Building Hierarchical Models Using Containers

Lesson 2, page 10 of 12

Although some GoldSim models are simple, consisting of 50 elements The basic building blocks with which a GoldSim model is constructed. Each element represents a feature, pararamer, process or event in the model. or less, many GoldSim models have hundreds or even thousands of elements. In order to manage, organize and view such a model it is useful (in fact, essential) to group the elements into subsystems. A subsystem is simply a collection of elements.

Subsystems are created in GoldSim by placing elements into a Container An element that acts like a “box” or a “folder” into which other elements can be placed. It can be used to create hierarchical models.. A Container is simply a "box" into which other elements have been placed. In a sense, it is like a directory folder on your computer.

Containers can be placed inside other Containers, and any number of levels of containment can be created. This ability to organize model elements into a hierarchy provides a powerful tool for creating "top-down" models, in which the level of detail increases as you "push down" into the containment hierarchy.

The example below shows a system A subunit of the world separated by a boundary from the rest of the world. The description of the system is comprised of the relations within the system as well as those characterizing the action of the outside world on the system. that has been divided into a number of distinct subsystems:

GoldSim provides an optional browser A view of a GoldSim model in which elements are displayed in a tree, and organized either hierarchically, or by type. view of the system in a pane on the left of the window. The tree in the browser shows the containment hierarchy in a manner similar to how a computer's directory hierarchy is shown.

You can "drill down" into the next level of detail in the model by "opening" the Container. One way to do this is by clicking on the small triangle in the upper left-hand corner of the Container icon.

The ability to create hierarchical, top-down models, coupled with GoldSim's powerful documentation and presentation abilities, allows you to effectively describe and explain your model at different (and appropriate) levels of detail to different audiences.

Moreover, the ability to create subsystems using Containers provides a powerful capability: the reuse of subsystems. A user can create a complex subsystem, and then document and save it, such that a subsequent user could simply drop the subsystem into a new model. This facilitates the creation of a library of documented and verified subsystems. Such a library can be used within an organization to quickly and efficiently build complex models.