datafile option in perfect_foresight_setup: incomplete documentation and not flexible enough

the datafile option in perfect_foresight solver requires a text file without variable names, variables being order in order of VAR statement. The file name must end with _endo.dat.

• make loading data for guess value more flexible
• honor INITVAL_FILE command or deprecate it
• make possible to use guess values with simul_backward-model

added decision discussion documentation enhancement perfect foresight labels

changed the description

marked the checklist item make loading data for guess value more flexible as completed

marked the checklist item make loading data for guess value more flexible as incomplete

changed title from datafile option in perfect_foresight_setup: inco;plete documentation and not flexible enough to datafile option in perfect_foresight_setup: incomplete documentation and not flexible enough

mentioned in issue #1671 (closed)

@MichelJuillard My proposal would rather be to drop the datafile option of perfect_foresight_setup (and simul), which uses a very weird and rigid format, and is poorly documented. I doubt anyone uses it.

The interface and documentation for initval_file are much better, so I would rather standardize on that.

Also, are you sure initval_file is not honoured? Looking at the preprocessor and at perfect_foresight_setup.m (line 67), I think it should work. Do you have an example?

@sebastien

1. Could we make datafile option behave as the initval_file command (just call the same code)? So we keep interface symmetry with the estimation command?

2. For intival_file I have to check but not before the coming week-end

assigned to @sebastien

removed decision discussion labels

mentioned in commit preprocessor@044258b0

mentioned in commit efa6c6c6

mentioned in commit 7e07d3e0

I’ve implemented the change of semantics for the datafile option. The testsuite now also checks (on a simple example) that initval_file works as expected.

marked the checklist item make loading data for guess value more flexible as completed

marked the checklist item honor INITVAL_FILE command or deprecate it as completed

@sebastien I checked: initval_file works as expected

Postponing the last task (initial values with simul_backward) to 4.7.

unassigned @sebastien

@sebastien I will submit a merge request before Monday. See #1671 (closed)

mentioned in issue #133 (closed)

My understanding is that guess values for simul_backward are not yet implemented. This won’t be done for 4.7 anyways, hence postponing.

removed milestone %5.x