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Delete All Output (bug)

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg30565] Delete All Output (bug)
• From: aes <siegman at stanford.edu>
• Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2001 01:40:10 -0400 (EDT)
• Organization: Stanford University
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

I have a notebook that defines a number of modules, followed by a "data 
input cell" which "calls" these modules repeatedly, e.g. this Input cell 
might have 20 lines of the form

   R1=0.8; R2=09; plotReflectionProfile;
   R1=0.8; R2=09; plotPhaseProfile;

that make 20 different plots for different values of R1 and R2.

Suppose this notebook has been run, creating the 20 plots; and I want to 
make some changes and tests, maybe run just one other value, without 
re-running all these plots while I'm testing the changes.  Easy way to 
disable the data cell is to convert its Format temporarily to Text 
instead of Input.

If you do this, and then later select Delete All Output from the Kernel 
menu, the 20 plots are *not* deleted.  

I argue, this is, if not a bug, an undesirable "gotcha" in the Mathematica 
interface.  Sure, I could delete the plots *before* changing the Input 
cell's format (or by hand selecting all 20 of them and doing a ctrl-X).  

But when I change the Input cell's format, I haven't (at least 
explicitly) changed any of the characteristics of the graphics cells 
that follow this cell.  If Delete All Output would have deleted those 
cells before, it should delete them now -- seems like a matter of 
elementary consistency.

(This is Mac PB G3, OS 8.6, Mathematica 4.1.)