CryoSPARC V4.0+: Using old GUI?

Application
1

Hi,

I am still using Version 3.1.4 because of some complications with upgrading to the new 4.0+ version. Eventually, I will have to upgrade because I want to take advantage of some of the new features. I’m just curious, but is there a way to keep the GUI from V3? I really have gotten used to and like the simple layout of V3 compared to V4. Toggling between the two would be a a neat feature to include in general settings if possible.

Thanks!

2

Hi @kherbine ,

Thanks for the post! For compatibility purposes the old interface still does come bundled with CryoSPARC v4 (including our latest release, v4.1.2). By default it is disabled - you can enable it by running:

cryosparcm start app_legacy

It will be available at BASE_PORT + 7, for example port 39007 on the default base port of 39000. More details are available on the guide.

Please keep in mind the old interface is not guaranteed to be included for future releases and is considered ‘legacy’.

Can I ask what aspects of the old interface you prefer over the new one? The updated interface in CryoSPARC v4 is a culmination of a large engineering effort to make processing more efficient. It should load data much faster and includes newer versions of popular interactive tools like Exposure Curation.

If there’s something you feel is missing from the new interface please let us know as we’re always trying to improve the experience for users :slight_smile:

Regards,
Suhail

2 Likes
3

It takes some time, but the new interface will become second nature with practice and it is muuuuch improved. Highly suggest you make the leap, curse the system for a week or two, and then benefit eternally.

3 Likes
4

Hi @sdawood ,
Thanks a lot for your reply! I figured there was a ‘legacy’ option for the GUI, but just was not sure since I have not used the newer version much yet. As CryoEM2 mentioned, I probably just have to get use to the newer interface and it will take some time. I’m sure I will end up preferring the newer GUI. Aspects from the old interface I like:

  1. The Magnifying Glass mouse cursor that appears when placed over a project/workspace/job followed by being able to click the title to show the workspaces/jobs/overview card. This works only for Jobs in the newer version where you have to instead click on ‘view’.
  2. Simplistic view of /Projects tab compared to /browse/P* tab of the newer version. I think keeping just project details is a nice feature, but the created by X is unnecessary for me since we are a smaller lab with only 2 users. I also think the details card on the right side of the screen is way too large.
  3. Simplistic view of /Projects/P* tab compared to /browse/P*-W* tab of the newer version. I like being able to see every job header from each workspace without the images and ‘view’ section.
  4. Simplistic view of jobs. I actually really like the stats that appear on each header (# of particles, time of completion, classes, etc.) but I don’t like the white bar underneath that displays the cog icon, default, etc. Perhaps the time of completion stat can go in the unused bottom right corner of the displayed images?
  5. Finally, the color scheme. I very much like the white/slate blue/slate purple primary colors (like how cryosparc discuss is now) versus the additional black color that’s been added to the newer version (page header, sidebar, and background). It is distracting to me.

These are all very nitpicky things I understand, but I’d just thought I would share them with you! I have screenshots I took that may help with my explanations better if needed.

Best,
Karl

5

Hi @kherbine ,

Thanks for the detailed reply. We’ll definitely take this feedback into consideration as we make improvements to the interface over time.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any other suggestions, particularly if they’re focused on features and functionality you would like to see implemented.

Regards,
Suhail

6

Hi Suhail,

I’ve been using the new GUI for a while now and there are still some things I’ve noticed that distract from the overall experience. When I click on a finished job (either to view inputs or to connect outputs to another job) there is a lag time of about 20-30 seconds before I can even view anything. This was not the case with the older versions and I am not sure what is causing this. To avoid this, i’ve been using the job cart or quick actions to build, however, this doesn’t allow for duplicating a job to keep parameters the same but with different inputs.

Another thing I found is that my workspace is only displaying finished, queued, or running jobs without any sorting/filter being done. In order to see building jobs, I have to select them in the status drop down bar. I believe there should be an “all” option in the status bar so that I can view any job with any status. Oddly enough, when I sort by descending order of job creation date the building jobs appear, but when I sort by ascending order, they disappear. I think there might be a bug with the filtering/sorting feature.

Best,
Karl

7

Thanks @kherbine for taking the time to provide this feedback. The GUI behavior that you describe is not expected.
Please can you post additional details:

  • the full URL exactly as you would type into the browser when you access the CryoSPARC GUI
  • how you connect to the CryoSPARC GUI:
    • are both the computer running the browser and the computer running cryosparc_master processes on the same network?
    • are you using a VPN or SSH port forwarding to access the CryoSPARC GUI?
  • a description of the computer that runs cryosparc_master processes:
    • the amount of RAM (output of the command
      free -g)
    • other workloads handled by that computer
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Hi @wtempel,
Sure I can provide that information.

  • The full URL exactly as you would type into the browser when you access the CryoSPARC GUI: http://localhost:39000/ or http://localhost:39000/browse/P21-W1-J*
  • how you connect to the CryoSPARC GUI: cryosparcm start followed by clicking the link provided above
  • are both the computer running the browser and the computer running cryosparc_master processes on the same network? Yes
  • are you using a VPN or SSH port forwarding to access the CryoSPARC GUI? No
  • a description of the computer that runs cryosparc_master processes: CentOS 7 with 128gb RAM, Intel® Core™ i9-9940X CPU @ 3.30GHz × 28, 4x NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti/PCIe/SSE2, and 27TB SSD + 32TB SSD NAS
  • the amount of RAM (output of free -g):

total used free shared buff/cache available
Mem: 125 36 0 1 88 87
Swap: 9 7 2

  • other workloads handled: 4x 3D Refinement/Classification jobs, Chimera, Coot, and Phenix RSR
    Still, this issue happens when im not running any jobs at all.
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@kherbine Thanks for providing this information. The setup looks reasonable to me and does not explain the GUI lag that you described. Is the CryoSPARC database stored on the SSD or the NAS? How is that storage (nominal network speed for NAS, connection type for SSD) connected to the computer?
Please can you also email us the tgz file created by the command
cryosparcm snaplogs
.