The release function is defined by the data you enter in the table ("Figure: Release Function table for a Seasonally-Varying Function of Inflow Relationship") in the rule editor. The first column of the table represents your independent variable and the second column represents the desired release.

Figure: Release Function table for a Seasonally-Varying Function of Inflow Relationship

The data you provide should span the full range of values of the independent variable that could be used to lookup a desired release when the rule is evaluated in each timestep of a simulation. If, during the table lookup process, the value provided for the independent variable is outside the range of the data in the table, the returned release value will be from the end of the table whose independent variable value is closest to the provided value.

In addition, the data values entered into the table for the independent variable(s) must be monotonically increasing; this means that the value in the first (top-most) row in the table must be less than the value in the next row, and the value in the next row must be less than the value in the row below that, and so on, with no duplicate values.

Manual Data Entry

You can type values directly into cells in the table. Although you can use your mouse to move between cells in the table, the Tab key and the Enter key on your keyboard may make the process of data entry faster.

  • Tab — each click of the Tab key will move your cursor from one cell to the next cell in a row (left to right). And, when you reach the last cell of a row, the next Tab will move the cursor to the first cell of the next row.
  • Enter — each click of the Enter key will move the cursor to the next cell down in the current column. When you reach the last cell in a column, the next Enter will move the cursor to the first cell of the next column (to the right).

Neither the Tab nor the Enter keys will add rows to the table. The following options for adding rows to the table are available from the table's context menu:

  • Append Row—If you need to add a row to the bottom of the table, right-click on any cell in the table and select Append Row from the context menu of the table.
  • Insert Rows—to add multiple rows to the table, right-click on a cell in the table above which you want to add the new rows, then select Insert Rows. A dialog will open asking how many rows to insert. Enter the number of rows you want to insert above the selected cell and click OK.

Copy and Paste

If the data for your function is available in a spreadsheet application or any program that displays the data in a table, you can use the copy and paste functions to enter the data into the function table in ResSim.

To COPY:

  • In the source program, select the range of data
  • If available, select Copy from a menu of the editor or from the context menu of the table — OR — press Ctrl-C on your keyboard.

To PASTE:

  • Select the first cell where you want the data placed in the function table in ResSim
  • Right-click on the cell and select Paste — OR — press CRTL-V on your keyboard.

Note: When pasting a range of data into the function table, you do not need to select an equal range of cells in the table to paste the data into; you only need to select the first cell where you want the data placed. The paste function will overwrite preexisting data in the table. And, if the number of rows of data you have copied is greater than the number of rows available in the table below the selected cell, the paste function will expand the table (append rows) to accommodate the data.

Be careful when copying dates from a spreadsheet. Most spreadsheet applications use their own specialized numeric format for dates. Only 'text' dates in the form DDMMM or DDMmm can be reliably pasted into a date cell in ResSim.

The thumbnail plot to the right of the function table will reflect the values in the table. This is very useful to verify the data you are entering in the table; you can quickly see when a value entered is out of range or order with respect to the other values. To view the plot "full-size", double-click on the thumbnail plot. If it seems that the plot does not reflect the data you just pasted in, click the Apply button or double-click in a cell, re-enter in the data for that cell, then click in another cell. This action will cause the table to notice that it contains new data and the thumbnail plot should update accordingly.