How to Navigate Published Models
A published SIMPROCESS model will show 3 frames in your web browser.
The one at top left, entitled "Model Data Links,", will
remain unchanged. This is the central navigation point for the
model's content. For graphical model navigation, the initial
contents of the largest frame can be used as follows:
- The display initially seen in the main frame at right is analogous to the
graphical layouts within SIMPROCESS itself. The top layout
displays the model's name above the same display you would see in
SIMPROCESS.
- Hold your mouse pointer over any Process or Activity to see a popup
window which may contain several items:
- The first line will say "Comment:", followed by the text
of the item's comment field or the words "None specified."
- If you've entered a link (whether to a file or external URL), then
an item will appear for it. If you specified anchor text
for the link, it will be used. Otherwise, the URL or
filename will be used instead. This link will open in a
new browser window.
- If you've entered a link to a Rational Rose Use Case diagram, then
an item will appear for it. The anchor text will be the
diagram's name as it appeared in the SIMPROCESS dialog. The link
will be to a Rose Use Case diagram that is assumed to originate in
the same directory as the published SIMPROCESS model, and will open
in a new browser window to allow you to fully navigate the published
Rose model if desired.
- If you've specified a contact email address in your SIMPROCESS
preferences, a link will appear to let you send email to that address
in order to provide feedback or questions to the designated address.
The anchor text will include the email address, but the actual
mailto link will include a default subject line which contains the
complete path to the layout on display (as it appears at the top of
the window) and the name of the Activity or Process.
- If the icon is that of a Process, a final line will appear to
remind you that clicking the icon will descend into that
subprocess (see below).
- Each Process is a link which, when clicked, descends into the currently
active Alternative Sub-process and displays its layout.
- Each layout view displays the complete path to the layout (as shown in the
model's window frame in SIMPROCESS) and includes two arrows for
additional navigation.
- The upward-pointing arrow with a red line above it navigates back to the
model's top layout.
- The upward-pointing arrow is a link to the layout immediately above the
one being displayed.
- Direct navigation to any inactive Alternative Sub-process is not possible
using the graphical navigation method. See the "Activities
and Processes" item below for more on how to go directly to any
individual layout.
The "Model Data Links" window contains the following items:
- The name of a Process is a link which will cause the layout for that
Process' currently active Alternative Sub-process to appear in
the main frame at right.
- Each Alternative Sub-process' name is also a link to a layout.
For a Process with multiple Alternative Sub-processes,
this is the only way to navigate to the layout for Alternative
Sub-processes other than the currently active one.
- To the left of each Process, Alternative Sub-process and Activity is an
icon. Those for Alternative Sub-processes are not links.
However, the icons next to Process and Activity names will
display a page in the main frame which contains all the properties for
that Process or Activity. The selected item will appear as
near to the top of the frame as your window size and the data presented
will permit.
- Any Process or Activity which has any Expression defined will display
an icon at right indicating this (using the same image that appears in the
Activity Browser in SIMPROCESS).
- Any Process or Activity that has Resource Usage information will display
an icon indicating this at right (the same image as that used in the
Activity Browser in SIMPROCESS).
- Entities: Entities are the business objects that flow through
your business. Entities are entirely dependent on the type of
business being modeled. Examples of Entities are Purchase
Orders, Work Orders, Insurance Claims, Hospital Patients,
Vehicles, Aircraft, Shipments, or anything that a business handles in its
day-to-day operation. This link will display the Entities list
in the lower left frame, or a message if none are defined.
Each Entity defined in the model will appear there, and its name will be
a link to the properties for it displayed as near the top of the main
frame as the volume of information and your browser window size
permit.
- Resources: Resources are the things that do the work in the
business or are consumed or used to do the work.
Examples of resources are People, Forklifts, Paper, Fuel, Facilities,
etc. This link will display any defined Resources in the
lower left frame, with each Resource name serving as a link to its
properties to be displayed in the main frame.
- Global Entity Attributes: All Global Entity Attributes defined
in the model will appear in the lower left frame, and each one's
name will provide a link to its properties to be
displayed in the main frame.
- Global Entity Type Attributes: All Global Entity Type
Attributes defined in the model will appear in the lower left
frame, and each one's name will provide a link to its properties
to be displayed in the main frame.
- Global Resource Attributes: All Global Resource Attributes
defined in the model will appear in the lower left
frame, and each one's name will provide a link to its properties to be
displayed in the main frame.
- Global Activity Attributes: All Global Activity Attributes
defined in the model will appear in the lower left
frame, and each one's name will provide a link to its properties to be
displayed in the main frame.
- Global Model Attributes: All Global Model Attributes defined
in the model will appear in the lower left frame, and each one's
name will provide a link to its properties to be displayed in the main
frame.
- Standard Report: If the model was run prior to publishing it,
then its Standard Report data will appear in the main frame.
Otherwise, a page will appear indicating that no Standard Report data
was available.
- Plots: If the model was run prior to being published, and if
it contains any Plots, this item will cause the Plots list to appear in
the lower left frame. Each plot's name will serve as a
link to display the plot's image as near to the top of the main
frame as the volume of data and your browser window's size
will permit.