Creating the Player File

Player files (with or without Dashboards) can be viewed and run using the GoldSim Player (which can be downloaded for free from the GoldSim website). This allows your models to be viewed and run by others without requiring them to have a licensed version of GoldSim.

You can save a copy of a GoldSim model as a Player file by selecting File|Save Player File… from the main menu.

You cannot create a Player file if the model is in Result mode, or if it is in Scenario Mode but does not contain a Scenario control.

Note: If the model file from which the Player file is created was password-protected, the Player file will also be password-protected, and the user will need to enter a password to open the file.

Before creating a Player file that contains Dashboards, you may want to first set all of the input controls to their default values. You can do this by right-clicking in each Dashboard and selecting Set to Default Values. This will set all the input controls to their default values for that Dashboard (you must repeat for every Dashboard).

When you try to create a Player file, GoldSim first checks that the model is valid (e.g., there are no invalid elements in the model). It will not allow you to create a Player file unless the model is valid.

Note: When a Scenario control is present on a Dashboard, all Scenario Data elements must be editable via a Dashboard control in one of the Dashboard in the model in order to create a Player file. That is, if a Scenario Data element has been defined that is not accessible via a Dashboard, you will not be able to create a Player file.

If the model is valid, GoldSim then checks to see if all of the controls on the Dashboards are valid. If it finds invalid controls (e.g., an input control that is not linked to an element), it displays a dialog identifying the invalid controls.

Note that you have the choice to go and correct the invalid control (invalid controls are outlined in red in GoldSim), or you can choose to create the Player file. In this case, any invalid controls will be grayed out when viewed in the Player.

If all Dashboard controls are valid (or you choose to create the Player file with invalid controls), a wizard will appear to assist you in creating the Player file.

The second page of the wizard prompts you for the Author’s Name, a Model Description, and a Model Title.

The Author’s Name, Model Title, and Model Description can be viewed via a menu item in the Player. The Model Title also appears in the title bar of all Dashboards.

The third page of the wizard allows you to specify the properties of the Player file:

If the Allow the user to browse the model option is checked, the Player user is allowed to leave any Dashboard(s) and browse the structure of the model. If this option is cleared, the browser button will be grayed out and the Container navigation bar will be hidden. Note, however, that if the model does not have at least one Dashboard and/or the Dashboard includes a Button control that jumps to a Container or an element, the model is automatically browsable and this option will be checked on and grayed out.

If the Allow the user to run the model option is checked, the buttons in the Run Control toolbar within the Player will be available to run the model. If this option is off, the buttons in the Run Control toolbar will be grayed out and the Player user will be able to view the model, but will not be able to run it. Moreover, the user will not be able to save the model (via the File menu).

If a Player user can run the model, two additional options will become available. Checking the Allow changes to Time settings option allows the Player user to edit most settings on the Time tab of the Simulation Settings dialog (Advanced Time Settings cannot be edited). Selecting the Allow changes to Monte Carlo settings allows a player user to edit all of the settings on the Monte Carlo tab of the Simulation Settings dialog.

Note: If you want the Player user to change either Time or Monte Carlo settings, you must provide a mechanism for them to access the Simulation Settings dialog. There are two ways for a Player user to access the Simulation Settings dialog: 1) via a Dashboard Button; or 2) by browsing the model. That is, even if you allow Monte Carlo or Time settings changes, if you don’t provide a path to the dialog (by making the model browsable and/or creating a Dashboard Button), the Player user will not be able to edit these settings. In addition to using a button, you can also allow the user to change the Duration or Start Date/End Date using a Simulation Time control.

Note: If any of your Dashboards have a Simulation Time Control, Allow changes to Time settings must be checked to continue.

The final field in the third page of the wizard determines what will be displayed when the Player user opens the file. If the Player file has no Dashboards, the only option is “Top-level Container”. However, if the file contains one or more Dashboards, you can specify the Default Dashboard; that is, the Dashboard that will be displayed when the file opens in the Player. The drop-list contains all Dashboards in the model. If the model is browsable, it also contains “Top-level Container”.

The final page of the wizard is used to specify the path and filename of the Player file.

The extension of the Player file must be .gsp. If this is left out, GoldSim automatically adds this extension when it creates the file.