Defining tracing buttons

Use the following procedure to place a tracing button in your model and to select the model entities that will be revealed when the button is clicked.

Note: You can add tracing buttons to the Interface layer only. You cannot add a tracing button to the Map or Model layers.

For more information about the types of buttons you can add to your model, see Overview: Buttons.

To define a tracing button

1. On the Interface toolbar, click and hold the Information button tool and then click the Tracing button tool .

   Tip: You can specify the button type in the Button dialog box, regardless of the type you select to place in this step, by selecting the type you want under "Button Purpose" and then clicking the appropriate button to define the type you selected. You can also change the button's type by right-clicking it, selecting Change To, and then selecting the button type.

2. Click the diagram to place the button.

   The Button dialog box opens and the Define Tracing Button dialog box opens on top of that.

   The "Allowable" list on the right side of the dialog box displays a list of all the entities in the model.

3. Select the entities that you want the model user to be able to trace when the tracing button is clicked:

   • To add an entity to the "Selected" list, double-click its name in the "Allowable" list, or select it and then click the button. The entity's name turns gray in the "Allowable" list.
   • To remove an entity from the "Selected" list, double-click its name in the "Selected" list, or select it and then click the button.
   • To exchange one or more entities in the "Allowable" list for one or more entities in the "Selected" list, select the entities in each list and then click the button.

   Tip: To select multiple entities in either list, use drag-select, SHIFT+click, CTRL+click (Windows), or Command+click (Mac).

   If you select more than one entity, when the model user clicks the tracing button, the Variables for Tracing dialog box appears so that the user can select which entity should be traced. If you select only one entity, the software begins tracing the element when the tracing button is clicked.

4. Select the type of tracing you want the button to perform: Logic or Loop.
5. If you selected the Loop option, you can select the Cumulative Display check box to have all previously revealed loops displayed rather than cleared when the next loop is revealed.
6. When you have finished defining the tracing button, click OK to close the Define Tracing Button dialog box.
7. Click OK to close the Button dialog box.

To change the selected entities and tracing options

1. Open the Button dialog box for the tracing button.

2. Next to the Tracing option, click the Assign List button.

   The Define Tracing Button dialog box opens.

3. Edit the list of selected entities and make other changes to the tracing options as needed.
4. Click OK to close the Define Tracing Button dialog box.
5. Click OK to close the Button dialog box.

See Also