Basic Features of the Dashboard Authoring Module

The Dashboard A special GoldSim element that allows you to build custom interfaces or "control panels" for your models. Authoring Module allows you to insert one or more Dashboards (control panels) into a model to create an interface for users viewing your model using the GoldSim Player A program that allows you to "play" or "read" an existing GoldSim model without having to license the GoldSim software. The GoldSim Player is available as a free download from the GoldSim website..

Within a Dashboard, you can do the following:

• You can connect Dashboard input controls (such as edit fields, sliders check boxes, combo boxes, and input grids) directly to GoldSim elements, so that the user can modify the linked elements in a simple and direct manner without having to be familiar with the GoldSim interface. You can assign customized tool-tips to the controls to explain their function.
• You can connect the outputs of GoldSim elements to Dashboard output controls (e.g., display fields, result display windows, thermometers and dynamic status displays) so that key results can be easily displayed. You can assign customized tool-tips to these controls to explain their function.
• You can add customized buttons to a Dashboard. These buttons can have any name, can have a customized tool-tip, and can trigger a number of actions, including running and closing the file, viewing a specific result chart or table, jumping to 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., an element, or another Dashboard, opening another application (e.g., PowerPoint), and viewing a web page (i.e., a hyperlink).
• You can add a Scenario control A special control that can be added to a Dashboard that provides a mechanism for selecting and running scenarios. to a Dashboard. This allows the user to create, edit, view and compare multiple scenarios.
• You can define a tab order for the various controls, so that users can easily tab between the fields.
• You can add scrollable text boxes with explanatory text to a Dashboard.
• You can insert graphics, images and text (using the tools on the GoldSim Drawing toolbar) anywhere on a Dashboard.

By using multiple Dashboards, you can expose as many inputs as required to the model user. You can choose to hide all the computational details of the model, or if desired, you can provide a mechanism (e.g., an action button) by which the user can leave the Dashboard and "look under the hood" of the model.

Although any GoldSim model can be saved as a Player file A special file format (with the extension .gsp) that can be created by GoldSim and can only be read by the GoldSim Player. and subsequently viewed using the GoldSim Player, a Player file that includes Dashboards can also be modified and run by the Player.