5.8d Changes
A Japanese language option is now available for menus and common dialogs. Use Tools>Language to select this.
Bug Fixes
Printing with IO objects on the screen could still cause trouble.
Pro/DSS Only: Using a changes file to start a game would cause spurious error messages each time the game continued.
Pro/DSS Only: Basing simulation on other simulations for changes, resuming or gaming, was not working consistently.
Pro/DSS Only: Answering yes to updating subscripts in the Equation Editor could cause Vensim to close.
Pro/DSS Only: Using a causes tree on a variables with an :EXCEPT: formulation could cause Vensim to close.
Pro/DSS Only: The search and replace windows in the toolbar of the text editor would not activate when the editor was first opened.
Pro/DSS Only: Using the toolbar paste function in the Text Editor could lead to incorrect display.
DSS Only: Venapp using 3d or ribbon graphs were not working correctly.
Pro/DSS Only: Search and replace was not properly refreshing in the Text Editor.
DSS Only: The SPECIAL>SUBSCRIPT command was not changing subscript selections in Venapps.
DSS Only: Venapp commands with empty arguments were not being properly parsed.
The minimize/restore/delete box on maximized sketches and tools would sometimes draw on other windows not part of Vensim.
Pro/DSS Only: Trying to change the first String Variable in a model via the constant changes dialog would not work.
Changing a name on the left hand side in the equation editor when that name also appeared on the right hand side would not change it on the right hand side.
5.8c Changes
In custom graphs and tables the wildcard *B has been added to mean the bottom or last loaded run.
DSS Only: The setup for compiled simulations and external functions has changed so that it is no longer necessary to create separate libraries for Vensim DSS, the Model Reader and the Vensim DLL. It is also no possible to have more than one model compiled for quick simulation in the same directory. To accommodate this, the version number on external functions has changed. To update your external functions you will need to recompile with the new vensim.h and replace the set_gv function if it exists. If you replace any calls to vensim_error_message, vensim_execute_curloop and vensim_allocate_simmem with the callbacks passed in VENGV, you will also be able remove vensim.lib from the link list and have a more portable external function library. See the sample venext.c for more details. A number of the Vensim DLL functions can now be accessed from external functions.
Vensim DSS/DLL Only: vensim_get_info can be passed 24 to get the list of maps between wildcard names and Excel files in use with a model.
Pro/DSS Only: Optimization sensitivity files now use the Euro Number switch to determine format.
Bug Fixes
Printing or copying with SyntheSim active or with IO objects on the screen would cause Vensim to close.
Unchanging constants set to negative numbers would cause a syntax error to be reported.
PLE Only: The Equation Editor was not working with Reality Check statements.
Pro/DSS Only: Vensim would open models with the built in graph definitions even when a custom graph set had been used the previous time the model was active.
DSS Only: Using MENU>LOADRUN in Venapps with SyntheSim active would cause the Venapp to lock.
Nested macro calls to macros with output variables were not working.
The exact hide attribute on comments was being lost after a model was closed and reopened.
Run labels on wildcard runs were not being properly saved.
DSS Only In Venapps SPECIAL>REFRESH was not updating graphs embedded in Sketches.
Reader Only: Initialization settings were only being read when a toolset file was included in a published model.
Pro/DSS Only: Answering Yes to changing subscripts on a variable in the equation editor would cause errors when that variable was used in a macro function (user defined or built in).
Pro/DSS Only: Reading changes files with the ~~| format on a separate line would generate an unnecessary warning message.
Pro/DSS Only: Using the File>Load Custom command in the Text Editor would cause Vensim to freeze.
5.8b Changes
A Chinese (Simplified) interface is now available for Vensim. To access it go to Tools>Language and select Chinese. Then close and reopen Vensim.
Pro/DSS Only: A new Exception syntax has been added for subscripted equations. This will allow you to write one equation and specify that some subscripts will use another equation rather than having to create specific subranges for the most common equation.
Not PLE: For hidden comments an option has been added to use only the exact hide level. This allows you to set up comments that will appear in sketches only when a specific hide level is reached. This can be convenient for commenting on the last structure uncovered as successive detail is revealed.
Reader Only: When opening a package (.vpm) if the ini file settings are recorded in the package these will be used to make the model operate as in the same way it operates in the development environment. Most importantly warning suppression, line colors and custom graph fonts will be the same.
The internal macro naming convention has changed. Macro names now take the form #lhs>macroname>macrovar# where lhs is the left hand side variable name (that is the variable the macro is used in the equation of). This means, for example that SMOOTH in the equation:
smoothed income = smooth(income,smooth time)
will become #smoothed income>smooth# instead of #smooth(income,smoothtime)# Note that these names will normally only appear if you select the option to show macro variables.
Pro/DSS only: Macros definitions can now contain calls to other macros previously defined, or built in. For example a DELAY9 macro can be constructed from 3 DELAY3 calls.
When a floating point error (overflow or divide by 0) occurs in SyntheSim all the graphs are now highlighted yellow to indicate the error. The message identifying where and when the error occurs appears at the bottom, also highlighted in yellow.
The accuracy of timing with SIMULATION PAUSE has been improved over all value ranges. The expression
simulation pause=Desired simulation time /
((FINAL TIME - INITIAL TIME) / SAVEPER)
is a useful one where desired simulation time is expressed in seconds.
Pro/DSS only: Messages displayed during a simulation related to data and variable range exceptions can now be selectively suppressed. Details on this are in the Constant Input Files section of the Reference Guide.
Bug Fixes
If the option to accept Enter in the equation editor was set then hitting enter would add a large number of blank lines to the equation.
Work in progress graphs would sometimes not update completely.
DSS/Reader Only: In Venapp Showvars in screens were not getting the final values at the end of the simulation.
Variables beginning with # were being lost from sketches when opening models.
Limited time versions of Vensim were not opening on some Windows Vista computers.
When an Input Output Slider was active in SyntheSim the Reset Current Slider Val command was not working.
When a simulation was started using the Simulation Control Dialog the active sketch tool was not being reset to the Pointer tool.
In SyntheSim mode as sliders dragged graph lines would sometimes draw outside of the words and remain on the screen.
Scales on SyntheSim onscreen graphs were affected by values outside the simulation time range from other loaded runs.
Loading a simulation run with embedded data variables outside the time range of the simulation would not allow visibility of all data values.
The Esc (or Ctrl+C) keys were not stopping simulations where Work In Progress graphs were active.
Pro/DSS Only: Using 2d output with the table tool and Causes/Uses selected would lead to incomplete output.
Entering SyntheSim with a model that had floating point errors would leave Vensim with the wrong toolbar active.
DSS Only: Running command files would not release unused memory during the execution of the command file.
5.8a Changes
Pro/DSS only: The Text Editor Find and Entrain functionality will highlight text now.
DSS only: A C# example has been added for use with the Vensim DLL. This is installed (in folder csharp) when the DLL install option is chosen.
Bug Fixes
Double clicking on a model with Vensim closed would cause Vensim to open then close again (DSS and Model Reader only).
When using Model>Settings after clicking OK the current View would sometimes appear blank until View>Refresh or something else forced a refresh.
Work in progress graph were not being displayed in normal simulation mode.
Very small values of SIMULATION PAUSE were not slowing simulation speed.
Some of the Sketch Layout commands would cause an error when executed.
The Save icon on the toolbar was not saving the model when clicked.
Numbers beginning with a decimal point such as .123 were not being recognized.
Pro/DSS only: Entrain was not working in the Text Editor.
Work in progress graphs were sometimes displaying with incomplete graph lines.
DSS only: SHOWVAR controls were not updating properly at the end of a simulation.
5.8 Changes
The majority of changes in 5.8 are under-the-hood. Memory and threading management have been rewritten to improve performance and responsiveness.
A new version of the World3 model has been included that makes running scenarios easier. See the Modeling Guide for details.
The defaults scaling behavior for the graph tool when multiple variables are selected has been changed to group variables with the same units together. Options have been added to control this.
PLE/PLE Plus/Reader only. The toolset now has two Document tools, one that documents a single equation, and one that documents the entire model.
(Pro/DSS only) The function GET DATA MEDIAN has been added.
(Pro/DSS only) When changes to variables subscripts are entered in the Equation Editor, Vensim will attempt to update the changed variable where it is used.
The behavior of sliders in SyntheSim mode has been changed to be smoother, and use a 0 based increment that do not refer to the minimum bound.
Bug Fixes
The model settings dialog would not accept time units with international characters.
ODBC output files that tried to put the same variable out as both a data series and a constant at a time would fail.
Selecting Capitalize by type in the global options would cause international characters to be displayed incorrectly.
Work in progress graphs in gaming mode would sometimes start with anomalous data displayed.
Some errors in Reality Check equations, especially using a Test Input as a regular variable, were not being caught during the model check phase.
Very long comments were not being displayed on a sketch when hovering over a variable.
Custom Graphs with the Stack option selected were not drawing correctly during a game.
DSS Only – SHOWVAR controls were not updating in SyntheSim.
The GET XLS functions could cause Vensim to close when spreadsheets contained empty but nonnull cell entries.
PLE Only – the nonfunctional Edit and View menu items related to hidden variables have been removed.
5.7a Changes
(Pro/DSS only) On the changes tab of the simulation control dialog the "Load Changes From…" button will allow multiple files to be selected. Same for data input and command output files.
If the time axis for graphs has been set it will not be reset by a new run unless that run starts before or ends after every currently loaded run.
When importing data from Excel files the name of the Tab rather than the name of the Excel file is used as the default dataset name.
PLE and Plus only. When using the Shadow Variable tool in a sketch by holding down he Shift key when clicking on a sketch location a defining variable and not a shadow variable will be added to the sketch. This makes it possible to write equations for FINAL TIME and TIME STEP.
Bug Fixes
In the equation editor the delimiter button [()] was not working on long equations.
Unchangeable constants were not coming up with the correct type selected in the equation editor.
Graphs comparing Constraints during reality check operations were incorrectly scaled and not readable.
Excel sheet names using international characters were not being recognized in the GET XLS calls.
DSS Only: Publishing models with the scramble option checked was not working properly.
DSS Only: Publishing Venapps would check the Other checkbox when the dialog first opened.
Limited time licenses installed on computers running non-English versions of Windows would sometimes fail to open.
When exporting a dataset the checkboxes to select time running down/across were linked to the checkboxes to put subscripts in a separate column.
Saving models with a password was not working.
Comments on Lookup variables would sometimes have extra \! delimiters added to them.
Subscript Element names requiring quotes were sometimes being incorrectly formatted when selecting variables for optimization and sensitivity testing.
When using the "Set" button on the Simulation Control Dialog the dataset names entered were not being recorded.
Reference mode data with reserved names (such as functions) would cause the data to fail to be loaded for display in graphs. Reference modes for subscripted variables were not being properly retained. Clean and reform could also cause reference modes to be lost.
In the Equation Editor subscript equivalences were not being entered and Time Bases not properly marked (Pro/DSS only)
