Referencing Outputs of Other Elements (Creating Links)

Some elements, such as an Integrator, have a single output, while other elements, such as a Stochastic or a Reservoir A stock element that integrates and conserves flows of materials., have multiple outputs. If an element has multiple outputs, one of the outputs is usually defined as the primary output For an element with multiple outputs, the output that has the same name as the element. for the element. Any other outputs for the element are referred to as .

The name of the primary output of an element is always the same as the name of the element itself. Output names are important because links between elements are created by referencing the name of the output of one element in one of the input fields for another element.

The names for secondary outputs are "hard-wired" for each element type. For example, a Reservoir element always has a secondary output For an element with multiple outputs, an output that has a different name than the element. named ”Withdrawal_Rate” (and under certain circumstances, can have others). As a result, when referencing the secondary output of an element, it is not sufficient to simply enter the output name, as GoldSim would not be able to distinguish between the outputs if there were multiple occurrences of that type of element in the model (e.g., if there were two Reservoirs in the model, GoldSim would not know which element was being referred to).

To avoid this problem, an output which is not the primary output is referenced by using both the element name and the output name: elementID.outputID. For example, the “Withdrawal_Rate” secondary output of a Reservoir named B would be referenced as:

B.Withdrawal_Rate