Overview: Buttons

Use buttons to make it easy for your model's users to understand and interact with the model. When clicked, buttons perform one of several operations such as navigating to a new location, executing a menu command, or providing pop-up information.

You can define seven types of buttons:

Information button

An information button is useful for providing model users with instructions, background information, or other details about the model. When you click an information button, a pop-up window appears and displays the text, image, or movie that you specified.

To learn how to set up an information button, see Defining information buttons.

Navigation button

Navigation buttons help users quickly navigate to a specific area in the model. When you configure a navigation button, you can specify that the button takes you to a previous or next page, the "home" page for the model, or even to a specific area in the model diagram. Use navigation buttons if you are publishing models with isee NetSim and want users to be able to navigate to other pages in the model. When you click a navigation button, you are navigated to the location in the model that has been associated with the button.

To learn how to set up a navigation button, see Defining navigation buttons.

Menu button

Menu buttons allow you to assign a single menu command (for example, Open, Run, or Pause) to the button. This allows model users to quickly invoke useful commands without having to know how to use the iThink/STELLA software.

To learn how to set up a menu button, see Defining menu buttons.

Tracing button

Use a tracing button to sequentially unfold the logic of a model, working back through the inputs to a given model entity. By displaying the model in mind-sized bites, tracing makes it easier to understand how the model is put together. Tracing can also be used to step through the feedback loops associated with a given model entity. In so doing, it provides a more visceral sense for the feedback processes that are at work in the model.

To learn how to set up a tracing button, see Defining tracing buttons.

Storytelling button

Storytelling buttons allow you to customize the sequential unfurling of the entities in your map. You choose which entities are revealed and in what order. Storytelling also allows you to intersperse text, graphics, sounds, or movies between each entity that is being revealed. Finally, you can simulate the structure that is showing on the diagram, in mid story. Taken as a whole, storytelling allows you to breathe life into the communication of your model and its insights.

To learn how to set up a storytelling button, see Defining storytelling buttons.

Hyperlink button

A hyperlink button allows you to link to a web page or a file from within your model.

To learn how to set up a hyperlink button, see Defining hyperlink buttons.

Play Movie button

Use the play movie button to assign a QuickTime movie file to the button. The movie will play when the button is clicked.

To learn how to set up a play movie button, see Defining play movie buttons.

To place a button on the diagram

1. On the Interface, Map, or Model layer toolbar, click the button tool.

2. The Information button is the default button type. To place a different type of button in your model, click and hold the button tool on the toolbar and then select the appropriate button type from the list that appears.

   Tip: You can also select and change the button type in the Button dialog box, regardless of the type you select to place in this step.

3. Click the diagram to place the button.

   The Button dialog box opens.

4. Under "Button Purpose", select the type of button you want to add (if different from the type you selected in step 2).

5. Use the options in the Button dialog box to define or edit the properties of the button.

   For detailed information about defining each type of button, see the appropriate section:

• Defining information buttons
• Defining navigation buttons
• Defining menu buttons
• Defining tracing buttons
• Defining storytelling buttons
• Defining hyperlink buttons
• Defining play movie buttons

For more information about placing, naming, and editing buttons, see Working with objects.

To change a button's appearance

There are three major attributes that you can use to change the appearance of a button: its opacity, its shape, and the text or image (if any) assigned to the button's surface. You control these aspects of a button's appearance by using the options in the bottom of the Button dialog box.

1. Select the button who's appearance you want to specify.
2. Open the Button dialog box.

3. Use the options at the bottom part of the dialog box to specify the button's appearance:

   • To select the button's opacity and shape, use the options under "Button Appearance".
   • To specify text to appear on the button, select the Use Button Title option, type the text in the box to the right of the option, and then click the Import Picture button to format the text in the Text Box dialog box.
   • To import a picture from a file to appear on the button, make sure the Opaque option is selected, select the From File option, then click the Import Picture button. In the Open dialog box, navigate to and select the image file that you want to import.
   • To import a picture from the clipboard to appear on the button, make sure the Opaque option is selected and that you have copied the image you want to the clipboard by using the Copy command, then select the From Clipboard option, and click the Import Picture button.
   • To resize an imported picture so that it fits the button, select the Size To Button check box.
   • To delete an imported picture and remove it from the button, click the Delete Picture button.

   Note that an asterisk (*) appears on the Import Picture button to indicate that a title/picture is assigned to the button.

4. When you are finished specifying the button's appearance, click OK.

To assign a sound to a button

In addition to the button's image/text, you can assign a sound that the button makes when it is clicked. The default sound is a click sound, but you can also import a sound you've recorded (music, audio text, sound effect), use a sound file from an audio library, or choose to have no sound associated with the button. You specify a button's sound by using the options under "Button Sound" in of the Button dialog box.

1. Select the button who's sound you want to specify.
2. Open the Button dialog box.

3. Use the options under "Button Sound" to specify the button's sound:

   • To have the button make a clicking sound when it is clicked, select the Use clicking sound check box. This is the default sound for buttons.
   • To have the button make no sound when it is clicked, clear the Use clicking sound check box.
   • To have the button play a sound file (.WAV) you select when it is clicked, click the Import Sound button and then navigate to and select the .WAV file you want to associate with the button.
   • To delete the associated sound file, click the Delete Sound button.
4. When you are finished specifying the button's sound, click OK.

See Also