<<ContentsWhere applicable, Model Editor provides drop-down lists for common values. It should be noted, however, that it is always possible to type any value desired directly into the field. In some cases, the drop-down list contains only suggestions, and values other than those listed are also valid.
Most of the controls in FX Model Editor contain helpful tooltips. In particular, when an item is marked invalid (displayed in red), the tooltip on that control will explain why the value is invalid.
Most of the controls used to edit data in Model Editor have their own accelerator keys and, in some cases, their own right-click menus. Such shortcut keys only function when that control has input focus (the blinking caret is in the control). For example, pressing Ctrl-Z while typing into a text edit box will invoke a local undo that affects only the most recent typing. Clicking the "Undo" button on the toolbar, on the other hand, will undo the entire edit operation.
The menu and toolbar versions of the following commands may be overriden locally in this manner:
To copy, paste, or delete a node using a shortcut key, it is necessary to make sure the tree view has focus. Otherwise, the current edit control may process the key press instead. The menu and toolbar versions of the commands always affect nodes in the tree. In all cases, the captions on the menu items and toolbar buttons state clearly what effect they will have when pressed.
Files may be dropped onto the main Model Editor window from the operating system. Model Editor attempts to auto-detect the input module that should be used to handle the file in question. If it cannot determine the filter, it will display a list where the user may select an input module to use from among the filters that claim to be able to handle the file. (Raw data parsing is always available, but may or may not produce meaningful results.)
Generally, Model Editor relies on the file extension to determine a proper input module, so unknown extensions will cause confusion.
Model Editor automatically validates the data in a particular field when the user moves from one field to another, or, in the case of a single-line edit, when the user presses the Enter key. Values considered to be invalid according to the IEEE 1516.2 and other standards are marked in red. Additionally, the affected node itself is also marked in red, as well as all of its parents. This helps users to find and correct invalid data in the model.
Nodes which contain invalid children, but are not in themselves invalid, display with a red downward-pointing arrow.
Model Editor does not flag most unfilled (empty) items as invalid. This is to allow the user to omit data which is not pertinent to his model. As most data fields are considered mandatory by the IEEE 1516.2 specification, care must be taken to fill all empty data if the model must validate according to the HLA standard.
Validation does not affect the operation of Model Editor, and does not prevent files from being saved. Model Editor allows for invalid data to be saved to any of the available file formats. However there is no guarantee that the output file will be useable in an HLA application.
To help with editing, Model Editor dims the icons of empty nodes. A node is considered empty if it has no removable children and all of its data (except for its label) is blank. Dim nodes can help a user quickly determine which parts of his model have not yet been filled.
The status bar displays helpful transient information during program execution. Keep an eye out for the text in the lower left corner of the window.