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Mark Output How-To

This walkthrough marks the result of the stack-up model built in the Mark Input How-To, and gives it the specification limits the assembly is judged against.

Work through that walkthrough first, or paste the worksheet below and mark B2, B3 and B4 as inputs before starting here.

Part Length
Base 25
Spacer 12
Cap 8
Assembly =B2+B3+B4

Mark the assembled length

B5 holds =B2+B3+B4 and shows 45. It is computed rather than varied, which is what makes it an output.

  1. Select B5.
  2. Press QXL Monte Carlo New > Design > Mark Output.
  3. The dialog opens on one page with three sections and no tabs.
  4. In Output name, type Assembly length.
  5. Leave Statistics on Yes, collect statistics for this output, so results are collected for it.
  6. In Lower spec limit (optional), type 44.8. In Upper spec limit (optional), type 45.2.
  7. Press OK.

B5 now carries a note reading:

Quantum XL Output
Assembly length
LSL=44.8
USL=45.2

The formula in B5 is untouched, and the cell still shows 45.

Leave a limit off

A specification limit is optional, and one that is left empty is not stored at all.

Select B5 and press Mark Output again. The dialog opens on the marking you already made. Clear the Upper spec limit box and press OK.

The note now reads:

Quantum XL Output
Assembly length
LSL=44.8

There is no USL line, because there is no upper limit rather than an upper limit of nothing.

Take a limit from a cell

A limit can come from a worksheet cell instead of a typed number, so it can be changed later without marking the output again.

  1. Type 45.2 into D5.
  2. Select B5, press Mark Output, then click into the Upper spec limit (optional) box.
  3. Click cell D5 in Excel.

The box shows the link and a chain icon appears beside it. Excel stays live while the dialog is open, which is what lets you click that cell without closing anything.

  1. Press OK.

The note reads USL=(linked value), because the marking stores the link. The number is read from D5 every time the model runs.

One cell at a time

Mark Output marks the active cell only. With a range selected it still marks the one active cell within it, and there is no Previous and Next pair to step between marked outputs the way Mark Input steps between marked inputs.

There is no Relative and Absolute box in this dialog either. That box describes how a link shifts from one marked cell to the next, and this dialog never marks more than one.

What to do if a cell is refused

Selecting B2 and pressing Mark Output refuses, because B2 holds a plain number:

Outputs can only be defined on cells that are formulas. The cell Sheet1!$B$2 does not contain a formula.

B2 is a part length, which varies rather than being computed, so it is an input. Mark it with Mark Input.

What you have now

A model with three marked inputs and one marked output, with limits on the output. That is everything the simulation needs.

Check it before running it. QXL Monte Carlo New > Design > Create/Modify Design Sheet > Validate Model reads the marked workbook and reports whether it will run in the fast engine or fall back to Excel's own calculation.

To take the marking off a cell, select it and press QXL Monte Carlo New > Design > Unmark, described on Unmark.