Create RemoveWorkspaceHistory algorithm

[Samuel Jackson]

With the updates to algorithm histories pending, it would be useful to have an algorithm that can remove the history from a workspace, for example, in the cases where it becomes to bloated.

[Owen Arnold]

I could see how this could be useful, but I have two concerns. Developers/programming users use it as an optimisation when writing their own algorithms. If this was being used as a child algorithm then it could badly affect any algorithm chains built using the algorithm that removed the history.

I'm not dead against this, but is this really necessary? Wouldn't it be better to tackle the bloat issue?

[Samuel Jackson]

I agree with your point that this breaks the chain of algorithms in a workflow history. I also agree that bloat should be tackled elsewhere, but it's inevitable that if you run enough algorithms on a workspace, it's history will become large. I think that even with good performance there should be an option to remove history if you really want to.

Perhaps a better approach would be to supply an option somewhere (logically the history GUI?) which can remove a workspaces' history rather than an algorithm. This would avoid the broken history issue. In which case this should be closed as invalid and the requirement added to ticket #9369.

[Nick Draper]

I prefer all actions in Mantid to be available through a common interface - algorithms. We could put the button on the GUI as well, but if slow history usage affects a users script they need to be able to solve it from Python.

[Samuel Jackson]

Refs #9404 Add algorithm to remove algorithm history from a workspace.

Changeset: 609e9e200eef8ae24bd5c2bd994ceb151c1297e6

[Samuel Jackson]

Refs #9404 Swap to using new wiki summary method.

Changeset: a975e38fd3fc9304bc7ce34f809213ab20e008a3

[Samuel Jackson]

Refs #9404 Missed summary method in dummy unit test algorithms.

Changeset: b0be2d441f04d608b9ed31591704584537528390

[Samuel Jackson]

Refs #9404 Add missing return statement.

Changeset: d4982cbf02c0b5e4f1dbc747c9fe89642cc45f30

[Samuel Jackson]

Testing script

[Samuel Jackson]

To Test

Run the script. It will generate some nested history and print out what it contains. Then run the algorithm on the workspace, open the history gui and check that the only entry is RemoveWorkspaceHistory.

[Karl Palmen]

This ticket needs a checkbuild before it can be tested. Please checkbuild it and return it to verify if successful. I think this is necessary, because the develop branch was set back to master since your last checkbuild.

[Samuel Jackson]

Should be back on develop now.

[Karl Palmen]

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/feature/9404_remove_history_algorithm'

Full changeset: ​1fe46e153f3a17e2427599424836df183aa76845

[Stuart Campbell]

This ticket has been transferred to github issue ​10247