Treating a Container as a SubSystem

One of the advanced options for a Container is to treat it as a SubSystem. If you select the Conditionality, Internal Clock, Looping Capability or Provide Resources feature for a Container, it will automatically be treated as a SubSystem (these features require this to be the case):

In this example the Conditionality feature is selected, and therefore the Treat as SubSystem feature is also automatically selected (and grayed out so it cannot be changed).

SubSystems are specialized Containers that are completely “self-contained” so that from the outside, they behave like a single element. What is meant by “self-contained” requires a somewhat detailed understanding of the order in which GoldSim carries out its calculations, and such an understanding is not required for the majority of users.

For most users, it is sufficient to note that being “self-contained” enables a SubSystem to take on some useful features and properties (e.g., conditionality, having an internal clock, and being able to loop). However, it also imposes some limitations with regard to how the SubSystem can be incorporated into certain types of systems (i.e., feedback loops).

For most users, there will be no need to treat a Container as a SubSystem.

Experienced users who would like to utilize advanced features such as Conditionality, Internal Clocks and Looping, or to more directly control the order in which GoldSim carries out its calculations, should make sure they clearly understand the limitations that SubSystems impose.