User Interface Components

The object that moves around on your monitor when you move your mouse.

By positioning your pointer on a button and pressing then releasing (a.k.a. "clicking") your left mouse button, the function indicated by the label or image on the button is executed.

Usually, a data entry field. Position your pointer in the box and click. A blinking vertical bar (cursor) will appear. Type in an appropriate value. Some text boxes are used to display information and are not editable.

A selection list looks like a text box with a down-pointing triangle or "V" in it. When you click in the text box, a list of options will appear below it. If the list of possible options is long, a scrollbar may appear to the right of the list. You can select one of the options by clicking on it in the list with your pointer. The list will disappear, and your selection will be displayed in the text box.

A set of options that are mutually exclusive — pick one and only one. The buttons are open circles. The selected option appears with a black circle inside.

A check box is used to identify an option that is or isn't activated, on, or selected. A check box is an open square. An "activated" checkbox has a checkmark inside the box. The checkmark is added or removed by simply positioning your pointer in the box and clicking.

A table is a set of columns and rows that allow input and/or output of related data. For data entry, almost all data entry tables must be entered in monotonically increasing order, especially for the independent variable — the first column.

Trees are used to reflect a hierarchy or order of data objects or elements. The tree structure should be familiar to a Windows user since the same basic structure is used in the standard file explorer.

Tabs are used to organize editors/windows so that they can be less "busy" — to collect similar data into subpanels of the editor. Click on the tab to make that tab "current" or bring it "forward"; to view it.

Slider bars are used to allow quick selection of a value from an allowable range. The bar usually appears as a horizontal bar representing the range with a small vertical bar as the marker on the range. The selected value appears in a textbox to the side of the slider.

These buttons provide forward and backward navigation through a list. They are typically used in the ResSim editors to move quickly through the various elements that can be edited by the editor. The four buttons shown from left to right are go to the first element, go to the previous element, go to the next element, and go to the last element. The box in the middle indicates which element of the full set is the current element shown in the editor.