- General code re-writing aiming to comply with the PEP 8 -- Style Guide for Python Code (https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/).
- The package has been renamed just 'solcore', droping the version number. Importing Solcore now is done by 'import solcore' rather than 'import solcore3', as it is the usual case for python packages which do not include verison number in the name.
- The pluging system has been removed and the code arranged in the more standard package/module configuration. Most old plugings are now directly imported as subpackages of solcore (eg. import solcore.spice rather than import solcore3.plugings.spice).
- The structure of some modules and packages has changed, grouping them in a (hopefully) more consistent and logical order. The following list summarises some of the changes (likely to be incomplete):
- solcore3.plugings.qm -> solcore.quantum_mechanics
- solcore3.plugings.kp -> solcore.quantum_mechanics
- solcore3.plugings.IV -> solcore.analytic_solar_cells
- solcore3.plugings.analytic_pin_QE -> solcore.analytic_solar_cells
- solcore3.plugings.spice -> solcore.spice
- solcore3.plugings.spectral2 -> solcore.solar_spectrum
- solcore3.plugings.smarts -> solcore.solar_spectrum
- solcore3.plugings.adachi_alpha -> solcore.absorption_calculator
- solcore3.PDD -> solcore.poisson_drift_diffusion
- Some functions within the above modules and packages have been renamed to have a more descriptive name.
- All the old plugins related with parameters of materials are now included inside the 'parameter system' and not as packages.
- All the old plugins related with description of materials n and k data are now included inside the 'material system' and not as packages.
- A configuration file and a set configuration tools have been created to simplify the addition of new data or personalised behavior.
- SMARTS has been removed from the Solcore directory tree, as it is a third party software and platform dependent. The path to the SMARTS distribution can be set with the configuration tools. SMARTS can be found in http://www.nrel.gov/rredc/smarts/
- Solcore has been arranged to be used with 'setuptools', which simplifies its distribution, testing an maintenance. If everything goes alright, the command 'python3 setup.py install' will install Solcore and all its dependencies (except the Fortran compiler). Tested in MacOS X.
- A set of test have been written to assert the correct behaviour of Solcore, either before performing the installation or if one of the existing packages is modified. They can be run with 'python3 setup.py test'
- The 'poisson_drift_diffusion' solver now can print the output of the calculation to a log file, rather than the terminal.
- The correct temperature dependence has been incorporated to the analytic IV calculator.
- A set of examples have been created to illustrate the use of Solcore. Such examples can be copied to a user-speficied folder, where they can be easily edited.