About Nodes

The following nodes are not available in Source (public version): Off-allocation and Transfer Ownership.

Nodes represent places where actions or measurements occur in a river system, where water can be added, extracted, stored, recorded, or change ownership in a model. A node can be used to represent things that actually happen over a large physical area but that, for modelling purposes, occur at a single point. In sub-catchments, they provide a position in the catchment network where water management information can be placed. In Source, nodes are depicted using the icons shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Node icons for Source

Using nodes in Source

This section outlines how to work with nodes in Source. Some actions can be duplicated for links.

Adding nodes in a model

To add a node to a model, either drag the appropriate type of node from the Node Palette and drop it onto the Schematic Editor, or right-click on the Schematic Editor and choose the appropriate node from the Add menu.

Node and link default names

Whenever a node or link is created, it is given a default name in the pattern:

type #

where "type" is the type of node or link and "#" is a number which increases monotonically during the life of the schematic.

Node connections

Nodes can be joined to each other according to the matrix in Figure 2. Links between nodes will vary depending on the nodes being connected. For example, a wetland conveyance link will occur when a storage node is linked to a wetland connector.

Figure 2. Node connection matrix

Renaming nodes and links

Changing the name of a node or link only alters it in the scenario that you changed it in. A change in one scenario does not propagate to others; they are not linked in any way. You can change the name of a node or link using one of the following methods:

To make the Project Explorer visible, choose View » Project Explorer or click its equivalent on the toolbar. In the Project Hierarchy, click the node or link to select it, pause, and click a second time. The name will be prepared for editing (Figure 3). Type the new name and press return; or
Right-click the node or link in the schematic and choose Rename. The name will be prepared for editing. Type the new name in the field, then press Enter.

Figure 3. Renaming a node or link

Note: Source does not support duplicate names for nodes or links and will warn you if there is one. You must ensure that the names you choose are unique to the scenario (schematic).

Editing nodes

Use the feature editor of a node to change the parameters associated with them. To open a feature editor you can either double click on the node icon, or right click on the icon and select Edit.

Searching for nodes and links

The Find panel in Source allows you to search for specific nodes and links within open scenarios. Press Ctrl+F to open the Links panel (Figure 4) and enter the search term. The result set indicates the scenario containing the node/link along with its type. This is useful when you are working with very large scenarios.

Figure 4. Find panel

Copying and pasting

You can copy and paste a desired selection of nodes and/or links within the same scenario only. Select the desired nodes and/or links, right click and choose Copy. To paste the selection, right click on the Schematic Editor and choose Paste.

Note: Any expressions and functions associated with the nodes and/or links do NOT get copied. You cannot copy nodes and links between scenarios or projects.

Deleting nodes and links

Deleting nodes can be achieved simply by selecting the node and pressing the delete key, or by right-clicking it and choosing Delete from the contextual menu. Deleting a link removes only the link. Deleting a node removes both the node and any links that were attached to the node.

Note: Deleting a node will cause loss of any data associated with that node, as well as any links connecting to or from it. A delete operation cannot be undone. You must recreate the link or node.

This section describes how the various nodes available in Source can be configured. For the scientific background behind their operation, refer to the Source Scientific Reference Guide.

Note: In a catchments scenario, all nodes are, by default, confluence nodes, so every node ever created will be, at least, a confluence.

Adding notes to nodes and links

You can add a text-based message or note to a node or link. Refer to About notes for more information on notes.

Note: You can only add a note for a link that has been configured for storage routing.

To add (or edit) a note:

Open the feature editor;
Right click on the icon (of the node or link); and
Choose Add Note (or Edit Note) from the contextual menu.

Figure 5 shows how to follow this procedure for an inflow node.

Figure 5. Inflow node, adding/editing a note

About the Feature Table

The Feature Table (shown in Figure 6) shows a summary view of all nodes and storage links in the selected project, including each of their configured parameters (numerical values) and data inputs (expressions, functions and time series). This allows you to review and manage model parameters during scenario development.

Note: Details of the Feature Table provided below are relevant to a Schematic scenario. For a Geographic scenario, choose Edit » Rainfall Runoff Models... and refer to Rainfall runoff models.

Once a schematic scenario has been created, the Feature Table can be accessed by choosing Edit » Feature Table....

Figure 6. Feature Table

Attributes of the Feature Table include:

A tool-tip appears when you hover over a column header;
The ability to filter on a particular column - this is very useful when a scenario has multiple water user demand model types. Refer to the section below for details;
The ability to enable/disable checkboxes of individual nodes in their associated feature editors.
If you specify invalid values for specific cells, they will not be saved when you click OK. For example, the Maximum Extraction Rate of a Supply Point node cannot be a negative number;
If available (and relevant), you can change units in a column. Hover on the Units button in the column header and choose the required units from the drop-down menu;
You can import and export .csv files in the Feature Table. Refer to the respective sections below for details;
The ability to copy and paste columns and rows. Use the Shift key in conjunction with the arrow keys to choose multiple rows and/or columns. Alternatively, you can click and drag the mouse to choose multiple cells. Press Ctrl+C to copy the cells, then (Ctrl+V and Shift) to paste in the required cells. This is similar to the Apply All option for catchments; and
Some columns provide a read-only view of the node/link - these are parameters that cannot be changed in the feature editor. Clicking on Feature Editor… will open the associated node’s feature editor.

Note: For storage nodes, the table does not show details of any outlets that have been configured. For the water user node, you can view the type of demand modelling configured. However, details of the modelling are not shown.

Working with filters in the Feature Table

You can have multiple filters active at once. To open the filter dialog:

Hover your mouse pointer on the column header until a drop-down arrow appears; and
Click on the arrow to open the dialog.

Once a filter is active, an icon appears in the column header indicating that a filter is active for that column. The example in Figure 7 shows that filtering is active for the Name and Level columns.

Note: Click Filter Reset to disable any active filters.

Figure 7. Feature Table, filtering on multiple columns

Filtering on numerical values

To filter on columns that have numerical values, open the filter dialog (as described above) and specify its parameters (shown in Figure 8):

Specify the first filter using the Symbols drop-down menu and enter a numerical value;
If you wish to change the units, click on the column units button and specify the required units;
Enable the checkbox if you wish to define the second filter; and
Click Filter to activate enable the filter. The result will appear in the Feature Table.

Figure 8. Feature Table, filtering on numerical values

Filtering on names

You can filter based on the Element Type name:

Open the filter window (Figure 9);
Enter the required string in the text field; and
Click Filter.

Figure 9. Feature Table, filtering on names

Importing

Columns and rows may be in a different order prior to importing. Note that column and row headers should match exactly to ensure the correct operation;
You can import more columns than is visible in the Feature Table. This is applicable when filtering has been turned on; and
Read-only columns are not imported.

Exporting

Only visible rows and columns are exported. So, if filtering is turned on, the filtered rows and columns will be exported;
The column title of the exported file is combination of the top-level header and the column header of the Feature Table (refer to Figure 6); and
The Feature Editor column is not exported.

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