Entering Values


Values of an object can be entered in the Object Properties dialog. To obtain the Object Properties dialog, double click on the object or right click on it to select Properties from the context menu. Depending on the class of the object, there are different numbers of spread-sheet like data grids, identified by the tabs underneath them. These data grids display the attributes defined in the class and hold the values of the object.

An Input Assistant can be obtained in the right click context menu of each data entry field. You can use it to see the definition of the attribute and enter a value by using a series of function buttons available according to the definition.

Attributes

Class attributes are defined by simulation developers. The possible types of the class attributes are described in the GUI Control Types section in Chapter 1 of this manual. In the Object Properties dialog, the attributes are shown with descriptive names under the Attribute header. The measuring unit associated with an attribute, if any, is displayed under the Unit header. The value(s) of the attribute can be entered in the proper cell(s) under the Value header. A cell attribute has its value confined in a single cell while an array attribute has a row, a column, a sheet, or multiple sheets of cells for entering values. There may also be check boxes under the question mark '?' header for result logging flags, indicating whether or not the simulation results of the particular attributes shall be sent to the Result View. For advanced users, there is a code for each attribute to be used as cross-field aliases in symbolic parameters or as corresponding variable names in DLL overriding routines. It can be revealed by moving the mouse pointer to the attribute name and let it sit there for a second or two.

General Editing

The GUI Control Types section in Chapter 1 describes various data entry types supported by SansGUI. Here we list a few general editing tips in using the SansGUI Object Properties dialog:

Unit Conversion

Some numerical attributes may be defined with units of measure. To change the unit of a particular attribute for data entry and display, click on the unit cell and make it current. A unit of your preference can be selected from a drop-down list after clicking on the button with a downward triangle.

When a new unit is selected, the value of the attribute will be converted to the unit. In fact, the values of the same attribute in other objects of the same class will be synchronized with the same unit.

If the desired measuring unit cannot be found in the selection list, you can extend the unit table by adding the unit name and its conversion factor to the proper unit object. The procedure can be found in the User Extensible Unit Conversion section in Chapter 1. Some unit objects may be locked by the simulation developer. You need to check with your simulator supplier for more details.

Scopes

The tabs under the data grids in the Object Properties dialog are used to organize the attributes by their scopes: Input / InOut, Output, and Port. You need to complete the Input / InOut and Port attributes as required by the simulator before running a simulation. The meanings of these scopes are:

Input Assistant

An Input Assistant can be invoked via the context menu when you click on a text or number field using the right mouse button. When the field is current, the context menu can also be obtained through the menu key on some Windows supported keyboards.

Most of the controls in the Input Assistant are protected; they are used to show the definition of the selected attribute. The primary fields are the Value field and its Unit, if defined.

Quality Input Assistant

A Quality Input Assistant, when qualitative definitions exist in the attribute, can be accessed through the Quality... button in the Input Assistant. Each rank in the quality space is listed with a selection button to the left. You can select a rank and enter a confidence factor from 0.5 to 1.0 to complete the qualitative value. If Quality-Quantity mapping is defined, a quantitative value within the minimum and maximum range has to be entered. The range depends upon the qualitative rank and confidence factor entered above.

DLL Specification

With reference and component objects, a DLL Override tab can be found under the data grid. If there are any entries in the DLL Override data grid, you can create an overriding DLL file to customize the behavior of the object. The fields in this area are similar to the fields that allow file names. You can use the File Locator in the Input Assistant to find the DLL you made. For more information regarding how to create overriding DLLs, please refer to Chapter 6 Overriding Simulator Routines.

 



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