Task Overview
Tasks are the most elementary units in Rulex. Each task, apart from import tasks, receives data from its parent task and creates outputs (processed data, models,...), which in turn are provided to its child tasks. This is the concept of dataflow: each task propagates all the received tables, modifying those related to its elaboration.
If you want to see a task in action, the first operation to perform is to drag it onto the Stage.
Rulex tasks can complete entire functions, not just single operations. For example, the Data Manager task provides all data exploration operations, such as sorting, filtering, grouping, computing statistics, applying formulas, creating plots, etc. Everything you need to truly understand the data you have in hand. As all these operations are in one task you can perform many operations quickly, through rapid trial and error, and avoid lengthy computations of multiple tasks.
Double click on a task in the Rulex stage allows you to customize it through a set of configurable options (in the graphical interface and via parametric options). The options depend on the selected task.
The first task you open in a flow is opened in a separate window, and all the other tasks are visualized as tabs within it, so that it is easier to browse through them.
If a task is opened and there is a not estimable option (e.g. a variable), the option is highlighted in red.
Right-click any task to manage it with the following operations:
Command | Description |
|---|---|
Compute | Computes the tasks in different ways according to the option chosen. To know more about this command, go to the corresponding page. |
Reset | Resets the task in one of two ways:
|
Edit Priority | Allows you to modify priority settings for the specific task. To know more, go to the corresponding page. |
Take a look | Allows you to view the data related to a task, and perform all the tasks provided by the Data Manager task, in read-only mode, so you do not need to add a Data Manager task to the flow to view its contents. |
Link to | Connects the task to another selected task in the flow. After selecting Link to, simply select the second task to which you want to connect. |
Create module | Compacts all the selected tasks into a single module task. For more details go to the corresponding page. |
Open | Opens the selected task in the flow. The same operation can be performed by double-clicking the task. |
Rename | Opens an edit box where you can rename the task. Providing user-friendly names for tasks, which identify their contents or function, makes the flow easier to understand. |
Bring to front | Brings the current task to the front, in case you are building a multi-dimensional flow. It is useful if you have more tasks in the same place and you want to make one noticeable. |
Send to back | Brings the current task to the back, in case you are building a multi-dimensional flow. It is useful if you have more tasks in the same place and you want to bring one to the back to make it less noticeable. |
Delete | Deletes the selected task and any connectors. |
Copy | Copies the task to another part of the flow. This operation copies the configuration options made in the task, but not the data it contains. |
Halo option: if you select and then click on the task, four buttons appear around it. If you want to perform operations which require more tasks, you need to select them by drawing a selecting area onto the stage, which includes the tasks we want to involve in the following operations:
Name | Description |
|---|---|
Delete | Located in the top-left corner of the task, this button deletes the task from the stage. |
Compute selected | Located in the top-right corner of the task, this button computes only the selected task in the flow. |
Compute onwards | Located in the lower-right corner of the task, this button computes all the tasks linked to the current one going from it onwards. |
Compute up to | Located in the lower-left corner of the task, this button computes all the tasks linked to the current one and up to it. |
The Halo option allows to quickly perform the most common operations with tasks without the need of opening the contextual menu.