Working with objects

Objects help you communicate information about your model and allow users to interact with it. Objects are classified into four groups: input devices, output devices, annotations, and buttons.

Input devices allow you and your model's users to provide or adjust input values for model entities. Input devices include objects like knobs, sliders, and list input devices.
Output devices allow you to display model output in ways that make it easier for model users to understand the results of the model run. Output devices include objects like graph pads, table pads, and numeric displays.
Annotations include things like text descriptions, instructions, and images.
Buttons allow you to initiate actions, such as navigating to another page of the model, executing a menu command, or unfurling the story of your model.

The objects you can use depend on the layer on which you are working. The following table indicates which objects are available for each diagram layer.

		Interface layer	Map and Model layer
Annotations	Text box	•	•
	Graphics frame	•	•
	Loop pad	•
Input devices	Graphical input device (GID)	•
	Knob	•
	List input device (LID)	•
	Slider	•
	Switch	•
Output devices	Graph pad	•	•
	Table pad	•	•
	Numeric display	•	•
	Status indicator	•	•
Buttons	Information	•	•
	Navigation	•	•
	Menu	•	•
	Hyperlink	•	•
	Play Movie	•	•
	Storytelling	•
	Tracing	•

Many of the tasks associated with objects (placing them on the diagram, selecting them, moving them, etc.) are the same, regardless of the type of object you're working with. For details about using a specific object, refer to the documentation for the object you want to use.

The following sections describe how to work with objects by

placing them on the diagram
selecting them to move or modify them
moving them
resizing them
moving their name plates
changing their colors
viewing or editing their properties
deleting them

To place an object on the diagram

On the appropriate layer toolbar, click the tool for the object you want to place.

Tip: To place multiple objects of the same type on the diagram, double-click the tool to keep it selected. This feature is not available for buttons, loop pads, graph pads, and table pads.
If more than one type of the object is available, click and hold the object's tool in the toolbar to view a list of the available types, then select the type you want to use.
Click the diagram to place the object.
If you double-clicked to place more than one object of this type on the diagram, continue clicking to place the objects.
When you are finished placing the objects, press ESC to deselect the object type.

Tip: For detailed notes on placing each type of object, refer to the discussion of the specific object you are using.

To select an object

Click within the object icon's border. The object is highlighted.

Note: To select a button, text box, or graphics frame, hover the mouse pointer over the icon's border or edge. When the mouse pointer changes to cross-hairs, click to select the object.

To move an object

Select the object that you want to move.
Click and drag the object to the desired location.

Note: Moving an object is not the same as moving its associated pad (for instance, a loop pad, graph pad, or table pad). The object's icon can appear in one location on the diagram while the associated pad opens in another. For more information, see Working with pads.

To resize an object

Use this procedure to resize buttons, list input devices, text boxes, graphics frames, and pads.

Select the object that you want to resize.
Click and drag one of the resize handles until the object is the size you want.

To move an object's name plate

You can move the name plate for a loop pad, knob, slider, graph pad, or table pad.

You can position a name plate anywhere around the border of an object's icon.

Click and drag the name plate to its new location.

Tip: To constrain the position of the name plate to North, South, East, or West, hold the CTRL key (Windows) or the CMD key (Macintosh) while dragging the name plate.

To view or edit an object's properties

Select the object whose properties you want to edit, and then choose Open Selection from the Interface, Map, or Model menu.

–or–

Right-click the object's icon, and then choose Open from the menu that appears.

–or–

Double-click the object's icon:
- For buttons, text boxes, or graphics frames, select the icon first, then double-click the icon.
- For list input devices, double-click the empty space to the left or right of the list's name or in an empty row in the list.
The object's dialog box or pad opens.

Note: If you are opening a pad, the last viewed page in the pad will be displayed; right-click the pad and then choose Open, or double-click the pad to view the object's dialog box. For more information, see Working with pads.

Tip: For many of the objects, you can select the entities to be associated with the object by dragging the entity from the diagram or from the Find palette onto the object. For example, you can include an entity in a table by dragging the entity from the model diagram or the Find palette. For more information, see the Help topic for the object you are defining.

To change colors for an object

Use the paintbrush tool to change the background color of objects. Depending on the type of object, you can also change the color of elements within the object (for example, plot curve and scale colors in a graph pad). For more information, see Adding color to models.

To delete an object

Select the object that you want to delete.
From the Edit menu, choose Delete.

–or–

Right-click the object and then choose Delete from the menu that appears.

–or–

Press the DELETE key.

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