The meaning of pale/solid block styles

In Omniscope, a block represents a data source, operation or output. The block is shown with several visual cues that tell you what's going on: has it been executed, and does it have any stored execution data. This article helps explain how to read them.

(Note: the behaviour was changed in 2024.2 in response to feedback from our users.)

Here's an example workflow that I've configured but never executed:

The blocks are pale (or hollow) which means I've not yet tested their current configuration; I've not executed them. It's possible execution will fail, and I don't know that yet. And since they haven't been executed, they won't have any execution data.

(Here, "Text input" is a special case. It never needs to be executed, and implicitly has full data always.)

Now let's execute a block. In this case I've opened the "Bond prices" demo block and pressed execute. Here's the result:

"Bond prices" is now fully coloured or "solid". This means the block, with its current configuration, has been executed. But it might have been executed a few seconds ago, or 6 years ago. It might not have execution data still. (Omniscope retains execution data indefinitely only for Report inputs.)

Hover over it to see the details in a tooltip:

Now let's execute the entire workflow. When done, it looks like this:

I can see that all blocks have been edited with their current configuration, since they are all "solid".

In fact they also have execution data as well, and I can see that because the connection chevrons (>) are solid, a subtle clue. As above, the tooltip explains this more clearly. 

In time, Omniscope will erase data from all but the Report inputs. Let's tell it to do that now, by choosing "Clean up data" from the corner 3 dots menu. Here's the outcome:

You can see that it's almost identical. Every block is still "solid", indicating that it has been successfully executed with its current configuration. Execution data is only present, however, for the "Field organiser" (as seen with the solid chevron) which is because it is a Report inputs, and the report always retains the data needed to support the charts within.

Again, the tooltip explains all:

Finally, let's reconfigure the Sort block. I've opened the block and changed a setting, and here's the outcome:

The Sort block and the downstream Output block have both become pale/hollow. This tells me that I've not yet executed these blocks (with their current configuration). The fact that I previously executed them is irrelevant, because they're no longer the same configuration. This pale style is a reminder that I should probably execute the workflow, after I've finished making a series of changes.