linny-r 1.1.9 → 1.1.11

package/README.md

@@ -10,22 +10,19 @@ The graphical language and WYSIWYG model editor are developed by **Pieter Bots**
  
 Originally implemented in Delphi Pascal, Linny-R is now developed in HTML+CSS+JavaScript
 so as to be platform-independent and 100% transparent open source (under the MIT license).
-The software comprises a server that runs on Node.js, and a graphical user interface (GUI) that runs in any modern browser.
+The software comprises a server that runs on **Node.js**,
+and a graphical user interface (GUI) that runs in any modern browser.
 
-You can play with the most recent release of Linny-R on 
-<a href="https://sysmod.tbm.tudelft.nl/linny-r" target="_blank">this server hosted at TU Delft</a>.    
-Note that this server imposes restrictions on solver time and the total number of blocks it will solve per run.
-If you install Linny-R on your own machine, no such restrictions apply.
+User documentation for Linny-R is still scant, but it is growing. You can contribute yourself (in "wiki fashion")
+via the official user documentation site <a href="https://linny-r.info" target="_blank">https://linny-r.info</a>.
+Technical documentation will be developed on GitHub: https://github.com/pwgbots/linny-r/wiki
 
-Documentation for Linny-R is still scant, but it is growing. You can contribute yourself (in "wiki fashion")
-via the official documentation site <a href="https://linny-r.info" target="_blank">https://linny-r.info</a>.
-
-### Installing Node.js
+## Installing Node.js
 
 Linny-R is developed as a JavaScript package, and requires that **Node.js** is installed on your computer. 
 This software can be downloaded from <a href="https://nodejs.org" target="_blank">https://nodejs.org</a>. 
 Make sure that you choose the correct installer for your computer.
-Linny-R is developed using the _current_ release. Presently (October 2022) this is 18.10.0. 
+Linny-R is developed using the _current_ release. Presently (October 2022) this is 18.11.0. 
 
 Run the installer and accept the default settings.
 There is **no** need to install the optional _Tools for Native Modules_.
@@ -36,9 +33,9 @@ Verify the installation by typing:
 
 ``node --version``
 
-The response should be the version number of Node.js, for example: v18.10.0.
+The response should be the version number of Node.js, for example: v18.11.0.
 
-### Installing Linny-R
+## Installing Linny-R
 It is advisable to install Linny-R in a directory on your computer, not in a cloud. 
 In this installation guide, the path to this directory is denoted by `WORKING_DIRECTORY`,
 so in all commands you should replace this with the actual directory path.
@@ -57,6 +54,8 @@ and then type at the command line prompt:
 
 ``npm install --prefix . linny-r``
 
+**NOTE:** The spacing around the dot is important.
+
 After installation has completed, `WORKING_DIRECTORY` should have this directory tree structure:
 
 <pre>
@@ -105,7 +104,7 @@ It should also contain the style sheet `linny-r.css` required by the GUI.
 The sub-directories of `static` contain files that are served to the browser by the script
 `server.js` when it is running in Node.js. 
 
-### Configuring the MILP solver
+## Configuring the MILP solver
 
 Linny-R presently supports two MILP solvers: Gurobi  and LP_solve. 
 Gurobi is _considerably_ more powerful than the open source LP_solve solver that has powered Linny-R since 2009,
@@ -158,18 +157,17 @@ Then return to Terminal and once more type `./lp_solve -h`.
 The response should then be a listing of all the command line options of LP_solve.
 If you reach this stage, Linny-R will be able to run LP_solve.
 
-
-### Running Linny-R
+## Running Linny-R
 
 Open the Command Line Interface (CLI) of your computer, change to your `WORKING_DIRECTORY` and type:
 
-``linny-r``
+``node node_modules/linny-r/server launch``
 
 This response should be something similar to:
 
 <pre>
-Node.js server for Linny-R version 1.1.9
-Node.js version: v18.10.0
+Node.js server for Linny-R version 1.1.11
+Node.js version: v18.11.0
 ... etc.
 </pre>
 
@@ -179,9 +177,9 @@ The Linny-R GUI should show in your browser window,
 while in the CLI you should see a long series of server log messages like:
 
 <pre>
-Static file: /index.html
-Static file: /scripts/iro.min.js
-Static file: /images/open.png
+[2022-10-17 14:55:37] Static file: /index.html
+[2022-10-17 14:55:37] Static file: /scripts/iro.min.js
+[2022-10-17 14:55:37] Static file: /images/open.png
 ... etc.
 </pre>
 
@@ -207,7 +205,45 @@ Meanwhile, in the CLI, you should see a server log message like:
 Solve block 1 a
 </pre>
 
-#### User workspace
+To end a modeling session, you can shut down the server by clickicng on the local host icon
+in the upper right corner of the Linny-R GUI in your browser, confirm that you want to leave,
+and then close your browser (tab). If you do not shut down the server from the browser,
+you can also stop the server by repeatedly pressing ``Ctrl+C`` in the CLI box.
+
+## Command line options
+
+Optionally, you can add more arguments to the `node` command:
+
+<pre>
+dpi=[number]       to overrule the default resolution (300 dpi) for Inkscape 
+launch             to automatically launch Linny-R in your default browser
+port=[number]      to overrule the default port number (5050)
+solver=[name]      to overrule the default sequence (Gurobi, LP_solve)
+workspace=[path]   to overrule the default path for the user directory
+</pre>
+
+## Click-start for Linny-R
+
+To facilitate start-up, you can create a shortcut icon for Linny-R on your desktop. 
+
+On a Windows machine, open the _File Explorer_, select your Linny-R folder,
+right-click on the batch file `linny-r.bat`, and select the _Create shortcut_ option. 
+Then right-click on the shortcut file to edit its properties, and click the _Change Icon_ button.
+The dialog that then appears will allow you to go to the sub-folder `node_modules\linny-r\static\images`,
+where you should select the file `linny-r.ico`.
+Finally, rename the shortcut to `Linny-R` and move or copy it to your desktop.
+
+On a macOS machine, open _Terminal_ and change to your Linny-R directory, and then type:
+
+``chmod +x linny-r.command``
+
+to make the script file executable.
+To set the icon, open the folder that contains the file `linny-r.command`,
+click on its icon (which still is plain) and open the _Info dialog_ by pressing ``Cmd+I``.
+Then open your Linny-R folder in _Finder_, change to the sub-folder `node_modules/linny-r/static/images`, 
+and from there drag/drop the file `linny-r.icns` on the icon shown in the top left corner of the _Info dialog_.
+
+## User workspace
 
 The user workspace is created when the server is run for the first time.
 The sub-directories of this directory `user` are used by Linny-R to store files.
@@ -225,19 +261,7 @@ You can overrule this by specifying the path to another directory when you start
 Note that doing this will create a new, empty workspace (the directories listed above)
 in the specified path. It will **not** affect or duplicate information from existing workspaces.
 
-#### Command line options
-
-Optionally, you can add more arguments to the `node` command:
-
-<pre>
-dpi=[number]       to overrule the default resolution (300 dpi) for Inkscape 
-launch             to automatically launch Linny-R in your default browser
-port=[number]      to overrule the default port number (5050)
-solver=[name]      to overrule the default sequence (Gurobi, LP_solve)
-workspace=[path]   to overrule the default path for the user directory
-</pre>
-
-### Installing Inkscape
+## Installing Inkscape
 
 Linny-R creates its diagrams and charts as SVG images. 
 When you download a diagram, it will be saved as a .svg file.
@@ -261,41 +285,7 @@ On a macOS computer, Linny-R will look for Inkscape in /Applications/Inkscape.ap
 **NOTE:** The current installation wizard for Inkscape (version 1.2) does **not** add the application to the PATH variable,
 so you need to do this yourself.
 
-### Click-start for Linny-R
-
-To facilitate start-up, you can create a shortcut icon on your desktop. 
-
-On a Windows machine, change to your Linny-R folder, right-click on the batch file `linny-r.bat`,
-and select the _Create shortcut_ option. 
-Then right-click on the shortcut file to edit its properties, and click the _Change Icon_ button.
-The dialog that then appears will allow you to go to the sub-folder `node_modules\linny-r\static\images`,
-where you should select the file `linny-r.ico`.
-Finally, rename the shortcut to `Linny-R` and move or copy it to your desktop.
-
-On a macOS machine, open Terminal and change to your Linny-R directory, and then type:
-
-``chmod +x linny-r.command``
-
-to make the script file executable.
-To set the icon, click on the icon of `linny-r.command` (which still is plain) and open the Info dialog by pressing ``Cmd+I``.
-Then open your Linny-R folder in the Finder, change to the sub-folder `node_modules/linny-r/static/images`, 
-and from there drag/drop the file `linny-r.icns` on the icon shown in the top left corner of the Info dialog.
-
-
-### Normal use after installation
-
-If you have not configured a "click-start" icon as described above, 
-you must start a modeling session with Linny-R by opening a CLI box,
-then change to the Linny-R directory and type `linny-r`.
-
-To shut down the server, click on the local host icon in the upper right corner of the Linny-R GUI in your browser.
-Alternatively, you can stop the server by repeatedly pressing ``Ctrl+C`` in the CLI box.
-
-Pressing ``Ctrl+C`` in the Terminal window on a macOS machine may not stop the process.
-In that case, you can stop Node.js by stopping the Terminal.  
-
-
-### Using Linny-R console
+## Using Linny-R console
 
 The console-only version of Linny-R allows you to run a Linny-R model without a web browser.
 This may be useful when you want run models from a script (shell script, Python, ...). 
@@ -307,17 +297,17 @@ you will see the command line options that allow you to run models in various wa
 
 **NOTE: The console-only version is still in development, and does not provide all functions yet.**
 
-### Troubleshooting problems
+## Troubleshooting problems
 
 If during any of the steps above you encounter problems, please try to diagnose them and resolve them yourself.
-You can find a lot of useful information on the Linny-R documentatio website:
+You can find a lot of useful information on the Linny-R user documentation website:
 <a href="https://linny-r.info" target="_blank">https://linny-r.info</a>.
 
 To diagnose a problem, always look in the CLI box where Node.js is running, 
 as informative server-side error messages will appear there.
 
 Then also look at the console window of your browser. 
-Most browsers offer a Web Developer Tools option via their application menu.
+Most browsers offer a _Web Developer Tools_ option via their application menu.
 This will allow you to view the browser console, which will display JavaScript errors in red font.
 
 If you've tried hard, but failed, you can try to contact Pieter Bots at ``p.w.g.bots@tudelft.nl``

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "linny-r",
-  "version": "1.1.9",
+  "version": "1.1.11",
   "description": "Executable graphical language with WYSIWYG editor for MILP models",
   "main": "server.js",
   "scripts": {

package/server.js

@@ -162,12 +162,29 @@ if(SETTINGS.launch) {
   const cmd = (PLATFORM.startsWith('win') ? 'start' : 'open');
   child_process.exec(cmd + ' http://127.0.0.1:' + SETTINGS.port,
       (error, stdout, stderr) => {
-          console.log('NOTICE: Failed to launch GUI in browser');
-          console.log(stdout);
-          console.log(stderr);
+          if(error) {
+            console.log('NOTICE: Failed to launch GUI in browser');
+            console.log(error);
+            console.log(stdout);
+            console.log(stderr);
+          }
         });
 }
 
+// Server action logging functionality
+// ===================================
+// Only actions are logged to the console as with date and time;
+// error messages are not prefixed, so these are logged directly.
+
+function logAction(msg) {
+  // Log request processing to console with time-zone-aware date and time
+  const
+      t = new Date(),
+      tzt = new Date(t.getTime() - t.getTimezoneOffset()*60000),
+      dts = tzt.toISOString().substring(0, 19).replace('T', ' ');
+  console.log(`[${dts}] ${msg}`);
+}
+
 // Version check functionality
 // ===========================
 // This section of code implements server responses to the request made
@@ -186,7 +203,21 @@ function autoCheck(res) {
 }
 
 // HTML page to show then the server is shut down by the user
-const SHUTDOWN_MESSAGE = `<!DOCTYPE html>
+// NOTE: on a macOS machine, this is slightly more work
+const
+    OS_TEXT = (PLATFORM === 'darwin' ? [
+`<p>You can close the <em>Terminal</em> window that shows
+  <tt>[Process Terminated]</tt> at the bottom.
+</p>`,
+`open <em>Terminal</em> again, change to your Linny-R directory by typing:
+</p>
+<p><code>cd ${WORKING_DIRECTORY}</code></p>
+<p>`
+      ] : [
+'',
+'switch to your <em>Command Prompt</em> window '
+      ]),
+    SHUTDOWN_MESSAGE = `<!DOCTYPE html>
 <html lang="en-US">
 <head>
   <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
@@ -206,15 +237,14 @@ const SHUTDOWN_MESSAGE = `<!DOCTYPE html>
   </style>
 </head>
 <body>
-  <h3>Linny-R server (127.0.0.1) is shutting down</h3>
-  <p>To restart Linny-R, switch to your <em>${SETTINGS.cli_name}</em> window
-     and there at the prompt` +
+  <h3>Linny-R server (127.0.0.1) is shutting down</h3>` + OS_TEXT[0] + `
+  <p>To restart Linny-R, ` + OS_TEXT[1] + ` and then at the prompt` +
 (VERSION_INFO.up_to_date ? '' : `
   first type:</p>
   <p><code>npm update linny-r</code><p>
   to upgrade to Linny-R version ${VERSION_INFO.latest}, and then`) +
 ` type:</p>
-  <p><code>node node_modules\\linny-r\\server</code></p>
+  <p><code>node node_modules${path.sep}linny-r${path.sep}server</code></p>
   <p>
     Then switch back to this window, and click this
     <button type="button"
@@ -225,10 +255,145 @@ const SHUTDOWN_MESSAGE = `<!DOCTYPE html>
 </body>
 </html>`;
 
+// Auto-save & restore model functionality
+// =======================================
+// For auto-save services, the Linny-R JavaScript application communicates with
+// the server via calls to the server like fetch('autosave/', x) where x is a JSON
+// object with at least the entry `action`, which can be one of the following:
+//  purge  remove all model files older than the set auto-save period
+//  store  write the property x.xml to the file with name x.name
+//  load   return the XML contents of the specified model file
+// Each action returns a JSON string that represents the actualized auto-save
+// settings (interval and perdiod) and list of auto-saved model data objects.
+// For each model: {name, file_name, size, time_saved}
+
+function asFileName(s) {
+  // Returns string `s` in lower case with whitespace converted to a single
+  // dash, special characters converted to underscores, and leading and
+  // trailing dashes and underscores removed
+  return s.normalize('NFKD').trim()
+      .replace(/[\s\-]+/g, '-')
+      .replace(/[^A-Za-z0-9_\-]/g, '_')
+      .replace(/^[\-\_]+|[\-\_]+$/g, '');
+}
+
+function autoSave(res, sp) {
+  // Processes all auto-save & restore commands
+  const action = sp.get('action').trim();
+  logAction('Auto-save action: ' + action);
+  if(['purge', 'load', 'store'].indexOf(action) < 0) {
+    // Invalid action => report error
+    return servePlainText(res, `ERROR: Invalid auto-save action: "${action}"`);
+  }
+  // Always purge the auto-save files before further action; this returns
+  // the list with model data objects
+  const data = autoSavePurge(res, sp);
+  // NOTE: if string instead of array, this string is an error message 
+  if(typeof data === 'string') return servePlainText(res, data);
+  // Perform load or store actions if requested
+  if(action === 'load') return autoSaveLoad(res, sp);
+  if(action === 'store') return autoSaveStore(res, sp);
+  // Otherwise, action was 'purge' => return the auto-saved model list
+  serveJSON(res, data);
+}
+
+function autoSavePurge(res, sp) {
+  // Deletes specified file(s) (if any) as well as all expired files,
+  // and returns list with data on remaining files as JSON string
+  const
+      now = new Date(),
+      p = sp.get('period'),
+      period = (p ? parseInt(p) : 24) * 3600000,
+      df = sp.get('to_delete'),
+      all = df === '/*ALL*/';
+  
+  // Get list of data on Linny-R models in `autosave` directory
+  data = [];
+  try {
+    const flist = fs.readdirSync(WORKSPACE.autosave);
+    for(let i = 0; i < flist.length; i++) {
+      const
+          pp = path.parse(flist[i]),
+          md = {name: pp.name},
+          fp = path.join(WORKSPACE.autosave, flist[i]);
+      // NOTE: only consider Linny-R model files (extension .lnr)
+      if(pp.ext === '.lnr') {
+        let dodel = all || pp.name === df;
+        if(!dodel) {
+          // Get file properties
+          const fstat = fs.statSync(fp);
+          md.size = fstat.size;
+          md.date = fstat.mtime;
+          // Also delete if file has expired
+          dodel = now - fstat.mtimeMs > period;
+        }
+        if(dodel) {
+          // Delete model file
+          try {
+            fs.unlinkSync(fp);
+          } catch(err) {
+            console.log('WARNING: Failed to delete', fp);
+            console.log(err);
+          }
+        } else {
+          // Add model data to the list
+          data.push(md);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  } catch(err) {
+    console.log(err);
+    return 'ERROR: Auto-save failed -- ' + err.message;
+  }
+  return data;
+}
+
+function autoSaveLoad(res, sp) {
+  // Return XML content of specified file
+  const fn = sp.get('file');
+  if(fn) {
+    const fp = path.join(WORKSPACE.autosave, fn + '.lnr');
+    try {
+      data = fs.readFileSync(fp, 'utf8');
+    } catch(err) {
+      console.log(err);
+      data = 'WARNING: Failed to load auto-saved file: ' + err.message;
+    }
+  } else {
+    data = 'ERROR: No auto-saved file name';
+  }
+  servePlainText(res, data);
+}
+
+function autoSaveStore(res, sp) {
+  // Stores XML data under specified file name in the auto-save directory
+  let data = 'OK';
+  const fn = sp.get('file');
+  if(!fn) {
+    data = 'WARNING: No name for file to auto-save';
+  } else {
+    const xml = sp.get('xml');
+    // Validate XML as a Linny-R model
+    try {
+      const
+          parser = new DOMParser(),
+          doc = parser.parseFromString(xml, 'text/xml');
+          root = doc.documentElement;
+      // Linny-R models have a model element as root
+      if(root.nodeName !== 'model') throw 'XML document has no model element';
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(WORKSPACE.autosave, fn + '.lnr'), xml);
+    } catch(err) {
+      console.log(err);
+      data = 'ERROR: Not a Linny-R model to auto-save';
+    }
+  }
+  servePlainText(res, data);
+}
+
 // Repository functionality
 // ========================
 // For repository services, the Linny-R JavaScript application communicates with
-// the server via calls to the server like $.post('repo', x) where x is a JSON
+// the server via calls to the server like fetch('repo/', x) where x is a JSON
 // object with at least the entry `action`, which can be one of the following:
 //  id      return the repository URL (for this script: 'local host')
 //  list    return list with names of repositories available on the server
@@ -243,7 +408,7 @@ const SHUTDOWN_MESSAGE = `<!DOCTYPE html>
 function repo(res, sp) {
   // Processes all repository commands
   const action = sp.get('action').trim();
-  console.log('Repository action:', action);
+  logAction('Repository action: ' + action);
   if(action === 'id') return repoID(res);
   if(action === 'list') return repoList(res);
   if(action === 'add') return repoAdd(res, sp);
@@ -257,14 +422,7 @@ function repo(res, sp) {
   if(action === 'store') return repoStore(res, repo, file, sp.get('xml'));
   if(action === 'delete') return repoDelete(res, repo, file);
   // Fall-through: report error
-  servePlainText(res, `ERROR: Invalid action: "${action}"`);
-}
-
-function asFileName(s) {
-  // Returns string `s` with whitespace converted to a single dash, and special
-  // characters converted to underscores
-  s = s.trim().replace(/[\s\-]+/g, '-');
-  return s.replace(/[^A-Za-z0-9_\-]/g, '_');
+  servePlainText(res, `ERROR: Invalid repository action: "${action}"`);
 }
 
 function repositoryByName(name) {
@@ -607,7 +765,7 @@ function repoStore(res, rname, mname, mxml) {
         parser = new DOMParser(),
         doc = parser.parseFromString(mxml, 'text/xml');
         root = doc.documentElement;
-    // Linny-R model have a model element as root
+    // Linny-R models have a model element as root
     if(root.nodeName !== 'model') throw 'XML document has no model element';
     valid = true;
   } catch(err) {
@@ -701,7 +859,7 @@ function anyOSpath(p) {
 
 function loadData(res, url) {
   // Passed parameter is the URL or full path
-  console.log('Load data from', url);
+  logAction('Load data from ' + url);
   if(!url) servePlainText(res, 'ERROR: No URL or path');
   if(url.toLowerCase().startsWith('http')) {
     // URL => validate it, and then try to download its content as text
@@ -761,7 +919,7 @@ function receiver(res, sp) {
   }
   // Get the action from the search parameters
   const action = sp.get('action');
-  console.log('Receiver action:', action, rpath, rfile);
+  logAction(`Receiver action:  ${action} ${rpath} ${rfile}`);
   if(action === 'listen') {
     rcvrListen(res, rpath);
   } else if(action === 'abort') {
@@ -914,7 +1072,7 @@ function rcvrCallBack(res, rpath, rfile, script) {
     }
   }
   if(cpath) {
-    console.log('Deleting',  file_type, ' file:', cpath);
+    logAction(`Deleting ${file_type} file: ${cpath}`);
     try {
       fs.unlinkSync(cpath);
     } catch(err) {
@@ -930,7 +1088,7 @@ function rcvrCallBack(res, rpath, rfile, script) {
   }
   try {
     cmd = fs.readFileSync(path.join(WORKSPACE.callback, script), 'utf8');
-    console.log(`Executing callback command "${cmd}"`);
+    logAction(`Executing callback command "${cmd}"`);
     child_process.exec(cmd, (error, stdout, stderr) => {
         console.log(stdout);
         if(error) {
@@ -1025,6 +1183,8 @@ function processRequest(req, res, cmd, data) {
     SERVER.close();
   } else if(cmd === '/auto-check') {
     autoCheck(res);
+  } else if(cmd === '/autosave/') {
+    autoSave(res, new URLSearchParams(data));
   } else if(cmd === '/repo/') {
     repo(res, new URLSearchParams(data));
   } else if(cmd === '/load-data/') {
@@ -1075,11 +1235,11 @@ function serveStaticFile(res, path) {
   if(path === '/' || path === '') path = '/index.html';
   if(path.startsWith('/diagrams/')) {
     // Serve diagrams from the (main)/user/diagrams/ sub-directory 
-    console.log('Diagram:', path);
+    logAction('Diagram: ' + path);
     path = '/user' + path; 
   } else {
     // Other files from the (main)/static/ subdirectory
-    console.log('Static file:', path);
+    logAction('Static file: ' + path);
     path = '/static' + path;
   }
   fs.readFile(MODULE_DIRECTORY + path, (err, data) => {
@@ -1107,7 +1267,7 @@ function convertSVGtoPNG(req, res, sp) {
           (new Date()).toISOString().slice(0, 19).replace(/[\-\:]/g, ''),
       fp = path.join(WORKSPACE.diagrams, fn);
   // NOTE: use binary encoding for SVG file
-  console.log('Saving SVG file:', fp);
+  logAction('Saving SVG file: ' + fp);
   try {
     fs.writeFileSync(fp + '.svg', svg);
   } catch(error) {
@@ -1115,7 +1275,7 @@ function convertSVGtoPNG(req, res, sp) {
   }
   // Use Inkscape to convert SVG to the requested format
   if(SETTINGS.inkscape) {
-    console.log('Rendering image');
+    logAction('Rendering image');
     let
       cmd = SETTINGS.inkscape,
       svg = fp + '.svg';

package/static/index.html

@@ -176,6 +176,9 @@ SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
               // Invalid server response (should not occur, but just in case)
               UI.warn('Version check failed: "' + data + '"');
             }
+            // Schedule a new check 8 hours from now
+            setTimeout(checkForUpdates, 8*3600000);
+
           })
         .catch((error) => UI.warn(UI.WARNING.NO_CONNECTION, error));
     }
@@ -206,8 +209,8 @@ SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
       MONITOR = new GUIMonitor();
       RECEIVER = new GUIReceiver();
       // Check for software updates only when running on local server
-      // NOTE: do this *after* GUI elements have been created, as the updater
-      // uses a dialog
+      // NOTE: do this *after* GUI elements have been created, as the
+      // updater uses a dialog
       if(!SOLVER.user_id) checkForUpdates();
       // Initialize auto-saving function
       AUTO_SAVE = new ModelAutoSaver();
@@ -470,10 +473,10 @@ and move the cursor over the status bar">
         <input id="auto-save-hours" type="text" autocomplete="off">
         hours
         <img id="auto-save-clear-btn" class="btn enab" src="images/reset.png"
-             title="Remove all auto-saved models from local storage">
+             title="Remove all auto-saved models from user workspace">
       </div>
       <div id="confirm-remove-models">
-        Really remove all auto-saved from local storage?
+        Really remove all auto-saved models from user workspace?
         <strong>
         <img id="autosave-do-remove" class="inline-ok-btn"
              src="images/ok.png"> Yes
@@ -1064,7 +1067,7 @@ and move the cursor over the status bar">
                 &mu; (mean: the average level &Sigma;/(&delta;+1) )
               </option>
               <option id="link-startup" value="5">
-                &#x2B9D; (start-up: 1 if X[t-1] = 0 &and; X[t] > 0, otherwise 0)
+                &#x25B2; (start-up: 1 if X[t-1] = 0 &and; X[t] > 0, otherwise 0)
               </option>
               <option id="link-on" value="6">
                 &plus; (positive: 1 if X[t] > 0, otherwise 0)
@@ -1073,7 +1076,7 @@ and move the cursor over the status bar">
                 0 (zero: 1 if X[t] = 0, otherwise 0)
               </option>
               <option id="link-shutdown" value="10">
-                &#x2B9F; (shut-down: 1 if X[t-1] > 0 &and; X[t] = 0, otherwise 0)
+                &#x25BC; (shut-down: 1 if X[t-1] > 0 &and; X[t] = 0, otherwise 0)
               </option>
               <option id="link-spinning" value="8">
                 &#x2934; (spinning reserve: UB - X[t] if X[t] > 0, otherwise 0)
@@ -2422,12 +2425,12 @@ where X can be one or several of these letters: ABCDELPQ">
       <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-link">&#x2192;</div>
       <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-constraint">&#x2911;</div>
       <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-bi-constraint">&#x2194;</div>
-      <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-throughput">&#x2B86;</div>
+      <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-throughput">&#x21C9;</div>
       <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-change">&#x0394;</div>
       <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-sum">&#x3A3;</div>
       <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-mean">&#x03BC;</div>
-      <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-startup">&#x2B9D;</div>
-      <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-shutdown">&#x2B9F;</div>
+      <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-startup">&#x25B2;</div>
+      <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-shutdown">&#x25BC;</div>
       <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-spinning-reserve">&#x2934;</div>
       <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-first-commit">&#x2732;</div>
       <div class="docu-sym" id="docu-infinity">&#x221E;</div>

package/static/linny-r.css

@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ body {
 
 body.waiting * { cursor: wait; }
 
+@charset UTF-8;
+
 @font-face {
   font-family: Lato;
   src: url(fonts/Lato-Regular.ttf);
@@ -705,7 +707,7 @@ img.del-asm-btn:hover {
 
 #auto-save-settings {
   position: absolute;
-  bottom: 2px;
+  bottom: 3px;
   left: 2px;
   width: calc(100% - 4px);
 }
@@ -3804,6 +3806,11 @@ select.i-param {
   font-family: monospace;
 }
 
+#confirm-delete-from-repo-msg {
+  height: calc(100% - 55px);  
+}
+
+
 /* the FINDER DIALOG allows lookup of occurrences of entities */
 #finder-dlg {
   display: none;
@@ -4326,7 +4333,6 @@ div.call-stack-expr {
 #confirm-delete-from-repo-msg,
 #check-update-msg {
   width: calc(100% - 8px);
-  height: calc(100% - 55px);
   margin: 3px;
   overflow: auto;
 }

package/static/scripts/linny-r-ctrl.js

@@ -277,8 +277,9 @@ class Controller {
     // Returns `name` without the object-attribute separator |, backslashes,
     // and leading and trailing whitespace, and with all internal whitespace
     // reduced to a single space.
-    return name.replace(this.OA_SEPARATOR, ' ').replace(/\||\\/g, ' '
-      ).trim().replace(/\s\s+/g, ' ');
+    return name.replace(this.OA_SEPARATOR, ' ')
+        .replace(/\||\\/g, ' ').trim()
+        .replace(/\s\s+/g, ' ');
   }
   
   validName(name) {
@@ -519,8 +520,10 @@ class RepositoryBrowser {
   asFileName(s) {
     // Returns string `s` with whitespace converted to a single dash, and
     // special characters converted to underscores
-    return s.normalize('NFKD').trim().replace(/[\s\-]+/g, '-'
-      ).replace(/[^A-Za-z0-9_\-]/g, '_').trim('-_');
+    return s.normalize('NFKD').trim()
+        .replace(/[\s\-]+/g, '-')
+        .replace(/[^A-Za-z0-9_\-]/g, '_')
+        .replace(/^[\-\_]+|[\-\_]+$/g, '');
   }
   
   loadModuleAsModel() {

package/static/scripts/linny-r-gui.js

@@ -3054,9 +3054,10 @@ class GUIController extends Controller {
         // Recall button toggles the documentation dialog
         () => UI.buttons.documentation.dispatchEvent(new Event('click')));
     this.buttons.autosave.addEventListener('click',
-        () => AUTO_SAVE.showRestoreDialog());
+        // NOTE: TRUE indicates "show dialog after obtaining the model list"
+        () => AUTO_SAVE.getAutoSavedModels(true));
     this.buttons.autosave.addEventListener('mouseover',
-        () => AUTO_SAVE.checkForSavedModels());
+        () => AUTO_SAVE.getAutoSavedModels());
 
     // Make "stay active" buttons respond to Shift-click
     const
@@ -3282,7 +3283,7 @@ class GUIController extends Controller {
     // Undoable operations no longer apply!
     UNDO_STACK.clear();
     // Autosaving should start anew
-    AUTO_SAVE.setInterval();
+    AUTO_SAVE.setAutoSaveInterval();
     // Signal success or failure
     return loaded;
   }
@@ -4732,7 +4733,9 @@ class GUIController extends Controller {
       // Update global variable (and force display) only for "real" messages
       this.time_last_message = t;
       dt = this.message_display_time;
-      SOUNDS[type].play(); 
+      SOUNDS[type].play().catch(() => {
+          console.log('NOTICE: Sounds will only play after first user action');
+        });
       const
           now = [d.getHours(), d.getMinutes().toString().padStart(2, '0'),
               d.getSeconds().toString().padStart(2, '0')].join(':'),
@@ -4823,7 +4826,7 @@ class GUIController extends Controller {
     UNDO_STACK.clear();
     VM.reset();
     this.updateButtons();
-    AUTO_SAVE.setInterval();
+    AUTO_SAVE.setAutoSaveInterval();
   }
   
   addNode(type) {
@@ -6059,8 +6062,8 @@ class GUIMonitor {
 
 
 // CLASS GUIFileManager provides the GUI for loading and saving models and
-// diagrams and handles
-// the interaction with the MILP solver via POST requests to the server.
+// diagrams and handles the interaction with the MILP solver via POST requests
+// to the server.
 // NOTE: because the console-only monitor requires Node.js modules, this
 // GUI class does NOT extend its console-only counterpart
 class GUIFileManager {
@@ -6184,15 +6187,10 @@ class GUIFileManager {
     // Show "Load model" modal
     // @@TO DO: warn user if unsaved changes to current model
     UI.hideStayOnTopDialogs();
-    const
-        rbtn = document.getElementById('load-autosaved-btn'),
-        ml = AUTO_SAVE.savedModelList();
-    if(ml.length > 0) {
-      rbtn.title = pluralS(ml.length, 'auto-saved model');
-      rbtn.style.display = 'block';
-    } else {
-      rbtn.style.display = 'none';
-    }
+    // Update auto-saved model list; if not empty, this will display the
+    // "restore autosaved files" button
+    AUTO_SAVE.getAutoSavedModels();
+    // Show the "Load model" dialog
     UI.modals.load.show();
   }
 
@@ -6282,7 +6280,7 @@ class GUIFileManager {
     console.log('Encoded file size:', el.href.length);
     el.download = 'model.lnr';
     if(el.href.length > 25*1024*1024 &&
-        navigator.userAgent.search('Chrome' ) <= 0) {
+        navigator.userAgent.search('Chrome') <= 0) {
       UI.notify('Model file size exceeds 25 MB. ' +
           'If it does not download, store it in a repository');
     }
@@ -6317,47 +6315,55 @@ class GUIFileManager {
           console.log(err);
         });
   }
-  
-  saveToLocalStorage() {
-    // Store model identified by an identifier based on author name and
-    // model name
-    // (1) autosave is skipped while experiment is running, as it may interfere
-    //     with storing run results
-    // (2) action will overwrite earlier auto-saved version of this model
-    //     unless its name and/or author have been changed in the meantime
-    // (3) browser may be configured to prohibit local storage function,
-    //     and local storage space is limited (by browser settings)
+
+  loadAutoSavedModel(name) {  
+    fetch('autosave/', postData({
+          action: 'load',
+          file: name
+        }))
+      .then((response) => {
+          if(!response.ok) {
+            UI.alert(`ERROR ${response.status}: ${response.statusText}`);
+          }
+          return response.text();
+        })
+      .then((data) => {
+          if(UI.postResponseOK(data)) UI.loadModelFromXML(data);
+        })
+      .catch((err) => UI.warn(UI.WARNING.NO_CONNECTION, err));
+  }
+
+  storeAutoSavedModel() {
+    // Stores the current model in the local auto-save directory
+    const bcl = document.getElementById('autosave-btn').classList;
     if(MODEL.running_experiment) {
       console.log('No autosaving while running an experiment');
+      bcl.remove('stay-activ');
       return;
     }
-    try {
-      // Store model XML string using its display name as key
-      const n = MODEL.displayName;
-      console.log('Autosaving', n);
-      window.localStorage.setItem(n, MODEL.asXML);
-      // Also store the timestamp for this operation
-      window.localStorage.setItem(AUTO_SAVE.time_prefix + n, Date.now());
-      // Remove the highlighting of the icon on the status bar
-      document.getElementById('autosave-btn').classList.remove('stay-activ');
-    } catch(err) {
-      UI.alert(`Failed to auto-save model: ${err}`);
-    }
+    fetch('autosave/', postData({
+          action: 'store',
+          file: REPOSITORY_BROWSER.asFileName(
+              (MODEL.name || 'no-name') + '_by_' +
+                  (MODEL.author || 'no-author')),
+          xml: MODEL.asXML
+        }))
+      .then((response) => {
+          if(!response.ok) {
+            UI.alert(`ERROR ${response.status}: ${response.statusText}`);
+          }
+          return response.text();
+        })
+      .then((data) => {
+          UI.postResponseOK(data);
+          bcl.remove('stay-activ');
+        })
+      .catch((err) => {
+          UI.warn(UI.WARNING.NO_CONNECTION, err);
+          bcl.remove('stay-activ');
+        });
   }
 
-  loadFromLocalStorage(key) {
-    // Retrieve auto-saved model identified by `key`
-    // NOTE: browser may be configured to prohibit local storage function
-    try {
-      const
-          ls = window.localStorage,
-          xml = ls.getItem(key);
-      if(xml) UI.loadModelFromXML(xml);
-    } catch(err) {
-      UI.alert(`Failed to restore auto-saved model ${key}: ${err}`);
-    }
-  }
-  
   renderDiagramAsPNG() {
     localStorage.removeItem('png-url');
     UI.paper.fitToSize();
@@ -6811,27 +6817,28 @@ NOTE: Grouping groups results in a single group, e.g., (1;2);(3;4;5) evaluates a
 } // END of class ExpressionEditor
 
 
-// CLASS ModelAutoSaver automatically saves the current model at regular time
-// intervals
-// NOTE: it seemed to be a good idea to do this in the browser's local storage,
-// but this breaks for large model files
-// @@TO DO: re-implement via POST requests to server
+// CLASS ModelAutoSaver automatically saves the current model at regular
+// time intervals in the user's `autosave` directory
 class ModelAutoSaver {
   constructor() {
     // Keep track of time-out interval of auto-saving feature
     this.timeout_id = 0;
-    this.time_prefix = '_A_S_T_$';
     this.interval = 10; // auto-save every 10 minutes
     this.period = 24; // delete models older than 24 hours
+    this.model_list = [];
     // Overwite defaults if settings still in local storage of browser
-    this.purgeSavedModels();
-    this.setInterval();
+    this.getSettings();
+    // Purge files that have "expired" 
+    this.getAutoSavedModels();
+    // Start the interval timer
+    this.setAutoSaveInterval();
     // Add listeners to GUI elements
     this.confirm_dialog = document.getElementById('confirm-remove-models');
     document.getElementById('auto-save-clear-btn').addEventListener('click',
         () => AUTO_SAVE.confirm_dialog.style.display = 'block');
     document.getElementById('autosave-do-remove').addEventListener('click',
-        () => AUTO_SAVE.removeSavedModels());
+        // NOTE: file name parameter /*ALL*/ indicates: delete all
+        () => AUTO_SAVE.getAutoSavedModels(true, '/*ALL*/'));
     document.getElementById('autosave-cancel').addEventListener('click',
         () => AUTO_SAVE.confirm_dialog.style.display = 'none');
     document.getElementById('restore-cancel').addEventListener('click',
@@ -6850,14 +6857,14 @@ class ModelAutoSaver {
             m = parseFloat(mh[0]),
             h = parseFloat(mh[1]);
         if(isNaN(m) || isNaN(h)) {
-          UI.warn('Invalid local auto-save settings');
+          UI.warn('Ignored invalid local auto-save settings');
         } else {
           this.interval = m;
           this.period = h;
         }
       }
     } catch(err) {
-      console.log('No auto-save:', err);
+      console.log('Local storage failed:', err);
     }  
   }
   
@@ -6866,8 +6873,10 @@ class ModelAutoSaver {
     try {
       window.localStorage.setItem('Linny-R-autosave',
           this.interval + '|' + this.period);
+      UI.notify('New auto-save settings stored in browser');
     } catch(err) {
       UI.warn('Failed to write auto-save settings to local storage');
+      console.log(err);
     }  
   }
   
@@ -6875,128 +6884,80 @@ class ModelAutoSaver {
     document.getElementById('autosave-btn').classList.add('stay-activ');
     // Use setTimeout to let browser always briefly show the active color
     // even when the model file is small and storing hardly takes time
-    setTimeout(() => FILE_MANAGER.saveToLocalStorage(), 300);
+    setTimeout(() => FILE_MANAGER.storeAutoSavedModel(), 300);
   }
   
-  setInterval() {
+  setAutoSaveInterval() {
     // Activate the auto-save feature (if interval is configured)
     if(this.timeout_id) clearInterval(this.timeout_id);
-    this.getSettings();
+    // NOTE: interval = 0 indicates "do not auto-save"
     if(this.interval) {
       // Interval is in minutes, so multiply by 60 thousand to get msec
       this.timeout_id = setInterval(
           () => AUTO_SAVE.saveModel(), this.interval * 60000);
     }
   }
-  
-  purgeSavedModels() {
-    // Remove all autosaved models that have been stored beyond the set period
-    try {
-      for(let key in window.localStorage) {
-        if(key.startsWith(this.time_prefix)) {
-          const
-              name = key.split(this.time_prefix)[1],
-              ts = parseInt(window.localStorage.getItem(key)),
-              now = Date.now();
-          if((now - ts) / 3600000 > this.period) {
-            window.localStorage.removeItem(name);
-            console.log('Purged model', name, 'from local storage');
-            // Also remove the timestamp item
-            window.localStorage.removeItem(key);
+
+  getAutoSavedModels(show_dialog=false, file_to_delete='') {
+    // Get list of auto-saved models from server (after deleting those that
+    // have been stored beyond the set period AND the specified file to
+    // delete (where /*ALL*/ indicates "delete all auto-saved files")
+    const pd = {action: 'purge', period: this.period};
+    if(file_to_delete) pd.to_delete = file_to_delete;
+    fetch('autosave/', postData(pd))
+      .then((response) => {
+          if(!response.ok) {
+            UI.alert(`ERROR ${response.status}: ${response.statusText}`);
           }
-        }
-      }
-    } catch(err) {
-      console.log('No auto-save:', err);
-    }
-  }
-  
-  savedModelList() {
-    // Returns autosaved models as array of tuples [model name, time, file size]
-    // First purge outdated auto-saved models
-    this.purgeSavedModels();
-    const list = [];
-    try {
-      for(let key in window.localStorage) {
-        if(key.startsWith(this.time_prefix)) {
-          const
-              name = key.split(this.time_prefix)[1],
-              ts = parseInt(window.localStorage.getItem(key)),
-              // Retrieve the item to make sure it exists
-              xml = window.localStorage.getItem(name);
-          if(xml && xml.length > 100) {
-            let mdate = new Date();
-            mdate.setTime(ts);
-            const offset = mdate.getTimezoneOffset();
-            mdate = new Date(mdate.getTime() - (offset * 60 * 1000));
-            mdate = mdate.toISOString().split(':');
-            mdate = mdate[0].replace('T', ' ') + ':' + mdate[1];
-            list.push([name, mdate, UI.sizeInBytes(xml.length)]);
-          } else {
-            console.log('Autosaved model not found or invalid:', xml);
+          return response.text();
+        })
+      .then((data) => {
+          if(UI.postResponseOK(data)) {
+            try {
+              AUTO_SAVE.model_list = JSON.parse(data);
+            } catch(err) {
+              AUTO_SAVE.model_list = [];
+              UI.warn('Data on auto-saved models is not valid');
+            }
           }
-        }
-      }
-      // NOTE: sort models in reverse time order (most recent on top)
-      list.sort((a, b) => {
-          if(a[1] > b[1]) return -1;
-          if(a[1] < b[1]) return 1;
-          return 0;
-        });
-    } catch(err) {
-      console.log('No auto-save:', err);
-    }
-    return list;
-  }
-  
-  checkForSavedModels() {
-    const ml = this.savedModelList();
-    document.getElementById('autosave-btn').title =
-        pluralS(ml.length, 'auto-saved model');
-  }
-  
-  removeSavedModels() {
-    const ml = this.savedModelList();
-    for(let i = 0; i < ml.length; i++) {
-      const n = ml[i][0];
-      window.localStorage.removeItem(n);
-      window.localStorage.removeItem(this.time_prefix + n);
-    }
-    this.hideRestoreDialog(true);
-  }
-  
-  deleteSavedModel(n) {
-    window.localStorage.removeItem(n);
-    window.localStorage.removeItem(this.time_prefix + n);
-    const ml = this.savedModelList();
-    if(ml.length > 0) {
-      this.showRestoreDialog();
-    } else {
-      this.hideRestoreDialog(true);  
-    }
+          // Update auto-save-related dialog elements
+          const
+              n = this.model_list.length,
+              ttl = pluralS(n, 'auto-saved model'),
+              rbtn = document.getElementById('load-autosaved-btn');
+          document.getElementById('autosave-btn').title = ttl;
+          rbtn.title = ttl;
+          rbtn.style.display = (n > 0 ? 'block' : 'none');
+          if(show_dialog) AUTO_SAVE.showRestoreDialog();
+        })
+      .catch((err) => {console.log(err); UI.warn(UI.WARNING.NO_CONNECTION, err);});
   }
-  
+
   showRestoreDialog() {
     // Shows list of auto-saved models; clicking on one will load it
-    const ml = this.savedModelList();
+    // NOTE: hide "Load model" dialog in case it was showing
     document.getElementById('load-modal').style.display = 'none';
     // Contruct the table to select from
     let html = '';
-    for(let i = 0; i < ml.length; i++) {
-      const bytes = ml[i][2].split(' ');
+    for(let i = 0; i < this.model_list.length; i++) {
+      const
+          m = this.model_list[i],
+          bytes = UI.sizeInBytes(m.size).split(' ');
       html += ['<tr class="dataset" style="color: gray" ',
-          'onclick="FILE_MANAGER.loadFromLocalStorage(\'',
-          ml[i][0],'\');"><td class="restore-name">', ml[i][0], '</td><td>',
-          ml[i][1], '</td><td style="text-align: right">',
-          bytes[0], '</td><td>', bytes[1],
-          '</td><td><img class="del-asm-btn" src="images/delete.png" ',
-          'onclick="AUTO_SAVE.deleteSavedModel(\'',
-          ml[i][0], '\')"></td></tr>'].join('');
+          'onclick="FILE_MANAGER.loadAutoSavedModel(\'',
+          m.name,'\');"><td class="restore-name">', m.name, '</td><td>',
+          m.date.substring(1, 16).replace('T', ' '),
+          '</td><td style="text-align: right">',
+          bytes[0], '</td><td>', bytes[1], '</td><td style="width:15px">',
+          '<img class="del-asm-btn" src="images/delete.png" ',
+          'onclick="event.stopPropagation(); ',
+          'AUTO_SAVE.getAutoSavedModels(true, \'', m.name,
+          '\')"></td></tr>'].join('');
     }
     document.getElementById('restore-table').innerHTML = html;
     // Adjust dialog height (max-height will limit list to 10 lines)
     document.getElementById('restore-dlg').style.height =
-        (45 + 19 * ml.length) + 'px';
+        (48 + 19 * this.model_list.length) + 'px';
     document.getElementById('confirm-remove-models').style.display = 'none';
     // Fill text input fields with present settings
     document.getElementById('auto-save-minutes').value = this.interval;
@@ -7006,7 +6967,7 @@ class ModelAutoSaver {
       ttl = document.getElementById('restore-dlg-title'),
       sa = document.getElementById('restore-scroll-area'),
       btn = document.getElementById('auto-save-clear-btn');
-    if(ml.length) {
+    if(this.model_list.length) {
       ttl.innerHTML = 'Restore auto-saved model';
       sa.style.display = 'block';
       btn.style.display = 'block';
@@ -7037,10 +6998,10 @@ class ModelAutoSaver {
       if(!isNaN(h)) {
         // If valid, store in local storage of browser
         if(m !== this.interval || h !== this.period) {
-          UI.notify('New auto-save settings stored in browser');
           this.interval = m;
           this.period = h;
           this.setSettings();
+          this.setAutoSaveInterval();
         }
         document.getElementById('restore-modal').style.display = 'none';
         return;
@@ -8188,7 +8149,6 @@ class Repository {
 
 } // END of class Repository
 
-
 //
 // Draggable & resizable dialogs
 //

package/static/scripts/linny-r-utils.js

@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ function rangeToList(str, max=0) {
 function dateToString(d) {
   // Returns date-time `d` in UTC format, accounting for time zone
   const offset = d.getTimezoneOffset();
-  d = new Date(d.getTime() - offset*60000);
+  d = new Date(d.getTime() - offset * 60000);
   return d.toISOString().split('T')[0];
 }
 

package/static/scripts/linny-r-vm.js

@@ -1451,8 +1451,8 @@ class VirtualMachine {
     this.LM_PEAK_INC = 11; // Symbol: plus inside triangle ("peak-plus")
     // List of link multipliers that require binary ON/OFF variables
     this.LM_NEEDING_ON_OFF = [5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10];
-    this.LM_SYMBOLS = ['', '\u21C9', '\u0394', '\u03A3', '\u03BC', '\u2B9D',
-        '+', '0', '\u2934', '\u2732', '\u2B9F', '\u2A39'];
+    this.LM_SYMBOLS = ['', '\u21C9', '\u0394', '\u03A3', '\u03BC', '\u25B2',
+        '+', '0', '\u2934', '\u2732', '\u25BC', '\u2A39'];
     
     // VM max. expression stack size
     this.MAX_STACK = 200;
@@ -1631,6 +1631,8 @@ class VirtualMachine {
     // Initialize error counters (error count will be reset to 0 for each block)
     this.error_count = 0;
     this.block_issues = 0;
+    // NOTE: special tracking of potential solver license errors
+    this.license_expired = 0;
     // Reset solver result arrays
     this.round_times.length = 0;
     this.solver_times.length = 0;
@@ -1708,7 +1710,8 @@ class VirtualMachine {
     // Other special values are very big POSITIVE numbers, so start
     // comparing `n` with the highest value
     if(n >= this.COMPUTING) return [true, '\u25A6']; // Checkered square
-    if(n >= this.NOT_COMPUTED) return [true, '\u2BBF']; // Circled X
+    // NOTE: prettier circled bold X 2BBF does not display on macOS !!
+    if(n >= this.NOT_COMPUTED) return [true, '\u2297']; // Circled X
     if(n >= this.UNDEFINED) return [true, '\u2047']; // Double question mark ??
     if(n >= this.PLUS_INFINITY) return [true, '\u221E'];
     return [false, n];
@@ -4526,7 +4529,7 @@ class VirtualMachine {
   checkLicense() {
     // Compares license expiry date (if set) with current time, and notifies
     // when three days or less remain
-    if(this.license_expires) {
+    if(this.license_expires && this.license_expires.length) {
       // NOTE: expiry date has YYYY-MM-DD format
       const
           xds = this.license_expires[0].slice(-10).split('-'),
@@ -4582,6 +4585,9 @@ Solver status = ${json.status}`);
     }
     if(json.error) {
       const errmsg = 'Solver error: ' + json.error;
+      if(errmsg.indexOf('license') >= 0 && errmsg.indexOf('expired') >= 0) {
+        this.license_expired += 1;
+      }
       this.logMessage(bnr, errmsg);
       UI.alert(errmsg);
     }
@@ -4633,6 +4639,10 @@ Solver status = ${json.status}`);
       if(this.block_issues) UI.warn('Issues occurred in ' +
           pluralS(this.block_issues, 'block') +
           ' -- check messages in monitor');
+      if(this.license_expired > 0) {
+        // Special message to draw attention to this critical error
+        UI.alert('SOLVER LICENSE EXPIRED: Please check!');
+      }
       // Call back to the console (if callback hook has been set)
       if(this.callback) this.callback(this);
       return;