User Interface Components

The largest part of the screen is occupied by the graphics pane. This is where the graphical depiction of the model is shown. It is the "canvas" on which the model is drawn. For most users, this is where most model building and manipulation tasks will be carried out.

Note: If you have activated a GoldSim extension module, there may be some default items present in your models. For example, the Contaminant Transport Module adds a Container named Materials.

When you open GoldSim for the first time, the browser will be shown. The browser represents an alternative way to view a GoldSim model. In particular, it organizes the model in one of two ways:

• In a hierarchical manner (by containment), similar to the way that files and directories on a computer are organized;

The browser is initially docked on the left side of the screen. You can move it, undock it (so that it floats as a separate window) or deactivate (hide) it. You can turn the browser off and on by pressing the browser toolbar button or by pressing F6.

The menu bar provides access to menus from which nearly any GoldSim operation can be carried out. Although there are sometimes more convenient ways to carry out a particular action in GoldSim (e.g., toolbar buttons, context-sensitive menus), if you are stuck, you will find that most GoldSim functions and operations can be carried out via the main menu.

The user interface also includes a number of toolbars. All toolbars are present the first time you open GoldSim. All toolbars (as well as the menu bar) can be customized, hidden, and moved if desired. (In the screenshot above, several of the toolbars have been hidden.) The two most commonly used toolbars are the Standard toolbar and the Run Control toolbar .

• The Standard toolbar provides buttons for common GoldSim actions (e.g., Save a file, Run the model):

The status bar at the bottom of the screen provides information regarding the mode that the model is in, as well as access to tools (e.g., zooming). It also indicates the status of a simulation while it is in progress.

The appearance of the user interface components can be configured and customized to match the way that you like to use GoldSim. For example, you can customize toolbars, change the appearance of the graphics pane, and modify the appearance of objects in the interface.