A big update that wraps over 90% of the public C++ API, with enough functionality to let Python users to perform useful modelling.

Key features
- wrapping of cable cell functionality
  - user-defined explicit compartmentalisation not supported
- `single_cell_model` abstraction unique to the Python wrapper that simplifies developing and testing single cell models
- one-dimensional cell builder for Python wrapper that simplfies building cells that 
  - in and of itself limited in scope, but a very useful example of mapping a richer morphology builder onto `sample_tree`s.
- parsing of region and location expressions from strings
  - implements a generic s-expression parser that we can use for other purposes later

Replace branch/cable-based cell representation and discretization with
free specification of control volumes over the cell morphology.

Implements functionality required for issues #859 and #732, and the
reworking of inter-CV conductance computation addresses issue #635,
although there is possible room for improvement by treating CV voltages
as averages rather than point estimates.

* Remove arbor/segment.hpp and segment-based representation in `cable_cell`.
* Add a new discretization policy `cv_policy_every_sample` that replaces
  the `compartments_from_discretization` flag in the `cable_cell`
  constructor.
* Remove use of `cable_cell::num_compartments()` in example code (see
  issue #940).
* Add command line argument to `single_cell` example to specify number
  of CVs per branch.
* Replace fvm layout `fvm_discretization` with new representation
  `fvm_cv_discretization`, which in turn wraps a `cv_geometry` object
  representing CVs as cables w...

* Make access to `segment`s in a `cable_cell` read only
* Change cell constructor to require morphology and label dictionary; `make_cable_cell` no longer required.
* Consolidate paint/place functionality on `cable_cell`.
* Add simple cell builder wrapping new API for use in unit tests.
* Remove validation test code: appropriate validation tests will need to be implemented in nsuite.

Fixes #871 

WIP on implementation of new cable cell API.

* Hide implementation and state using PIMPL
* Add consistent `place` methods for adding synapse, stimuls, gap junction site and spike detectors to `cable_cell`.
* Add default constructor for `region` and `locset` that create empty `nil` instances.

* Collect cable cell parameter setting structures into `include/cable_cell_param.hpp`.
* Restructure electrical specifications (axial resistance, membrane capacitance) and ionic concentrations and reversal potentials on cable cells, so that these can be specified with a global default, per-cell defaults, and per-segment values.
* Allow reversal potentials to be set by a mechanism of a new kind 'revpot', which are prohibited from maintaining state or writing to any shared state other than ionic reversal potentials.
* Specify reversal potential mechanisms as global defaults or per-cell. Reversal potential mechanisms may not be specified at the level of a segment in order to avoid non-linearities arising from the discretization.
* Supply default cable cell parameter data that matches NEURON values (this is _not_ used by default).
* Replace the d_lambda calculation with one that approximates more faithfully the effect of tapered segments, and which will ...

akuesters authored 5 years ago and Benjamin Cumming committed 5 years ago

Add docs for Python wrapper to ReadTheDocs:

- Overview, Common Types, Hardware Management, Recipes, Domain Decomposition, Simulations, Metering
- Installing Arbor: Optional Requirements (Python), Buidling and Installing (Python Frontend), and Installation (Python Module)

Missing (, since not implemented yet): 

- probes
- arbor-sup 
- hint maps in domain_decomposition
- reset, events, empty schedule in event_generator
Also does not cover unit testing (since doc is user-centric).

Makes also defaults and units in wrapper consistent.

Fixes  #766

Support for recording spikes generated by a simulation in the Python wrapper
* Implement a `spike_recorder` that holds a shared pointer to a `std::vector` of spikes, and a callback for the `arb::simulation` spike recording API.
* Add `python/example/ring.py` that creates a ring network, then records and prints spikes.
* Some fixes to get the full `recipe` -> `domain_decomposition` -> `simulation` -> `spikes` workflow to work
  * always use default `global_parameters`: user customization of global parameters for cable cells can wait until the ion species interface is finished.
  * change the Python recipe interface for `recipe::connections_on` to use `pybind11::objects` because of shim.
* Some small improvements to error and help messages.

Fixes #764 

Add full wrappers for

- `lif_cell`
- `spike_source_cell`
- `benchmark_cell

And an opaque wrapper for cable_cell with a helper function that generates a random morphology identical to the ones in the nsuite benchmarks.

Fixes #767.