A Schema Definition contains essential information about the classes involved in a simulator created by a simulation developer. This information is then used by SansGUI to create a proper interface environment for the users to configure models, input data, run simulations, and view results. Thus, a Schema Definition acts as a contract between the simulator and SansGUI. The contents of a Schema Definition are:
Simulator Identification: identifies the simulator because SansGUI can accommodate multiple simulators from different software vendors and developers to be installed and executed at the same time. The simulator identification includes a simulator name, a short description of the simulator, the company name, the workgroup, the name and location of the on-line help documentation, a password for entering service sessions, and the simulator options available to the users. Simulator options can be defined, optionally, to incorporate different subsets of classes defined in the Schema Definition. The simulation developer can use this mechanism to include or exclude certain classes for different capability levels made available to the simulation users. The company name and the workgroup are essential if some of the classes defined under the simulator are to be shared with other simulators. SansGUI uses the name strings to determine share levels and check for compatibility.
Definitions of Classes: constitute the major portion of the Schema Definition. A set of SansGUI intrinsic classes are provided for you, the simulation developer, to subclass or derive from. All the classes that you create are subclasses of certain intrinsic classes. The class schema contains class properties, sharing options, attributes, DLL function entry points, and the port definitions and connectivity information for component classes. See the next section Classes for more details.
Unit Objects: include the unit conversion tables for all the units in the simulator. The tables are defined by you and can even be extended by simulation users, if you allow them to.
In the simulator development process using the SansGUI Development Environment, a Schema Definition is the first thing the simulation developer needs to complete. It can then be compiled into an Object Library, which can be distributed along with the DLL and/or the executable program to the simulation users.
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SansGUI Modeling and Simulation Environment Version 1.2
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