The Results Tab of the Options Dialog
The Results tab of the Options dialog provides a number of options for controlling the way that Results are displayed. The first two options control how numeric values are displayed in charts, tables and tool-tips:
Minimum number of significant figures to display: This allows you to control the number of significant figures displayed in result displays and tool-tips (as described below). This setting can be changed dynamically from within most result displays using Alt-Cursor Left (i.e., Alt-Left Arrow) and Alt-Cursor Right.
Use scientific notation if absolute value is >=: This allows you to control when scientific notation is used in result displays and tool-tips (as described below). This setting can be changed dynamically from within most result displays using Alt-Cursor Up and Alt-Cursor Down.
When displaying numeric values (other than dates), GoldSim respects the two settings noted above. Several points related to how these are applied should be noted:
- If the magnitude of the value is less than 0.0001 or greater than 1e10, GoldSim will always use scientific notation (rounding it at the prescribed number of significant figures). Otherwise, it will use the specified setting.
- If the magnitude of the value is below the threshold for scientific notation, GoldSim rounds off any decimal places beyond the prescribed number of significant figures and displays the value conventionally, with a decimal point if it has a fractional part. For example, to display 123.456 with four significant figures, GoldSim would show 123.5.
- When displaying values conventionally (i.e., not using scientific notation), GoldSim never rounds off left of the decimal point; hence the setting represents the minimum number of significant figures, not necessarily the actual number of significant figures (i.e., GoldSim may show more). For example, to display 123456.7 with four significant figures specified, GoldSim would show 123457.
- When labeling chart axes, GoldSim respects the specified scientific notation setting, but ignores the significant figures setting (significant figures in chart axes are determined automatically and cannot be user-controlled).
- Values displayed in Result elements are limited to single precision (7 significant figures). This has (a minor) implication if you need to display a date as a result. Dates are stored as the number of seconds since a reference date (12/30/1899). By using single precision, a modern date (e.g., in 2021) displayed in a result will be off by about 20 minutes.
- Values in tool-tips can show up to 16 significant figures.
Other options on the Results tab are as follows:
Show condition result outputs as: This allows you to select how condition outputs are displayed in tables, tool-tips and input fields (e.g., 1/0, True/False, On/Off, etc.).
Avoid scientific notation for currencies. If this option is checked (the default), any value that represents a currency will never be displayed in any result using scientific notation. If it is cleared, the rules outlined above will be used.
Automatic Export for Result Elements. This option allows you to control how time histories are exported from Time History Result elements in your model. The options in the drop-list affect all Time History Result elements which are set to export automatically when the simulation completes. The default is “Export results after simulation”. If “Prompt before exporting results” is selected, at the end of the simulation, you will be prompted to determine whether or not to carry out an automatic export. If “Do not export result” is selected, no automatic export is carried out (i.e., this overrides the selection for each individual Result element). Pressing the Export Now button manually exports results from all Time History Result elements which are set to export automatically when the simulation completes.