Feat: Added command center #2674

Sahil-Chhoker · 2025-02-09T09:10:53Z

Summary

This feature is inspired by this comment from issue #2176.

This pull request aims to add a command center into Solara Viz to execute commands directly from the browser to your model.

Implementation

This PR adds a solara component named CommandCenter into the sidebar directly. Runs commands written in the text area directly in the global scope using exec function and updates the visualization to show the changes.

Every function and property available through model can be used and updated using the command center. Some examples:

model.step()
print(len(model.agents))
Something like this can also work:

  from mesa.experimental.continuous_space import ContinuousSpace, ContinuousSpaceAgent 
  import random
  
  agents = model.agents_by_type[ContinuousSpaceAgent]
  
  for agent in agents:
     agent.position = [random.random(), random.random()]

For custom imports:

from agents import myAgent

page = SolaraViz(
    model,
    components=[space_component],
    model_params=model_params,
    name="Test Model",
    additional_imports={
        "myAgent": myAgent, # for custom classes
        "np" : "import numpy as np", # for strings
    }
)
page

now both np and myAgent can be used in the command center.

github-actions · 2025-02-09T09:18:18Z

Performance benchmarks:

Model	Size	Init time [95% CI]	Run time [95% CI]
BoltzmannWealth	small	🔵 +3.3% [+2.1%, +4.5%]	🔵 -0.7% [-0.9%, -0.6%]
BoltzmannWealth	large	🔵 -0.8% [-1.2%, -0.3%]	🔵 +1.1% [+0.6%, +1.6%]
Schelling	small	🔵 -0.3% [-0.7%, -0.0%]	🔵 -0.2% [-0.4%, -0.0%]
Schelling	large	🔵 -0.5% [-0.7%, -0.2%]	🔵 -0.6% [-1.5%, +0.2%]
WolfSheep	small	🔵 +0.3% [+0.1%, +0.5%]	🔵 +0.1% [-0.1%, +0.3%]
WolfSheep	large	🔵 +1.4% [+0.8%, +2.1%]	🔵 +3.2% [+2.3%, +4.3%]
BoidFlockers	small	🔵 -0.1% [-0.5%, +0.4%]	🔵 -0.1% [-0.3%, +0.0%]
BoidFlockers	large	🔵 +0.5% [+0.3%, +0.8%]	🔵 +0.4% [+0.2%, +0.7%]

Sahil-Chhoker · 2025-02-09T09:20:01Z

Some known limitations:

Ruff error S102.
Ugly spellcheck:

Sahil-Chhoker · 2025-02-09T09:22:28Z

@EwoutH Since you were the one who recommended this feature over on issue #2176, I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

EwoutH · 2025-02-09T09:33:43Z

This is super cool. I'm in a long distance train this afternoon, I will try to look at it then!

quaquel · 2025-02-09T13:14:22Z

I think this is cool. However, the unchecked use of exec is a massive security risk. Just try import shutil; shutil.rmtree("/"),.....

I don't have time to dig a bit deeper, but e.g., https://www.stackhawk.com/blog/command-injection-python/ might be a good starting point to think about this a bit more.

EwoutH · 2025-02-09T17:21:00Z

Really like the idea so far!

There are a few minor things. For example, to make it practical, it should probably import at least the Agent types used (in this example Wolf, Sheep, etc.)

for more information, see https://pre-commit.ci

Sahil-Chhoker · 2025-02-09T18:15:38Z

@EwoutH I don't think it is possible to import custom classes directly, but it works if the additional imports are passed to the to SolaraViz instance

quaquel · 2025-02-09T18:28:33Z

I suggest also checking the code module, which allows you to attach a full console to a running python process.

…r/mesa into feat-command-center

for more information, see https://pre-commit.ci

Sahil-Chhoker · 2025-02-10T12:31:19Z

I did some research on making exec() safer, and with a little help from AI, I came up with this final implementation. It throws an error for dangerous commands. Also, since the server runs on the client's machine, it's unlikely they'd try to sabotage themselves.

Sahil-Chhoker · 2025-02-10T12:42:42Z

I suggest also checking the code module, which allows you to attach a full console to a running python process.

The code module could be useful for turning the command center into a command console. I also tried building it separately, but with my current Solara skills, it looks quite ugly.

quaquel · 2025-02-11T18:11:11Z

The code module could be useful for turning the command center into a command console. I also tried building it separately, but with my current Solara skills, it looks quite ugly.

Thanks for checking! Might it be an idea to open a separate discussion or issue where you share what you did? One dream feature would be to have a full variable explorer and console when running mesa models through the GUI. This PR is a stepping stone towards that vision and anything you learned can be valuable for others. I'll try to review this PR more closely hopefully over the weekend.

Sahil-Chhoker · 2025-02-12T06:36:05Z

One dream feature would be to have a full variable explorer and console when running mesa models through the GUI.

That sounds like a great feature! I have opened an issue (#2683) for discussions. I decided to start from scratch to make it easier to incorporate valuable input. I would greatly appreciate any help you can provide!

quaquel · 2025-02-17T09:41:00Z

mesa/visualization/solara_viz.py

@@ -157,6 +164,8 @@ def SolaraViz(
            )
        with solara.Card("Information"):
            ShowSteps(model.value)
+        with solara.Card("Command Center"):


do we want the command center to be allways there, or make it optional in some way?

I personally would prefer it to be always be there, it will encourage the users to play around with it and know it better.

From a design point of view, I prefer giving users the choice but show it in all our examples.

Someone might want to built a UI with very limited possibility for interaction, or only show the animation to a client.

Makes sense, does a boolean parameter in SolaraViz work?

I was thinking more along the lines of treating it as a component so you could just at it to the list of components:

page = SolaraViz( model, components=[SpaceComponent, SomeGraphComponent, Console], model_params=model_params, name="my fancy model", )

But I am open to having it as a boolean as well. I haven't thought about the layout anyway in great detail.

Yeah, that works as well, in fact that is more intuitive. I like this idea more than that of a boolean.

quaquel · 2025-02-17T09:41:59Z

mesa/visualization/solara_viz.py

@@ -586,3 +595,156 @@ def ShowSteps(model):
    """Display the current step of the model."""
    update_counter.get()
    return solara.Text(f"Step: {model.steps}")
+
+
+class _SecureCodeValidator(ast.NodeVisitor):


what did you use as inspiration, if any for this?

I didn't find any source exactly resembling this, but after search a bit I found some open discussions on stackoverflow suggesting the use of ast, after doing a little research over it, I used AI to assemble those ideas into a prototype.

quaquel

Should we not move all command center stuff into its own seperate module?

A few clarifying questions to start this review.

Sahil-Chhoker · 2025-02-17T12:03:22Z

Should we not move all command center stuff into its own separate module?

I realized the same after implementing it, but I think the development of console is going smooth, that can replace the command center entirely. We can have an separate file for that.

Corvince · 2025-02-18T07:44:41Z

I just want to say that I am really impressed with the work done here and in #2683 . Definitely something that has been on my frontend wishlist for a long time. But I am not sure how to proceed from here, is this PR here superseded by the work done in #2683? Or should this here be merged before implementing the changes there? Or is the scope of both features different?

Sahil-Chhoker · 2025-02-18T08:04:42Z

Thanks @Corvince for your reply!

But I am not sure how to proceed from here, is this PR here superseded by the work done in #2683?

Yes the work done in #2683 will replace the work done by this PR. This PR is here to get the review on the the feature _SecureCodeValidator, because it is going to be reused in the work in #2683. I would really appreciate if you could give some useful insights on that.

quaquel · 2025-02-18T09:17:35Z

mesa/visualization/solara_viz.py

+        "open",  # File system access
+        "globals",
+        "locals",  # Global state manipulation
+    }


most of these make sense to me

is the model itself by default available in the namespace?

also, we can refine this based on experiences

Sorry, I don't think I exactly understand what you mean here. Can you add a little more context.

mesa/visualization/solara_viz.py

quaquel · 2025-02-18T09:19:11Z

mesa/visualization/solara_viz.py

+                        f"Access to system module '{attr}' is not allowed"
+                    )
+
+        self.generic_visit(node)


what is the overhead of this security validation?

I ran some tests, and most of the time, the overhead from the security validator is more than double the execution time of the code.

that is a lot, it might be an argument to leave out validation at all and just give a very clear warning in the docs about security.

Yeah it's a lot, I didn't think it to be so performance heavy. But since it could be used for smaller models, I think a warning in the docs should do the job (personal view).

Corvince · 2025-02-18T09:50:01Z

Yes the work done in #2683 will replace the work done by this PR. This PR is here to get the review on the the feature _SecureCodeValidator, because it is going to be reused in the work in #2683. I would really appreciate if you could give some useful insights on that.

I am no expert in this domain, but I reviewed your code with the help of an ai assistant.

While your code offers some first protection against malicious actors, it is by no means complete. There are various ways to circumvent the protections. So I think its more of an architectural problem of how and where the code is executed. If you run this yourself on your local computer, I see no additional security risk and I don't think we need a code validator.

If the model is hosted some site where the code is executed client-side (e.g. py.cafe, basically the same applies, you can only harm yourself (at most).

This leaves only the possibility of hosting it on a server, where the code is also executed on the server. In principle this is always a bad idea, no matter the amount of protection. Something like this can only work safely by whitelisting allowed commands, not trying to catch malicious attempts.

So in summary I don't think we need the code validator. For server environments it might even give a false impression of security. We could warn not to use the command center for hosted solutions, but since we don't currently have any guidelines for that anyways its a bit pointless. Don't get me wrong, enabling easy hosting of models should be high on our todo list imho, but it should be run client-side, not server-side anyways.

quaquel · 2025-02-18T10:04:04Z

Although I am sympathetic to @Corvince's points, I don't fully agree. One use case is that I am giving a model with a UI to some novice student. She will run the model locally, but might not be intimately familiar with python or even with programming. In such a context, a minimum level of protection of what can be done via the console seems desirable.

Corvince · 2025-02-18T10:14:22Z

Good point, you are right, I haven't considered the use-case of someone who isn't a model developer, but is playing with a model locally. But I am not sure how much of a risk that is. Its not that easy to cause serious harm. If you are worried about that you shouldn't let users use the computer unsupervised ;)

Feat: Added command center

f0da710

EwoutH requested review from Corvince, quaquel and EwoutH February 9, 2025 09:32

EwoutH added feature Release notes label visualisation labels Feb 9, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker and others added 2 commits February 9, 2025 23:44

feat: custom imports

cba8279

[pre-commit.ci] auto fixes from pre-commit.com hooks

7c105e3

for more information, see https://pre-commit.ci

Sahil-Chhoker and others added 6 commits February 10, 2025 08:55

Merge branch 'main' into feat-command-center

b6a6304

feat: exec() vulnerablility checking

df7d656

Merge branch 'main' into feat-command-center

0d84846

feat: exec() vulnerablility checking

a055d94

Merge branch 'feat-command-center' of https://github.com/Sahil-Chhoke…

f8b89f0

…r/mesa into feat-command-center

[pre-commit.ci] auto fixes from pre-commit.com hooks

775b835

for more information, see https://pre-commit.ci

Merge branch 'main' into feat-command-center

023255f

Sahil-Chhoker mentioned this pull request Feb 12, 2025

Interactive console in solara web interface. #2683

Open

Sahil-Chhoker added 2 commits February 15, 2025 11:15

Merge branch 'main' into feat-command-center

7a8fe31

Merge branch 'main' into feat-command-center

f1f0661

Sahil-Chhoker mentioned this pull request Feb 16, 2025

Adds Altair plot component and some other fixes #2644

Open

4 tasks

quaquel reviewed Feb 17, 2025

View reviewed changes

quaquel reviewed Feb 18, 2025

View reviewed changes

mesa/visualization/solara_viz.py Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

quaquel reviewed Feb 18, 2025

View reviewed changes

mesa/visualization/solara_viz.py Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

quaquel reviewed Feb 18, 2025

View reviewed changes

added reviewed changes

8645afb

Provide feedback

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly

Feat: Added command center #2674

Feat: Added command center #2674

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 9, 2025 •

edited

Loading

github-actions bot commented Feb 9, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 9, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 9, 2025

EwoutH commented Feb 9, 2025

quaquel commented Feb 9, 2025 •

edited

Loading

EwoutH commented Feb 9, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 9, 2025

quaquel commented Feb 9, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 10, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 10, 2025

quaquel commented Feb 11, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 12, 2025

quaquel Feb 17, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker Feb 17, 2025

quaquel Feb 17, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker Feb 17, 2025

quaquel Feb 17, 2025 •

edited

Loading

Sahil-Chhoker Feb 17, 2025 •

edited

Loading

quaquel Feb 17, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker Feb 17, 2025

quaquel left a comment

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 17, 2025

Corvince commented Feb 18, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 18, 2025

quaquel Feb 18, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker Feb 20, 2025

quaquel Feb 18, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker Feb 20, 2025

quaquel Feb 20, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker Feb 20, 2025

Corvince commented Feb 18, 2025

quaquel commented Feb 18, 2025

Corvince commented Feb 18, 2025

Feat: Added command center #2674

Are you sure you want to change the base?

Feat: Added command center #2674

Conversation

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 9, 2025 • edited Loading

Summary

Implementation

github-actions bot commented Feb 9, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 9, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 9, 2025

EwoutH commented Feb 9, 2025

quaquel commented Feb 9, 2025 • edited Loading

EwoutH commented Feb 9, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 9, 2025

quaquel commented Feb 9, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 10, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 10, 2025

quaquel commented Feb 11, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 12, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

quaquel Feb 17, 2025 • edited Loading

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Sahil-Chhoker Feb 17, 2025 • edited Loading

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

quaquel left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 17, 2025

Corvince commented Feb 18, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 18, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Corvince commented Feb 18, 2025

quaquel commented Feb 18, 2025

Corvince commented Feb 18, 2025

Sahil-Chhoker commented Feb 9, 2025 •

edited

Loading

quaquel commented Feb 9, 2025 •

edited

Loading

quaquel Feb 17, 2025 •

edited

Loading

Sahil-Chhoker Feb 17, 2025 •

edited

Loading