Defining Simulation Events

Use the Simulation Events tab to alert a user to certain conditions during a simulation. When the variable's value meets a specified condition, you can stop the simulation, navigate to a page or variable, and display a message.

Event Types

You can present any of the following when a simulation event triggers:

• Text message
• Image
• Video (interface only)

Why use events?

As the simulation progresses, you can:

• Provide the user with information about model output.
• Coach the user toward a deeper understanding of model structure and behavior.
• Provide ongoing information as the simulation progresses by using multiple messages for a single variable.
• Navigate users to a specific page on the interface (for example, a sequence of coaching screens).

Usage examples

The following events could be defined for the same variable (which can be a stock, flow, or converter).

• Text appears when the variable's value drops below 50.
• Text appears when the variable's value rises above 100.
• Text appears when the variable's value drops below 50 or rises above 100.
• Text appears each time the variable's value drops below 50 or rises above 100, displaying multiple different messages, one for each time the event occurs.

Note: All visible messages (text, images, and video) appear in a floating message window.

Tip: You can suppress all simulation events from the main panel for the model or the interface.

Defining Simulation events and actions

To define a message, you need to complete the following:

1. Choose the Simulation Events tab on the properties panel for a variable, or for the entire model/interface.
2. Select a variable to attach the event(s) to.
3. Create one or more events using the Simulation Event dialog box.
4. Add actions and messages to the events using the Simulation Event Action dialog.

To Edit an Event

You can edit the definition of any message you've already defined.

1. Choose the Simulation Events tab on the properties panel for a variable, or for the entire model/interface.
2. Select the event whose definition you'd like to edit.
3. Choose Edit Selected and change the definition of the event and the action.

To Delete an Event

1. Choose the Simulation Events tab on the properties panel for a variable, or for the entire model/interface.
2. Select the event you'd like to delete.
3. Choose Remove Selected.