Browser Context-Sensitive Menu

The Project Browser context sensitive pop-up menu offers a variety of operation choices which are relevant to the entity and context. These options allow you to quickly expand or collapse system/entity folders, save model and assembly files, add assemblies/systems, add entities to containers, rename, activate/deactivate, cut and paste, or delete entities, and view various model information. You can access the context sensitive menu options by clicking the right mouse button on a folder, entity/item, blank space, or column header within the browser.

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Project Browser Context-Sensitive menu

The visibility of browser context menu items is dependent on the current selection. Only menu items belonging to the type of selected items will appear. Options selected in an empty space apply to the entire model. Click on the items below to see the specific context menu options available for each selection:

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Model folder context menu

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System folder context menu

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Assembly placeholder context menu

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Assembly context menu

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Analysis (Inline) context menu

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Analysis (External) context menu

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Body folder context menu

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Point context menu

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Multiple Bodies context menu

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Empty space context menu

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Column heading context menu

Option	Description	Available for
Expand All	Fully expands all levels of the browser tree structure to show all items nested in the hierarchy.	Assembly placeholder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External) "Entity" Empty space
Collapse All	Fully collapses all levels of the browser tree structure to show only the root-level model (system) entity in the hierarchy.	Assembly placeholder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External) "Entity" Empty space

Expand All Children	Expands selected parent system (or folder container) to show all of its child entities. Opens all of the child entity folders (children), exposing every item nested at every level under the selected system folder (only).	Model folder System folder "Entity" folder
Collapse All Children	Collapses all child entities to show the parent system (or entity container) for the selected entity (or entities). Closes all of the child entity folders (children), so that only the top-most level is displayed for the selected system folder.	Model folder System folder "Entity" folder

Filter Using Toolbar	Allow you to control what types of entities will be displayed in the project browser tree. When toggled on, the filtering is driven through the toolbar instead of the browser. The view will be filtered according to the currently active entity type selected on the toolbar (for example, Points, Bodies, Joints, etc.). Note - All 'Show…' filter methods will not be accessible while this option is enabled. Unchecking this option immediately removes all filtering (equivalent to the Show All Objects state).	Model folder System folder Assembly placeholder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External) "Entity" folder "Entity" Empty space
Show All Objects	Removes all entity-based filter(s) so that all objects will be displayed in the browser. Note - This option is not available when the Filter Using Toolbar option is active.	Model folder System folder Assembly placeholder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External) "Entity" folder "Entity"
Show Systems/ Assemblies Only	Browser content is filtered to show only System or Assembly entity types.	System folder Assembly placeholder Assembly
Show Analyses Only	Browser content is filtered to show only the Analysis entity type.	Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External)
Show "Entity" Only	Browser content is filtered to show only the selected "Entity". Note - More than one type of entity may be filtered simultaneously (for example, joints and points).	"Entity" folder "Entity"

Save	Opens the Save dialog that will allow you to save a file in the .mdl file format.	Model folder Assembly Analysis (External)
Save As	Opens the Save As dialog that will allow you to save a file in the .mdl file format.	Model folder Assembly Analysis (External)

Activate	Activates a previously "deactivated" item or selection of multiple items. Note - The icon for a "deactivated" item has a dimmed appearance in the browser tree.	System folder Assembly placeholder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External) "Entity" folder "Entity"
Deactivate	Deactivates the selected item or items. The browser icon for the deactivated item becomes 'dimmed' in appearance.	System folder Assembly placeholder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External) "Entity" folder "Entity"
Rename	Allows you to rename/change the label for a single system/entity. After a new name has been provided, use the ENTER key to complete the rename operation. To abort/cancel the rename operation at any time during data entry, use the ESC key (or click somewhere away from the data entry field). Note - The F2 keyboard shortcut can also be used to invoke the rename data entry field.	Model folder System folder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External) "Entity"
Merge	Allows you to merge two or more rigid bodies. Refer to the Merging Bodies topic for additional information.	Multiple Body Entities
Select Assembly	Opens the Select Assembly dialog wizard that will allow for swapping out the current assembly for a different one. If the assembly placeholder has a type specified, it will only be possible to choose that type of assembly.	Assembly placeholder
Reselect Assembly	Opens the Reselect Assembly dialog wizard that will allow for swapping out the current assembly for a different one. If the assembly placeholder has a type specified, it will only be possible to choose that type of assembly.	Assembly
Apply Attachment Candidates	Processes all containers selected (including their children containers) and automatically chooses attachments, where candidates are available as attachments. If there is any ambiguity in selecting an attachment, a pop-up dialog appears allowing the ambiguity to be resolved. Requires usage of Attachment Candidates.	Model folder System folder Assembly placeholder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External)
Show Shared Instances	Applicable for definition based entities (such as: Systems, Analysis, Datasets, etc.) that share their definition with other instances. Lists other instances that share the same definition as the entity listed under the Definition column. Refer to the Managing Shared Definitions topic for additional information.	DataSets Forms Templates CommandSets Systems GraphicSystems Analysis (Inline)
Separate Definition	Applicable for definition based entities (such as: Systems, Analysis, Datasets, etc.) that share their definition with other instances. Creates a new definition for the selected entity, thereby separating it from the definition that is shared with the other instances.	DataSets Forms Templates CommandSets Systems GraphicSystems Analysis (Inline)

Add "Entity"	Opens the Add "Entity" dialog, allowing you to add an entity to the system or model definition. The name of the dialog changes depending on the entity type selected (for example, Add Body or BodyPair or Add Surface). The icon for this menu button indicates the type of entity to be added.	"Entity" folder "Entity"

Add > System/ Assembly	Opens the Add System/Assembly dialog wizard, which allows you to either add a new System, or add an Assembly. When adding an Assembly there are three options: Existing Data File, New Data File, and Specify Data File later (also known as an Assembly Placeholder).	Model folder Assembly Analysis (External)
Add > System	Opens the Add System dialog wizard, allowing you to add a new System to an existing system or inlined analysis.	System folder Analysis (Inline)
Add > Analysis	Allows you to add new analysis to your model, modify attachments, set initial conditions for an analysis, and set analysis options.	Model folder
Add > ...	Allows modeling entities to be added to a model, system, assembly, or analysis. Sub-menus residing below the top level Add menu, include the following:

Reference Entity >	Allows you to add: Point Body Vector Marker Curve Graphic Surface Deformable Curve Deformable Surface	Model folder System folder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External)
Constraint >	Allows you to add: Joint Motion Coupler Gear Advanced Joint	Model folder System folder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External)
Force Entity >	Allows you to add: Force Bushing Field Spring Damper Beam Polybeam Contact	Model folder System folder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External)
Control Entity >	Allows you to add: Solver Variable Solver Array Solver String Solver Differential Equation Control SISO Sensor	Model folder System folder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External)
General MDL Entity >	Allows you to add: Output Dataset Template	Model folder System folder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External)


Delete	Deletes the selected systems or entities from the model and removes them from the browser tree. A pop-up dialog to confirm the delete operation will appear to prevent accidental deletion of items. If Global entities (such as a Ground Body or Global Origin point) are included in the selection, they will be ignored and will not be deleted. Note - The DELETE keyboard shortcut can also be used to delete the selected item(s).	Model folder System folder Assembly placeholder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External) "Entity" folder "Entity"
Cut	Cuts the selected systems or entities from the browser tree. No confirmation pop-up dialog will appear. Items that have been cut from the model may be reinserted by using the Paste option on an appropriate System. Note - You can essentially "copy" a set of selected entities (points for example), by using the Cut option once and then the Paste option more than once (into the Model or System).	Model folder System folder Assembly placeholder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External) "Entity" folder "Entity"
Paste	Paste puts any (previously cut) entities back into the browser tree at the selected hierarchical location. It is important to note that the Paste operation is not valid and is disabled/'grayed-out' in the "Entity" and "Entity" folder context menus. Container folders will be automatically generated, as needed, in order to accommodate the pasted entities. Any entities pasted more than once will have their varname(s) assigned automatically to ensure that they are unique.	Model folder System folder Assembly placeholder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External)

Data Summary	Displays the Data Summary dialog for the selected item(s) so that the entity type may be inspected in a tabular format. The Data Summary menu button will be disabled (or 'grayed-out') for those entity types that are not supported within the Data Summary table.	Model folder System folder Assembly placeholder Assembly Analysis (Inline) Analysis (External)

Varname	Allows you to show/hide the Varname column. The varname of an entity is commonly used when constructing parametric expressions or when debugging models.	Column heading only.
ID	Allows you to show/hide the ID column. When enabled, the column displays the current solver ID for all applicable entities. Pair IDs are shown comma-separated (0,0). Note - You can use the use Check Model tool to generate non-zero ID values.	Column heading only.
Definition	Allows you to show/hide the Definition column. This column displays the definition name for definition based entities such as: System, Assembly, Analysis, DataSets, Templates, Forms, and CommandSets.	Column heading only.
Color	Allows you to show or hide the Color column. When enabled, the color for an entity or a system can be specified by clicking on the color icon and making a selection from the Colors/Materials dialog. When the color of a system is changed, the new color 'cascades down' having an effect on the colors of its children; the colors are updated in both the browser (icons) and in the graphics window. Similarly, changing the color of the 'Model' will effect the color of all systems, as well as their children, therefore this feature should be used with caution.	Column heading only.
Mesh	Allows you to show/hide the Mesh column. When enabled, the mesh and shading attributes for the selected entities can be set by clicking on the mesh icon and making a selection from the Mesh/Shade dialog. The icons in the Mesh column are updated to reflect the settings for a given entity.	Column heading only.

All On	Enables the visibility of all available column headers (Varname, ID, Definition, Color, or Mesh).	Column heading only.
All Off	Disables the visibility of all column headers (except the Objects column, which cannot be turned off).	Column heading only.

Finding Entities in the Browser

The Project Browser is equipped with the ability to search for entities. There are two methods that can be used to search for entities:

1.	Left click anywhere in the browser (to have focus in the browser).

2.	Start typing on the keyboard for the entity that you are looking for. The entry string in the keyboard could be part of the:

Label

Varname

-	Definition

3.	Press the Enter (Carriage Return) key to continue the search for the entered string.

1.	Right-click anywhere in the browser.

2.	Select Find from the pop-up context menu (located at the bottom of the list).

Note - The CTRL + F keyboard shortcut can also be used.

The find dialog is displayed:

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3.	Key in a search string in the field and press Enter on the keyboard or click on Next.

4.	Use the Options drop-down menu to select which columns to include in the search, or to ignore the case sensitivity.

5.	Click the Prev button to go to the previously found entity.

6.	Click Close to close the dialog.

Browser Context-Sensitive Menu

Browser Context-Sensitive Menu

Browser Context-Sensitive Menu

Show Shared Instances

Separate Definition

Finding Entities in the Browser

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Instances

Separate
Definition