Simulate 0.5.4 - Website Restructure

What changed

Simulate is now the front page. When you visit simdss.com, you'll land directly on the Monte Carlo simulation tool instead of having to navigate to find it. This better reflects what most users are looking for.

FPOM Calculator moved to dedicated page. The real options calculator now has its own space at /fpom/ while maintaining all functionality. Both tools remain equally accessible but no longer compete for attention.

Navigation reordered. Main menu now follows the logical hierarchy: Simulate first, then FPOM Calculator. Small change, but it makes the user flow more intuitive.

Release notes integrated. Product updates now live directly on the main site instead of being scattered across different projects. Easier to maintain, easier to find.

Why this matters

The restructure makes it clearer that Simulate is the primary offering while keeping the FPOM Calculator easily accessible for those who need it. All existing functionality remains unchanged – this is purely about improving discoverability and user flow.

Release notes are now part of the main navigation, making it simpler to stay updated on new features and improvements.

Simulate 0.5.3 - Smoother & More Reliable

What changed

Cleaner simulation lifecycle - Added a "preparing" state that prevents double-clicking and makes the simulation process predictable: Preparing... → Running... → Done!

Auto-recovery for broken sheets - Simulate automatically rebuilds simulation sheets when they get corrupted or have missing headers. No more manual troubleshooting when something breaks.

Correlation summary restored - Added back the correlation overview that displays all variable relationships in a single scannable list, matching the format used in the main correlation dialog.

Consistent interface messaging - Standardized all help text, warnings, and error messages for clearer communication about system status.

Technical improvements

Enhanced button states - The start button stays properly disabled until all preparation steps complete, eliminating race conditions and user confusion.

Robust sheet reconstruction - When simulation sheets are damaged, the system rebuilds them with correct headers and structure automatically.

Unified correlation display - Correlation settings now use identical naming and formatting between the setup dialog and summary view.

Why this matters

These changes eliminate the most common points of user friction: unclear system states, broken simulation sheets, and inconsistent interface behavior. The result is a more predictable tool that requires less mental overhead to operate effectively.

Simulate 0.5.2 - Stop Actually Means Stop

What changed

Immediate stop functionality - Stop button now clears all outputs instantly and resets the interface state. No residual data from interrupted runs.

Smarter re-run controls - The re-run button appears only when appropriate, preventing accidental duplicate executions.

Readable correlation names - Correlation displays now show descriptive labels like "Sales Growth (Uniform)" instead of cryptic cell references.

Standardized error messaging - All validation warnings and alerts use consistent styling and formatting for clearer communication.

Technical fixes

Improved simulation lifecycle - Stopping a run now properly clears visible outputs and disables navigation until new results are available. Partial results from interrupted batches still update background sheets automatically.

Consistent UI styling - Alert banners use standardized red backgrounds with proper contrast. Distribution parameter fields share unified styling with neutral outlines and green focus states.

Simplified correlation interface - Correlation selectors display cell IDs with optional friendly names, reducing visual complexity when working with multiple sheets.

Cleaner background processing - Removed unused pause/resume endpoints to streamline trigger management and eliminate potential orphaned processes.

Why this matters

These changes address the most frequent user complaints: confusing stop behavior, unclear correlation labels, and inconsistent interface states. The result is more predictable control behavior and clearer feedback during simulation operations.

0.5 Beta Release Notes

Highlights at a Glance

• Stop & Show Results lets you interrupt a long-running background simulation and immediately inspect the partial output while we keep the hidden sheet and histograms in sync.
• Live progress insights pair a determinate progress bar with contextual alerts so you always know the batch status and how to avoid accidentally hiding your generated results.
• Refined workspace visuals give the input/output panes, settings accordion, and results tabs a calmer palette with clearer calls to action, reducing visual fatigue during scenario building.
• Snappier guidance toasts surface configuration issues as high-contrast warnings that dismiss faster, helping you stay in the flow without missing critical information.
• Reliability hardening through new regression tests around error handling, simulation state recovery, and UI flows means this beta ships with higher confidence.

Feature Details

Guided background controls

A new Stop & Show Results button now appears whenever a batch simulation is running. Choosing it cancels the remaining runs, preserves the stats that have already been generated, and still writes the notes and histograms into the hidden sheet. You can review those partial results instantly in Present Outputs or click GO TO FULL OUTPUT to dive into the spreadsheet when you are ready.

Transparent run status

Longer jobs now surface their state more clearly. We added dual alerts: one informing you that the batch continues in the background and another warning you not to delete the temporary sheet housing your outputs. A determinate progress bar displays completed versus total runs, and resets automatically cancel active background work before clearing the UI so you never leave a ghost job behind.

Polished simulation workspace

Input and output cards, the simulation settings accordion, and the Present Outputs tabs all share a softer background, subtle borders, and more legible typography. The updated controls keep key actions like Fix Cell References and GO TO FULL OUTPUT highly visible, while hover states on tabs make it easier to switch between result sets.

Notifications & reliability

Error toasts now use a concise 2.5s auto-dismiss window and a warning colorway to highlight actionable issues without blocking your workflow. Behind the scenes, new unit tests stress error handling, simulation state management, and UI reliability so regressions are caught before they reach your models.