Display is too rich as default

[cortner]

I appreciate this is largely personal preference:

The extremely detailed and rich text-based summary of the Atoms object is nice, but as a default I think it gives far too much information for my taste. I normally, want to see a very brief summary (cf Lux layers) and then the option to for a more detail. E.g. there could be a rich_display function added to AtomsBase.

How do others feel about this?

[mfherbst]

I am open to whatever. I have to dmit I'm also a little confused how much detail each of the printing functions are supposed to provide in julia.

My rationale for this was to have a brief default show function and a show for text/plain that gives the full overview. Especially for interactive work in the repl it's nice to get a visual interpretation and directly see changes to parameters.

Or are you concerned with the detail when using print?

[rkurchin]

I don't have strong feelings myself. I see Christoph's point that there are certainly scenarios where a long printout could be cumbersome and that argues for an alternative function to show more detail. However, the argument against that in my mind would be that a user might not be aware that that function exists and then feel frustrated that (they perceive that) there's no convenient way to display more detail...I suppose one (admittedly clunky) solution would be to add a little parenthetical thing into the output of the briefer one to tell the user about this other function, perhaps with an additional dispatch so it only displays once if you're calling it on an array of objects. I'm not sure if that's worth the inelegance, though...

[cortner]

If I have a unit cell as here

julia> AtomsBase.FlexibleSystem( bulk(:Si, pbc=true) )
FlexibleSystem(Si₂, periodic = TTT):
    bounding_box      : [       0    2.715    2.715;
                            2.715        0    2.715;
                            2.715    2.715        0]u"Å"

    Atom(Si, [       0,        0,        0]u"Å")
    Atom(Si, [  1.3575,   1.3575,   1.3575]u"Å")





              Si

          Si

then Si₂, periodic = TTT already tells me everything else. I don't see the rest as giving me additional information. If I want to double-check that the cell has a certain shape, positions etc then that's easy to do.

If I have a structure from a large simulation, then I think this is simply silly:

julia> AtomsBase.FlexibleSystem( rattle!( bulk(:Si, pbc=true)*10, 0.1 ) )
FlexibleSystem(Si₂₀₀₀, periodic = TTT):
    bounding_box      : [       0    27.15    27.15;
                            27.15        0    27.15;
                            27.15    27.15        0]u"Å"



                                                                                          Si
                                                                                     SiSi
                                                                                 SiSi Si
                                                                            SiSi  SiSi   Si
                                                                   Si   SiSi SiSSi SSiiSi
                                                               Si   SiSi  SSi  SSSSi    Si
                                                           Si   SSi  SiSi  SSiSi  SSi
                                                      Si   SiSi  SSSi SSSSiSiSiSiSi SiSi
                                                  SiSi SSii SiSiSiSSiSiiiSSiiSiiSiSi   Si
                                               Si  SiSi SiSiSiiSiSiiSiSiSiSSiiSi SSi Si
                                              SiSi SiSiSiSSiiSiiSiSiSiiSiSiSSiSiSi Si
                                            Si SiSiSiiSiSiSSiSiSiSiSiSiiSiSiSiiSiSSi  Si
                                          SiiSSiSiSiSiiSiSiSiSSiSSiSSSiSi SSiSi   SiSi
                                       SSi  SiSSSiSSiSSiSSSSSiSSSSSSiSSSSSi SiSSi    Si
                                        SSSSiSSSSSSiSiSSSiSSiSiSiSSSSiSSSSSSi  SSSi
                                   SiSi  SSiSiSiSSSSiiiSSSSiSiSSSiSSiSSiiSSiSiSi  SSi
                                 Si SiSSiiSiiSiSiSiiSiSiSiSSiiSiiSSiiiSiSiSiiSiSi   Si
                                SiSiSiiSiSiSiSiiSiSiiSiSiSiSSiSiSiSSiiSiiSiSi SiSiSi
                              Si SiSiSiSiiSSiiSiiSiSiSiiSiSiiSiSiSiSSiSiSiSSiiSi Si
                            SiiSSi SiSiSiSiSSiSiSiSSiiSiiSSiiSiiSiSiiSiSiSiSSiSSi  Si
                         SSi  SSSSSSiSiSSiSiSiSSiSSiiSSiSiSiSiSiSSSiiSiSSSSSi   SSi
                          SSiSiSSSSiSiSiSSSSiSiSSSSSSiSSSSSiiSiSSiSSSiSi  SSiSi   Si
                     SSi   SSiSSiSSSiSSSSiSiSiSSiSSSiSiSSSSiSiSSSSSiiSSSSi  SiSiSi
                   Si SSSSiiSiiSSSSiiiSSSSSSiSiSSSiSSiSSiiSSiSiSiSSiSiiiSSSiSi Si
                  SiSiSi SSiiSiSiiSSiSiSiSSiSiSiSiSSiiiSiSiSiiSiSiSSiSiSiSSi Si   Si
               Si   SiSiSiSSiSiSiSiSSiSiSiSiiSiSiSSiSiSiSiSiSiiSiSiSiiSiSi SiSiSi
                 SSi SiSiSiSiiSiSiSiSiiSiSiSiiSiSiSiiSiSiSSiSiiSiiSiSiiSiSiSi Si
                   SiSi  SSiSiSiSSiSiSSiSiSSiiSiiSiSiiSiSiSiiSiSSiSiSiSi  SiSi
               Si   SiSSi  SiSSSSiSSSSiSSSiSiSSSiSSiSiSiSSSSiSSSSSSiSiSSi
                SSi    SSSSiSiSSSSSSiSiSSSSiSiSSSSiSiSiSiSSSSSiSSSSSi  SSi
              Si  SiSii SSSSiSiSSSSiSSiSSSSSiSiSSSSiSiSSSSiSiSSiiSSiSii
                Si SiSiSiSiiSiSSiiSiiSSSSiiiSiSiSiSSiSiSiSSiiiSiSi Si
               SiSiSi SiSiSiSiiSiSiSiSiiSiSiSiiSiSiiSiSiSiSiSiiSiSi
             Si   SiSiSiiSSiiSSiSiSSiiSSiSSiiSiiSiSiiSiSiSSiiSi Si
              SSi SiSiiSSiSSiSiSiSiiSiSiSiSSiSiSiSiSiSSiSi  SiSi
                SSSi  SSSSSSiSiSSiSiSiSSiSiSiSSiSSSiSiSSSSi
            Si    SSiSi SSSiSiSiSSSSiSiSSSSiSiSSiSSSiSi  SSi
             SSi    SiSSi SSiSSSSiSiSiSiSSSSiSSSSiiiSiSi
           Si  SSSiiSiiSSSSiiSiSSSiiiSSiiSSiSiiiSiSi Si
              Si SSiiSSiSiSSiiSiiSiSiiSiSiSSiiSi SiSi
            SiSiSi SiSiSiSiSSiSiSSiiSiiSiSi SiSi  Si
          Si   SiSiSiiSiSiSiiSiSiSiSiSi SiSi SiSi
           SiSi   SiSSi SSiSi SiSi  SiSi   Si
              SSi  SiSSi  SSSi  SSi   Si
         Si    SSSSi  SSi  SiSi   Si
           SSii  SSSii SSii   Si
        Si   SSii Si Si
           Si SiSi
          SiSi
       Si

[cortner]

Just add the rich display into the docs:

help?> AtomsBase.AbstractSystem
  AbstractSystem{D}

  A D-dimensional system.

Use `rich_display(system)` for a plain-text visualisation. 
Suitable for small structures such as unitcells.

  ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

  AbstractSystem(system::AbstractSystem; kwargs...)

  Update constructor. Construct a new system where one or more properties are changed,
  which are given as kwargs. A subtype of AbstractSystem is returned, by default a
  FlexibleSystem, but depending on the type of the passed system this might differ.

  Supported kwargs include particles, atoms, bounding_box and boundary_conditions as
  well as user-specific custom properties.

  Examples
  ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡

  Change the bounding box and the atoms of the passed system

  julia> AbstractSystem(system; bounding_box= ..., atoms = ... )

[cortner]

an alternative option could be to have the rich display as default but add a global variable in AtomsBase that I can change to make it slim.

[cortner]

And btw, I can't use semi-colons, because I do want a little bit of visual feedback.

[mfherbst]

I agree. This is useless.

We should only do the extensive printing for small cells. You can always manually call the visualise function if you want (which we should document better).

[rkurchin]

I think adding it to the docstring makes the most sense. I'm also fine with only including the full bounding box in the detailed printout too, so that we can keep the default to be one or two lines.