Home / Monte Carlo / Model Building / Mark Output / Options
Mark Output Options¶
Every control in the Mark Output dialog. There is one page and no tabs.
How every value box works¶
Every value box in the dialog takes either a number you type or a cell you point at.
Type a number and the value is fixed in the marking.
Point at a cell and the marking stores a link, so the model reads that cell on every run. There are two ways to point at one, and they do the same thing:
- Click the cell in Excel. The click fills whichever box is currently armed. A box arms itself when the keyboard is in it, so clicking into a box and then clicking a cell links that box.
- Press the box's own
▼button, tooltipCollapse the dialog and pick a cell in Excel. That arms the box and shrinks the dialog to a one-line strip so the worksheet is not covered. The strip shows the field's name and its current value, and it stays above the other windows while it is showing. Pick a cell and the dialog comes back to full size with the keyboard back in the box you picked for. The▲button on the strip brings the dialog back without picking anything.
A chain icon appears to the left of a box that holds a link, and the box text states the link as well, so the icon is never the only sign of it. Typing over a linked box drops the link.
You can also type a cell reference or a defined name instead of clicking, and it becomes a link when you leave the box.
A cell in another workbook cannot be linked. A marking's link is written inside the workbook that holds the marking, so it has no way to name a cell somewhere else. Picking one leaves every field as it was and says so:
That cell is in
Other.xlsx, so nothing was linked. A marking can only use cells inModel.xlsx.
A right-click in Excel picks nothing.
The reference-mode box described for Mark Input never appears here, because this dialog marks one cell and a reference mode only means something across the cells of a range.
Messages and the status line¶
Two places report back to you, and they do different jobs.
A message under a box belongs to that box. It appears when you leave the box or when you press OK, and then stays live while you correct it. An error blocks OK. A caution does not: it tells you something is worth a look and lets the marking be written anyway.
The status line above the buttons reports what just happened rather than what is wrong: which box is armed for a pick, and confirmation when a link is made. It is one line, the full width of the dialog, with room for two lines reserved so the buttons below it do not move when a long message appears.
Name¶
Output name. Optional. Type a name, or point at a cell holding one.
Leave the name empty to let the report use the cell's own name or address.
An empty name is not frozen to the address the cell has today. The report reads the cell's current address every time it runs, so the name does not go stale when the cell moves.
The name box takes a link only from a sheet-qualified reference such as Data!B7, not from a bare
B7. An output called T1, R2 or SO2 is a name someone meant to type, and a bare address is
treated as one.
A typed name is held to two rules:
The output name cannot contain line breaks or control characters.
Keep the output name to 40 characters or fewer.
Statistics¶
Whether the simulation collects results for this output. One choice of three:
| Choice | What it means |
|---|---|
Yes, collect statistics for this output |
results are collected and reported |
No |
they are not |
Read it from a cell |
a worksheet cell decides, and is read on every run |
Choosing the third puts the keyboard in the cell box below it and arms it for a pick. The box is enabled only while that answer is chosen, so there is never an empty box on screen for an answer you did not pick.
What the cell has to hold is stated in the dialog:
A linked cell counts as no when it is empty, holds 0, or holds FALSE; anything else counts as yes.
Choosing Read it from a cell and then naming no cell blocks OK:
Choose the cell that says whether to collect statistics for this output.
Specification limits¶
Lower spec limit (optional) and Upper spec limit (optional). Both take a typed number or a linked cell, and either may be left empty. A limit that is left empty is not written to the marking at all, and the note on the cell has no line for it.
The two limits are checked separately, each for whether what you entered is a number Quantum XL can read. They are not checked against each other, so the dialog does not refuse a lower limit above an upper one.
The buttons¶
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Help | opens the SigmaZone help site in your browser |
| Cancel | closes without writing anything |
| OK | writes the marking |
There is no Previous and Next pair in this dialog. Mark Input has one because it works across a range of cells; Mark Output marks the active cell alone.