Release 11 (October 2011) of GEMPACK

GEMPACK Release 11 includes a number of enhancements (and a very few bug-fixes!) made since the April 2008 release of GEMPACK 10. The main improvements made during the last year [ie, since Release 10.002, April 2010] are listed below.

Index-in-set expressions

GEMPACK 11 allows Formulae and Equations like:

 Formula (all,c,COM) SALES(c) = DIRECTSALES(c) + if (c in MAR, MARSALES(c));
 Equation E_a1tech (all,i,IND) a1tech(i) = fa1tech(i) + if (i in ENERGY, a1energy(i));

where MARSALES is dimensioned over the set MAR and a1energy over the set ENERGY. Such expressions (which were not allowed previously) can help make code clearer, and can make possible equations that explain all elements of an LHS variable -- so that the LHS variable can be substituted out (a main way to reduce solve time).

More details here.

Transfer (IfHeaderExists)

A statement like:

 Transfer "HED3" FROM FILE infile TO FILE outfile;

will stop with an error if there is no header "HED3" on file infile. But in GEMPACK 11, the statement:

 Transfer (IfHeaderExists) "HED3" FROM FILE infile TO FILE outfile;

will do nothing (ie, cause no error) if there is no header "HED3" on file infile. The new "(IfHeaderExists)" qualifier allows a TABLO program to copy specified headers which might or might not be present on an input file.

Fortran support

For Release 11, Source-code GEMPACK now allows you to use the free GFortran compiler which you can download here. Also, Version 12 of the Intel Fortran compiler is now supported. Versions 10 and 11 of the Intel Fortran compiler are still supported, as is the LF95 Lahey compiler. However, GEMPACK 11 no longer supports the ageing LF90 Fortran compiler -- which is only partly compatible with Windows XP and later. If you are still using LF90, you'd need to upgrade to one of these modern replacements.

Online Manual

Previous GEMPACK documentation was contained in a number of separate manuals called GPD-1 to GPD-9. Now most of these documents have been revised and consolidated into a single HTM document, gpmanual.htm, which you can view on your PC. GEMPACK Windows programs link to this file, via the Help menu. Compared to the previous PDFs, it is easier to navigate and locate information. There will also be a PDF version, from which you can print out excerpts.

Other

The closure can be taken from any Release 9 or later Solution file. Prior to Release 11, this could not be done if there were backsolved variables on the Solution file. More details here.

The GEMPACK GUI programs have the following new features:

The File menu in ViewHAR enables you to launch another ViewHAR instance. ViewSOL and TABmate have similar menu items.
Since 2002 GEMPACK has allowed condensation instructions to be included in the TAB file, instead of in a separate STI file. The TAB alternative will often be clearer and more maintainable - in most cases a STI file will no longer be needed. Yet many older models continue to use a STI file to specify condensation. Now, the new TABmate command Create in-TAB condensation from STI helps convert legacy STI files to a sequence of new-style condensation statements which you can simply paste into the bottom of your TAB file.
There are now abbreviated column (year) table headings in ViewSOL's TimeSeries mode.
ViewSOL's TimeSeries menu item now offers the option of converting a sequence of solutions into a HAR File which you can immediately see in ViewHAR. In ViewHAR you can see variables with 4 or more dimensions (which are invisible in ViewSOL).
ViewHAR can now read GAMS GDX formats V5 to V7. It writes in GDX format V7.
A new item on ViewHAR's File menu allows you to compare (ie, see the numerical differences between) 2 HAR files.
In the past, monster sets with >5000 elements have caused problems for ViewHAR. First, the View Set Library command could be very slow; this has now been greatly speeded up. Second, tables with 5000 or more columns are slow to display -- although 5000 or more rows causes no problem. To speed up display, the ViewHAR data window now automatically displays the transpose of such matrices.
RunDynam now facilitates the building of quarterly or monthly models. RunDynam has required its own licence (separate from a GEMPACK licence) since early 2010.
New Systematic Sensitivity Analysis (SSA) features have been added to RunGEM and RunGTAP. In particular, Sensitivity Analysis instructions can be saved to, or loaded from, an SSA Details file. This makes reproducing or modifying SSA runs easier and more reliable. You can now do Systematic Sensitivity Analysis with respect to parameters using RunDynam.
GEMPACK now requires that the CPU in your PC supports the SSE2 instruction set (virtually all PCs made in the last 6 years have SSE2). A side-effect is that EXEs may run faster on AMD machines.

Other improvements since Release 10

GEMPACK Release 11 also includes the enhancements introduced in the update Release 10.0-002 (April 2010), including:

More efficient use of memory, so that GEMPACK programs are less likely to run out of memory (and may run slightly faster).
Allowing most programs to access up to 4GB of memory under 64-bit Windows [under 32-bit Windows the limit is still 2GB]. More details here.
Extended set constructor statements such as:
```
 Set DEMANDERS = IND + LOCALDEM + "Exports";
```
to define new sets in terms of existing sets. Previously the RHS of such statements could contain at most two sets. More details here.
Shocks from Coefficients: CMF files may contain shock statements such as:
```
 Shock v1 = coefficient COEF1 ;
 Shock v1(COM2) = select from COEF1 ;
 Shock v2 = COEF1("c2", IND) ;
```
where shock values are drawn from the initial values of a coefficient (eg, COEF1) that appears in your model TAB file. More details here.
Sparse storage used by default to store mainly-zero real arrays on disk in HAR files, potentially saving considerable hard disk space.
Report about un-condensed model size in "Model Report" section of run-time log files shows how many equations and variables the model contains prior to condensation (condensed size is also reported, as before).
ViewHAR can display solution (SL4) files -- very handy for variables with 4 or more dimensions.
64-bit Programs for Unlimited Executable-Image Version allow really huge models (>4GB memory needs) to be solved with GEMSIM.
Various improvements to GUI programs like AnalyseGE, ViewHAR and ViewSOL
Better management of MMNZ settings by RunDynam.

GEMPACK 11 also includes features introduced for GEMPACK Release 10.0-001 (April 2009) such as:

Relaxed (ie, enlarged) size limits for the Limited Executable-Image Version of GEMPACK and for TABLO-generated model EXEs (produced by you using Source-Code GEMPACK) distributed to people who have no GEMPACK licence. More here.
Compiler settings for Intel Fortran to make faster running EXE files. For example, GTAP solve times are 30% less than for Release 10.0. The Exe-Image Version also benefits since it is compiled with Intel Fortran.

Ordering or Upgrading

Release 11 will be supplied to all new GEMPACK purchasers from October 2011. Price details are listed here. Current subscribers to the "annual payment scheme" for the source-code version of GEMPACK Release are entitled to download a free upgrade if they wish -- they should email sales@gempack.com (specifying their licence number) for further details. Previous purchasers under the "single payment" scheme are entitled to an upgrade price. Substantial discounts are offered to universities and to users from lower-income countries.

Free Trial

You can freely download the Limited Executable-Image of GEMPACK 11 from here -- it comes with a 6-month trial licence.