Prefer simple conda installation in INSTALL.md

Author: mfripp

CHANGELOG.txt renamed to CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,3 +1,31 @@
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Switch 2.0.5
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+This release standardizes all inputs and outputs as .csv files.
+
+As usual, when  you first solve an older model, Switch will prompt to backup and
+upgrade the  inputs directory. If you accept, it will convert the existing
+tab-delimited *.tab files and most ampl-format *.dat files to comma-delimited
+*.csv files. It is recommended that you update your model data preparation
+scripts to create .csv files directly. Note that non-indexed parameters should
+now be stored in .csv files with a header row listing the parameter names and a
+single data row showing their values.
+
+All multi-value outputs from Switch are also now in comma-delimited .csv files,
+instead of a mix of .csv, .tab and .txt files. (total_cost.txt is unchanged)
+
+This release also includes includes the following minor updates:
+
+- Updated installation instructions
+- Switch version number and website are now shown in the startup banner when
+  running with --verbose flag; solve messages have also been improved slightly
+- Some parsing errors for *.tab files have been fixed in the upgrade scripts;
+  this may cause errors during the upgrade process for input files that use
+  spaces instead of tabs and were previously upgraded by Switch, producing
+  malformed files.
+- Fixed several bugs in the documentation and execution of the stochastic
+  examples that use the PySP module of the Pyomo package
+
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Switch 2.0.4
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INSTALL

@@ -0,0 +1,154 @@
+# INTRODUCTION
+
+This repository contains code and example files for the Switch power system
+planning model. Switch is written in the Python language and several other
+open-source projects (notably Pyomo, Pandas and glpk). The instructions below
+show you how to install  these components on a Linux, Mac or Windows computer.
+
+We recommend that you use the Anaconda scientific computing environment to
+install and run Switch. This provides an easy, cross-platform way to install
+most of the resources that Switch needs, and it avoids interfering with your
+system's built-in Python installation (if present). The instructions below
+assume you will use the Anaconda distribution. If you prefer to use a different
+distribution, you will need to adjust the instructions accordingly. In
+particular, it is possible to install Switch and most of its dependencies using
+the pip package manager if you have that installed and working well, but you
+will need to do additional work to install glpk or coincbc, and possibly git.
+
+
+# INSTALL CONDA AND PYTHON
+
+Download and install Miniconda from
+https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/miniconda.html or Anaconda from
+https://www.anaconda.com/distribution . We recommend using the 64-bit version
+with Python 3.7. Anaconda and Miniconda install a similar environment, but
+Anaconda installs more packages by default and Miniconda installs them as
+needed.
+
+Note that you do not need administrator privileges to install the Windows Conda
+environment or add packages to it if you select the option to install "just for
+me".
+
+If you want, this is a good point to create an Conda environment specifically
+for using or testing Switch. See here for more details:
+https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/tasks/manage-environments.html
+
+
+# INSTALL SWITCH AND ITS DEPENDENCIES
+
+After installing Anaconda or Miniconda, open an Anaconda Command Prompt
+(Windows) or Terminal.app (Mac) and type the following command:
+
+    conda install -c conda-forge switch_model
+
+This will install the `switch` command line utility, along with various software
+used by Switch (the Pyomo optimization framework, Pandas data manipulation
+framework and glpk numerical solver).
+
+If you would also like to enable automatic output graphs, run this command:
+
+    conda install -c conda-forge ggplot
+
+If you would like to try the coincbc solver instead of glpk, you can run this
+command:
+
+    conda install coincbc
+
+If you plan to use the iterative demand response model with a custom, nonlinear
+demand system, then you should add these packages:
+
+    conda install rpy2 scipy
+
+At this point, you can solve example models or your own power system models.
+See README for more information.
+
+
+# INSTALL A PROPRIETARY SOLVER (OPTIONAL)
+
+To solve larger models, you will need to install the cplex or gurobi solvers,
+which are an order of magnitude faster than glpk or coincbc. Both of these have
+free trials available, and are free long-term for academics. You can install
+one of these now or after you install Switch. More information on these solvers
+can be found at the following links:
+
+Professional:
+https://www.gurobi.com/products/gurobi-optimizer/
+https://www.ibm.com/products/ilog-cplex-optimization-studio/pricing
+
+Academic:
+https://www.gurobi.com/academia/
+https://developer.ibm.com/docloud/blog/2019/07/04/cplex-optimization-studio-for-students-and-academics/
+
+For any meaningful-sized problem, you will need the unlimited-size versions of
+these solvers, which will require either purchasing a license, using a
+time-limited trial version, or using an academic-licensed version. The
+small-size free or community versions (typically 1000 variables and constraints)
+will not be enough for any realistic model.
+
+
+# VIEW EXAMPLES
+
+If you want to view the Switch source code and examples, you can find them at
+https://github.com/switch-model/switch. You can also find the source code on
+your computer in  $CONDA_PREFIX/lib/python3.7/site-packages/switch_model or
+$CONDA_PREFIX/lib/python2.7/site-packages/switch_model.
+
+
+# DEVELOPER INSTALLATION (optional)
+
+Many people find it useful to browse and edit a "live" installation of Switch
+that they also use to solve models. This supports a number of activities:
+
+- reading the documentation built into the switch_model modules
+- reading the source code of the modules to understand the details of how Switch
+  works
+- updating Switch or fixing bugs to meet local needs or contribute to the main
+  repository
+- setting breakpoints for debugging
+- switching between different versions of Switch
+- trying pre-release branches of Switch
+
+To work this way, first install Switch as described above (this will install all
+the Switch dependencies, even though you will later reinstall Switch itself).
+Then, in a terminal window or Anaconda command prompt Anaconda command prompt,
+use the `cd` and `mkdir` commands to create and/or enter the directory where you
+would like to store the Switch model code and examples. Once you are in that
+directory, run the following commands (don't type the comments that start with
+'#'):
+
+    # Install git software manager.
+    conda install git
+
+    # Download Switch to a directory called `switch`.
+    git clone https://github.com/switch-model/switch.git
+
+    # Uninstall the previous copy of Switch and tell Python to use this one
+    # instead. Note that Python will always load switch_model directly from this
+    # directory, so you can edit it as needed and Python will see the changes.
+    cd switch
+    pip install --upgrade --editable .
+
+    # Run tests (optional)
+    python run_tests.py
+
+    # View switch_model code (optional)
+    cd switch_model
+    ls
+    cd ..
+
+    # View or run examples (optional)
+    cd examples
+    ls
+    cd <example dir>
+    switch solve
+
+After this, you can pull the latest version of the Switch code and examples from
+the main Switch repository at any time by launching a Terminal window or
+Anaconda prompt, then cd'ing into the 'switch' directory and running this
+command:
+
+    git pull
+
+This will attempt to merge your local changes with changes with changes in the main
+repository. If there are any conflicts, you should follow the instructions given
+by the git command to resolve them.