Enable creation of new reference results in batch mode (#561) (#562)

* Enable creation of new reference results in batch mode (#561)

* add options for startup and additional package loading

* Run pep8

* Updated change log

---------

Co-authored-by: FWuellhorst <[email protected]>

Author: mwetter

buildingspy/CHANGES.txt

@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@ BuildingsPy Changelog
 Version 5.2.0, xxxx
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
+- In buildingspy/development/regressiontest.py, add option to create reference
+  results in batch mode.
+  (https://github.com/lbl-srg/BuildingsPy/issues/560)
 - For Optimica regression tests, added check for Integers that are too large to be represented
 - In buildingspy/development/refactor.py, corrected moving images to avoid creating
   a directory if the target directory already exists.

buildingspy/development/regressiontest.py

@@ -287,6 +287,7 @@ def __init__(
         self._statistics_log = "statistics.json"
         self._nPro = multiprocessing.cpu_count()
         self._batch = False
+        self._createNewReferenceResultsInBatchMode = False
         self._pedanticModelica = False
 
         # Number of data points that are used
@@ -510,15 +511,18 @@ def showGUI(self, show=True):
         self._showGUI = show
         return
 
-    def batchMode(self, batchMode):
+    def batchMode(self, batchMode, createNewReferenceResultsInBatchMode: bool = False):
         """ Set the batch mode flag.
 
         :param batchMode: Set to ``True`` to run without interactive prompts
                           and without plot windows.
+        :param createNewReferenceResultsInBatchMode: Set to ``True`` to create
+                                                     new results in batch mode. Default is False.
 
         By default, the regression tests require the user to respond if results differ from previous simulations.
         This method can be used to run the script in batch mode, suppressing all prompts that require
-        the user to enter a response. If run in batch mode, no new results will be stored.
+        the user to enter a response.
+        By default, if run in batch mode, no new results will be stored.
         To run the regression tests in batch mode, enter
 
         >>> import os
@@ -529,6 +533,7 @@ def batchMode(self, batchMode):
 
         """
         self._batch = batchMode
+        self._createNewReferenceResultsInBatchMode = createNewReferenceResultsInBatchMode
 
     def pedanticModelica(self, pedanticModelica):
         """ Set the pedantic Modelica mode flag.
@@ -2814,8 +2819,12 @@ def _checkReferencePoints(self, ans):
                                     noOldResults = noOldResults + list(pai.keys())
 
                                 if self._batch:
-                                    self._reporter.writeError(
-                                        f"Reference file {refFilNam} does not yet exist. You need to generate it by running tests in non-batch mode.")
+                                    if self._createNewReferenceResultsInBatchMode:
+                                        updateReferenceData = True
+                                    else:
+                                        self._reporter.writeError(
+                                            f"Reference file {refFilNam} does not yet exist. "
+                                            f"You need to generate it by running tests in non-batch mode.")
 
                                 if not (self._batch or ans == "Y" or ans == "N"):
                                     if t_ref is None: