Lesson 9 - Unit 3 Summary

In Unit 3, we briefly explored and ran an existing model, and learned the following:

• GoldSim models can be opened directly from the Splash Screen when you open GoldSim, or by selecting File | Open from the main GoldSim menu.  GoldSim files use the .gsm extension.
• The GoldSim user interface consists of a window with a browser on the left and a graphics pane on the right. The GoldSim window also has a menu bar and a number of toolbars. At the bottom of the window, the status bar gives you information about what Mode (e.g., Edit Mode, Result Mode) your model is in.
• Context menus are the easiest and fastest way to access frequently used commands in GoldSim, including inserting an element and viewing results.
• You can display an element’s properties dialog (used to specify the inputs for an element) by double-clicking the element. Most elements have just a single tab in their properties dialog.  Some elements, however, have multiple tabs.
• Before you can carry out a simulation, you must specify how you want the model to be run. We do this by defining the simulation settings.  The quickest way to access the Simulation Settings dialog is to press F2.
• You can run a simulation by pressing F5.  The model, by default, immediately starts running. 
• When you are editing a model, it is in Edit Mode. After running a model, it is placed into Result Mode. A model's current mode is always displayed on the left side of the status bar (the lower-left hand corner of the GoldSim window). Moreover, the status bar changes color (it is blue in Edit Mode and green in Results Mode).
• When a model is in Result Mode, GoldSim prevents you from making changes to the model that could invalidate the results (e.g., changing the structure of the model, or changing input values). To edit the model, you must return to Edit Mode.  This will delete all of the results.
• After running a model, GoldSim can display different types of results, in either chart (graphical) form or table form. You can view the results of any element by right-clicking on the specific element you wish to view, and selecting a result type.  You can also view results using Result elements.

Now that we have briefly explored this simple model, in the next Unit we will build this entire model from start to finish so you can continue to become more comfortable with the GoldSim user interface.