Saving Files from McSimAPN.
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Save any time, come back and restart!
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Save a Model
Obviously, you will want to save your work at some stage, certainly at the point where you have some sort of model working. However, there is another aspect available in McSimAPN: The ability to save the condition (state) of your model at any point and restart it from that point.
The idea is that at any stage of a simulation, you may want to trap the state, and restart it from that point. For example, to get to some interesting stage of the operation then save it so that you can try different actions from then on.
Because of this, the default file name for saving is NOT the one you opened, but is called "Savefile". That also acts as protection, just in case you select saving the file, without doing a "Save As" first.
At any time:
From the menu, select [File] [Save Model As] and then follow the normal Windows file saving process. You will have trapped the model in whatever state it had reached, anything from Initial conditions to end of run. When you reload the file into McSimAPN it will be at the state it was when you saved it. If you want to continue from that state, DO NOT use RESET!
Beware, McSimAPN doesn't (yet) warn you about overwriting existing files, nor does it warn you about closing down without saving.
Now you have been warned!

Naming Files. Subsequent [Save]s will use the file name you selected, until you change it or McSimAPN is shut down.
Because the files are text files and get the standard ".txt" extension, you may like to include some extra identification in the name to show it works with McSimAPN.

Capturing Interesting States. If there is some condition that occurs in a model which you want to trap, but don't know when it will happen, then you can set the HOLD block to respond to a logical condition. The Run will be frozen and you can do what you like then, including Saving the model as it is.

Save a Recording (Data logging)
If you use the Graphs (oscilloscope) (block 19) to make a graphical display then you have made a recording of up to ten channels of data.
It is not necessary to display the Graphs. The data is recorded as the run progresses in any case. This recording can be saved as a text file for use in any other system. It is a space delimited file, one record per line. The independent variable is always recorded as the first item in the line.
From the menu select [File] [Save Tape as] and procede to use the standard Windows menu.
Subsequent [SaveTape]s will use the name you selected without asking further or checking for possible overwriting.
You have been warned.
If the recording gets very long (after 10,000 records) the "tape" drops some (2000 records) of the earliest data so you will get at most 10000 records in the file. You will get a warning about this and may want to save the data file then before continuing.

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Help Index:
Index/Search

Background
Simulation Concepts
Continuous Systems
Discrete Systems
McSimAPN Structure
McSimAPN Operation

Using McSimAPN
Start McSimAPN
Save Model,data
Create Blocks
Run-Hold-Reset
Link Excel+VBA

PetriNet Block Types
A activity/action
B belt conveyor
C container/constant
D diverter(random)

Analogue Block Types
E exponents
F flux/flow
G function Generator
H hysteresis
I integrator
J inductor
K logic element
L logarithms
M memory
N note/label
O oscilloscope/graph
p not assigned
Q quantizer/rounding
R relay on/off
S sin/asin/atan
T timer/clock
U user link Excel
V visual voltmeter
W sWitch selector/MUX
X multiply
y not assigned
Z random (fuZZ)
& signed summation
% division/difference
@ access/move values

Invitation. McCann can help if you have a design or operational problem that needs some technical support that is outside your team's experience, some quantitative assessment of what is really the cause of the difficulties, some design alternatives or just a fresh look by an intelligent interrogator.
If you have a problem with the behaviour of a market sector, plant, process or item of equipment and would like to get a quantitative handle on it to improve yield or optimise performance, then contact us. We are always ready to give a little time to discuss a new puzzle, in confidence, of course. We'll only worry about fees when we have some defined work. We can be flexible about how we work with you.
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MJMcCann-Consulting,
POB 902,
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T: 1 302 654-2953
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E: mjmccann@iee.org
Request. Please let us know how you found this software and your interests by sending an email to mjmccann@iee.org Thank you Date: 2012.02.26
File: save.htm