5.9e Changes
The convention for treating floating point errors in sensitivity simulation has changed so that NA is stored instead of the last good value. Percentiles and other computations are done on the restricted data set.
DSS Only: The Pre/Post options specified for a simulation are no longer invoked when the model is run from a Venapp or command file or through the DLL. Use SPECIAL>RUNCOMMAND to run such scripts.
DSS Only: When opened from a packaged application with a calling program the Vensim DSS DLL behaves the same as the Vensim Model Reader DLL – always referencing the calling package.
Bug Fixes
The document tool would sometimes return a blank page when documenting multiple selections or a whole view.
When opening Vensim sometimes a ghost window sizer would appear on a sketch or some toolbars would not be visible.
DSS Only: The COLORCIRCLE and COLORRECT controls could cause Vensim to close when the screen was refreshed in Venapp.
Units checking in equations with :EXCEPT: would report spurious errors.
Reform/Clean and View>As Text would fail on models containing spurious metafile or bitmap data.
The truncation of error and warning output was excessively restricting what displayed when optimizing.
The Sensitivity Graph tool would not label the x axis for Time values above 1000.
Pro/DSS Only: Using the AddEq button in the Equation Editor with a subscripted stock would make all rates inflows for the new equation.
Starting a Game with a model using Data variables could cause Vensim to close.
Date Labels would not always appear in the Table tool.
DLL Only: The Stop button on the work in progress window was not responding.
5.9d Changes
The Installation program has been modified to make it easier for use with Vista and Windows 7. Administrative rights are no longer required for installation. If you are logged in as an administrator Vensim will be installed to program files. If you are logged in as a standard user Vensim will be installed into the local application data folder. Sample models and supporting files will be installed into a public folder or your home directory for standard users. Note that when installing Vensim DSS or the Vensim Model Reader as a standard user the Vensim DLL will be put in the same directory as the program, not in a system directory. This means you will need to move it to a different directory or add the program directory to your system PATH in order to use the DLL. If you install as a Standard User there will be a menu item to uninstall Vensim since Vensim will not show up in the list of installed programs.
NOTE: Uninstalling as a standard user may put up a dialog with a message about a shortcut referring to a location that no longer exists, this does not cause any problems.
The Vensim Error Log and Initialization setting default locations have also been changed. The default initialization settings will be kept in the Vensim folder of Application Data (usually c:\documents and settings\username\application data=}) . The error file will be put there, or in the Local variant on Vista/7 if it can’t be opened in the same directory as the Vensim executable.
The Reset and Reset All buttons in SyntheSim now return Constants and Lookups to the values they had on entry to SyntheSim rather than the values set in the model equations. Alterations of Constants and Lookups from change files, live spreadsheet links, database queries and changes made in simulation setup mode are now retained to support this reset.
In simulation setup model Lookups are now a slightly different color from Constants so as to more easily distinguish them.
When starting SyntheSim if an error occurs the error log opens and displays the error in addition to showing the dialog indicating there were problems with the simulation.
When checking a model only the first 128 errors and 128 warnings are reported preventing long lists of errors which are slow to display. The same applies to simulating a model.
The Runs Compare tool no longer requires the Time Axes for Data variables to be identical.
Bug Fixes
Subscript Ranges requiring quotes were not displaying their elements in the Equation editor when selected from the dropdown under the Subscripts tab.
When adding the first point in the Lookup Editor by entering numbers if the x value was out of range of the displayed x axis the software would stop responding.
DSS Only: In Venapps message functions during screen setup would cause the application to hang.
Units errors in :EXCEPT: equations would sometimes cause Vensim to close during units checking.
Not all right hand side variables were consistently displaying unit assignments when errors were reported for stock equations during units checking.
The Units Equivalent tab on the Model>Settings dialog was opening with the globally defined units equivalents, not those specific to the model.
Deleting a selection of variables from the model would fail and only delete from the current View when the selection included Time or another built in control variable.
PLE and PLE Plus only: Adding in a Shadow variable would not display the variable until the view was refreshed.
Pro/DSS Only: Input Sliders were sometimes disappearing in SyntheSim mode when subscript or run selection changes were made.
Long comments in sketches would sometimes cause the variables to disappear from the View with the comments, but remain in the model.
Models using both GET XLS CONSTANT and GET XLS DATA would sometimes fail to start SyntheSim.
Using the Runs Compare tool multiple times could case Vensim to stop responding.
5.9c Changes
None
Bug Fixes
Variable names ending in international or far eastern (non-ASCII) characters were being truncated when entered.
5.9b Changes
The help files can now go to the background (behind the main Vensim window).
Bug Fixes
Vensim DLL Only: Floating point exceptions generated through math function (exp, ln, etc) would cause unpredictable behavior in the calling application.
DSS Only: The Venapp Editor would cause entered commands to repeat when editing buttons and other command objects.
Printing and exporting of Sketch Views with IO objects and sliders would introduce extraneous markings.
Some of the nonstandard valve shapes were not showing on sketches (these would appear simply blank).
Bitmaps embedded in sketch views were printing the wrong size (too small).
DSS/DLL Only: When using commands file patch with an & or other special character in them were not being handled correctly.
5.9a Changes
The Reset to Full Range button on the Time Axis tab of the Control Panel resets to the simulation range. Clicking again will expand this to include the embedded data range if this is bigger.
Clicking on variable names in embedded graphs will select them into the workbench. When embedded graphs are not displaying output the variable and tool name (or custom graph name) are now displayed.
The highlighting format for selected Arrows has changed in order to make it easer to see what is selected.
The list of models most recently open has been extended to include the last 10 models.
In SyntheSim mode the colors for Lookup variables has been changed to a lighter blue, and overridden variables a lighter red to make graphs easier to read.
Bug Fixes
Models using nested macros would sometimes cause Vensim to close when adding or pasting in new variables using those macros.
Models using string variables in GET XLS… call would sometimes fail to open.
DSS Double Precision only: Floating point errors during simulation would sometimes cause SyntheSim (or simply behavior displayed on Sketches) to stop responding.
DSS Only: The ALIASSCREEN command in Venapps was not working.
DSS Only: Sometimes screens in Venapps would not full populate all buttons.
DSS Only: The SIMULATE>SETVAL command was not working with String Variables.
Pro/DSS Only: When using csv files for changes lines with the first row empty where putting out an error message instead of being ignored.
The positioning of the cursor within the Equation Editor was incorrect when there were syntax errors.
Tables with large number of time points using Date labeling would sometimes fail to open with a memory error.
Units checking on VECTOR LOOKUP was returning the units of the second rather than the first argument.
Work in progress graphs would not always update properly during a simulation, and could go blank in Venapps.
5.9 Changes
Pro/DSS Only: An option to display the time axis on graphs and time in the Table tool as Dates instead of decimal values has been added. This makes it easier to present things in a format that your audience may be more comfortable with. The settings for this are on the Time Bounds tab of the Model Settings dialog and their display is toggled on and off in the Time Axis tab or the Control Panels.
Pro/DSS Only: An additional ordering option "Comp" has been added to the Document tool. This will, to the extent possible, output the equations in computational order.
DSS Only: Note that the version number for external functions and compiled simulations has changed again. You will need to recompile your external functions with the new vensim.h file – no other changes are required relative to 5.8c versions.
The x-axis scaling on the Lookup Editor has been changed to be tighter around the first and last value.
Pro/DSS Only: An alternate vector search technique SVECTOR has been added to the optimizer. This allows search over an arbitrary vector in the parameter space.
Pro/DSS only. Subscript error checking on self looping functions, including ALLOCATE AVAILABLE has been improved.
Bug Fixes
Setting TIME SLOP to NA could cause problems with importing data.
Pro/DSS Only: Using Lookup variables as if they were normal variables inside of a SUM function was not always generating an error message.
Opening files with 4 letter extensions would not always work.
DSS Only: The IFTHENELSE command in Venapps was not working correctly.
DSS Only sketch displays in Venapps would sometimes remain blank, graphs fail to populate and SyntheSim effects fail to display.
DSS Only: Compiling models using the VECTOR SELECT function was not working.
Graphs created automatically during Reality Check simulations would not always display, and sometimes would show invalid results.
Importing data from spreadsheet files containing variables with special characters requiring quotes was not always working consistently.
Importing data from text files with time running down and values missing in the final columns would sometimes ignore data values after a gap in the data.
DSS Only: Commands where some elements required quotes, most notably SIMULATE>SETVAL with a special variable name, were not being parsed correctly.
On models with embedded sliders or graphs sometimes clicking OK on the Model>Settings dialog would cause Vensim to hang for a period of time and not refresh the sketch.
