
17. Add functions to access CoolProp library from a Calcpad worksheet.

Etc...

If you have more ideas or suggestions, please feel free to share your opinion here. I will also rise a donation campaign about the new features. I also rely very much on your support to spend time and money on the development of Calcpad. It is a lot of work and I will really appreciate and support.

[sononicola]

• add a lateral tab with all variables and functions that are definided. And maybe a way to see if some of them are overwritten (for example "a=2 on line 5", "a = 7 on line 30 (current)" )

[Proektsoftbg]

Good suggestion, thank you. I added it to the list.

[idealkindom]

Suggestions:

1. add menu to go foward backward, and a main page, a collection menu just like the full web browser.
2. Let the UI support pop-up dialogue for #input and #pause etc.
3. Define a macro to generate matrix for structure described by easy functions of nodes and boundary conditions.
4. With every release, list all the language version and portable versions, which is the same for Calcpad's mainpage and sourceforge page.
5. As for raise donation, I suggest to use Wechatpay or Alipay to help this in China and Chinese area in the word.
6. Support some interface for AI to help with coding, maybe this could be first online with Calcpad's mainpage. Also, all the aforementioned work may be promoted with the help of AI.
   If I get more points I will supplement latter.

[Proektsoftbg]

Thank you for your valuable suggestions. I added all versions to the latest release. I also included other points into the wish list. About 6, I am not sure whether I can do it and how to do it, so I need to do some more research first. About 3, I hope some contributor can do it based on my FEA examples.

[Proektsoftbg]

Maybe for AI, you can Grammarly: https://www.grammarly.com/
Theoretically, it could work in any text window.

[Proektsoftbg]

I also forgot one important thing I have planned since we had the Linux version:

Replace WPF with the multiplatform Avalonia UI to have a Linux GUI version. Also implement the fully featured and powerful AvaloniaEdit code editor control:

https://github.com/AvaloniaUI/AvaloniaEdit

Unlike the RichTextBox we are using now, it has all source code editing features one could imagine. I can easily port the Calcpad language grammar to it.

[sdesprad]

Would be possible to consider a navigator tab, like a table of content, similar to markdown cells in Jupyter Lab? This would help us navigate through the left pane code. Thank you

[Proektsoftbg]

Yes, thank you. I added it to the wish list. There are also other similar requests.

[Cobse]

Would be nice to have auto update.

https://docs.velopack.io/getting-started/csharp

[Proektsoftbg]

Hi! Thanks for sharing. I will consider this option.

[jgagnonNT]

Suggestions:

1. Solver for multiple equations
2. Preference setting menu : font size and color, page size, default image saving folder, page headers
3. Interactive menu for image position and sizing when going over the images

[ralphinge123]

1. Input wizard for cpd-files like pdf
2. onthe numerickeypAD MORE OPTIONS.

a)[ ] brakets
b) |_sign
Bildschirmbereich.pdf

[Proektsoftbg]

Hi! Thank you for your suggestions. I find them very useful and I added 2 and 3 in the list. About 1, if you mean algebraic solver like in Mathcad, I cannot do it because it goes beyond my capabilities. I am only a structural engineer. But you can use Calcpad's linear solvers or the nonlinear solvers from this example:

https://github.com/Proektsoftbg/Calcpad/blob/main/Examples/Mathematics/System%20of%20nonlinear%20equations.cpd

For that purpose, you will have to express your equations in matrix form.

[jgagnonNT]

Hello! What I meant is a numerical solver exactly like the one in your example in the link but integrated in a function. Great tutorial by the way!

[sdesprad]

We also want to recognize the hard work of Ned, on developing this beautiful and unique product. And the best way to help him is providing support, and letting others know about this product.

[Geoff-Beca]

Yes, great work Ned - I'm really quite impressed.

Appreciate the list above, from my perspective #6, 1, & 8 are probably the highest priority items ..

One other thing to add to the wish list, would be the ability to separate input and code, e.g. to facilitate a 'locked down' calculation engine which has been verified (plus some form of version control/identifier), and then to be able to load a pre-prepared input dataset.

This would be very powerful in terms of robustness, 'batch-mode' operation, unit testing, etc.

Keep up the good work !!

[Proektsoftbg]

Hi! Yes, this is possible.
Calcpad.eu works in this way. The code for all worksheets is predefined and stored into a database. Then, the user input data is appended at the end of the code by concatenation. Data is divided from the code by vertical tab '\v'. Separate values are divided from each over by tabs '\t'.

[javila]

It would be nice if we were able to create custom functions using some programing features. Of course we could try to use some #def macros, but it's really limited and in fact it will insert extra content every time you use a macro. Maybe you could consider using ClearScript (or something like that)?

Another thing: would be possible to create a #clearvars command to "clear" all variables used before? This is useful (for me, as a professor) to solve multiple short problems in a single CPD document without accidentally using previous variables instead of defining new ones.

[Proektsoftbg]

Hi! Thank you for reminding me that. Custom (multiline) functions has been requested many times for several years. Maybe it is already time to add them too. Since Calcpad already has its syntax parser and compiler, it would be best to define it in Calcpad language and compile them internally to IL code to be executed. (Native code for the particular processor architecture is generated by the .NET JIT Compiler at runtime). We can use similar syntax to macros' #def - #end def. Maybe #defun - #end defun or #func - #end func.

About clear, it is a good idea too. Maybe we should allow it for all definable items: variables, units, functions, macros or all, e.g.:
#clear all
or
#clear variables functions

[javila]

Hi, Ned!

The #clear (with parameters) command would be great.

And about the multiline functions... I always wanted to be able to include functions like Roark's stress concentration factors (example below) or even some tabulated values I could do some interpolation and get a parameter.

[Proektsoftbg]

What do you think about some internal spell checker for the text in comments?
I know you could use Grammarly in any window, including Calcpad (I have tried myself) but...

[javila]

Hi! That could be cool, but I think it's low priority (IMHO).

I would prefer to see the option to use #, ##, ###, ... instead of <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, ... HTML tags... ; )

[Proektsoftbg]

Yes, you are right. Maybe we can implement even some Markdown into comments. also for bold, italic... A lot of users has been requesting that for a long time.

[GiorgioBurbanelli89]

But if you like it to also remain html so you can learn something from this code along with the changes

[FEA-eng]

I’d love some wizards/tools for easier input of complicated equations: #200

[abegertler]

A dark mode in the native IDE would be fantastic!!
(This would make the program nearly complete at least for me:)

Some users (such as myself, and I wonder what percentage we are), really struggle to use any program which does not have a dark mode, due to eye strain. Dark mode is generally more readable for many. I wouldn't bother putting advanced graphical outputs in dark mode, such as plots. Most important would be the editor to begin with. Even a basic global color invert of the current IDE would do 80% of what I'm looking for! I can attest to this as I've tested this by using Calcpad with my system colors globally inverted. (Unfortunately this is not a great solution, because this turns white all the rest of my applications which are already in dark mode)

[GiorgioBurbanelli89]

It would be interesting to use for example I have a function
#def f$(x$)
x$+1
#end defend
y=f$(2)';' z=f$(4)';' t=f$(3)
that it is on the same line to save lines space because it is currently like that
#def f$(x$)
y=x$+1
#end defend
f$(x)
and
I can't pick directly in macros it would be a great help to avoid being placing like this

[GiorgioBurbanelli89]

It would be interesting to add matrices within a matrix and to be operations with submatrices in itself. Calpad is very similar to Matlab or Octave. There has been a lot of progress with matrices and vectors. Many functions are similar to Octave, so a merit for that. I would appreciate in the future adding submatrix operations that Mathcad and Matlab have.

[imartincei]

I would add built-in macros for commonly needed functionality to make it easier to pick up CalcPad with less HTML knowledge (Maybe using built-in$$(var) syntax or something to avoid namespace cluttering). Also, the ability to input matrices with fixed or dynamic size. See idea #519 for more thoughts on this.

Of those currently on the list, I agree with @Geoff-Beca that 1, 8, 9, and 14 are highest priority for me.

[strsthapa]

1, 8 ,9, 12, 14 are the priority. But may it will be easy for you to rank the proposed/required features from the community members and implement it once there is enough interest. Also, an idea/thought regarding sketch options such as https://excalidraw.com/ , I know we do have svg support which is great for standardized templates or figures but for quick sketches(with no svg coding itself) which are not repetitive it might be helpful.