Online Help: Creating or editing Bayesian networks

VIBES provides a graphical editor for constructing or editing Bayesian networks. This consists of a set of editing tools and a property panel. The main window also contains a set of inference tools which are described elsewhere.

The Editing Tools

The editing tools appear in a toolbar above the network being edited. They can also be selected by right-clicking in the network area. There are four tools and one is always selected. Which tool is selected controls what happens when you click the mouse in the network area. The tools are:

•  Lock network
  

  This tool prevents the network from being modified and also disables the property panel. Locking your network allows you to inspect node values and properties without risking accidentally modifying the network. During inference, VIBES will lock the network automatically to prevent changes from being made.

•  Edit network

This tool allows the network to be edited and is the most commonly used tool. Using this tool, nodes can be moved around and plates can be moved or resized. Nodes or plates can be selected and their properties edited using the property panel. To edit network properties, ensure that nothing is selected by clicking on the background. You can also delete a node or plate by clicking on it and pressing the Delete key.

•  Create nodes

  This tool will mean that a node is created whenever you click in the network area. Use it to create all the nodes you need for your network and then switch back to the editing tool to edit their position and properties.

•  Create plates

This tool will mean that a plate is created whenever you click in the network area. Use it to create all the plates you need for your network and then switch back to the editing tool to edit their position, size and properties.

The Property Panel

This panel appears on the left of the main window. It can be hidden away using the small left arrow on the divider. The panel contains the editable properties of the currently selected object e.g. a node or plate. If no object is selected, it displays the properties of the entire network. Some properties have values must be selected from a drop-down list; others can be entered using the keyboard. If an invalid value is entered (e.g. text in a number field), the text will turn red - if you then hover the mouse over the field, an explanation of the problem will appear in a tooltip.