Access Window

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Application Window	Message Window	Graphics Window	Access Window	Explorer Window	Trend Window	Controls Window	TagList Window	Project Window

Latest SysCAD Version: 25 February 2025 - SysCAD 9.3 Build 139.37016

Related Links: Quick View, SysCAD Tags, General Options Access

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Introduction

The Access Window is a "properties page" used to display information in SysCAD unit models such as configuration data, flow information and connectivity with other units. Access Windows are also used to display global pages such as Plant Model or Solver Settings.

• Information displayed in the Access Window is different for each unit type or global page, and may differ between Steady State (ProBal) and Dynamic solver configuration.
• Two Access Windows are available and may be opened at any time:

1. Access.1 is the default Access Window for unit models.
   • RIGHT click on a unit's graphics symbol to open its Access Window.
2. Access.2 is the default Access Window for global pages. It can also be used as a secondary Access Window for unit models.
   • SHIFT + RIGHT click on a unit's graphics symbol to open a second instance of the access window.
   • Alternatively, SHIFT + LEFT click on the unit operation, and select the Access.2 "Name" from the pop-up menu.

• For information on how to configure different unit types, see Models help.
• Unit model Access Windows have several common sections including Info, Links and Audit.

Video Link

Please see this YouTube video link for a brief description of some of the Access Window buttons and functionality.

Example

The Access Window for a Feeder/Cross Page Connector is shown below. There may be minor layout differences for different SysCAD versions.
(Please see Feeder-Cross Page Connector for specific information about this unit type.)

		Each of these tabs represents a separate page with information about the unit. The first Tab is the Unit Type, in this case Feeder / Sink / Cross Page Connector.
		These are access window buttons, they will be explained in detail in Selection Buttons
		These White Fields are INPUT files, the user may change these values. Accessing Data Fields
		Fields with an arrow on the left contain drop-down lists. Click on the arrow to see the available selection.
		These grey fields are CALCULATED fields, the user may NOT change these values. Accessing Data Fields

Data Entry in SysCAD

Some Access Window display and behaviour options can be set in Tools - General Options - Access Tab. The various options are described here: General Options Access.

The method by which text or values are entered into Access Window input fields (white fields) depends on the the location of the text cursor, whether or not <INS> (Insert) keyboard option is active, and whether or not Excel Style Field Editing is selected in General Options, as above.

Double-clicking on a text or number input field (i.e. not a droplist or checkbox) enters Text Edit Mode, where standard text editing rules apply. This includes text overwrite (standard behaviour - wide cursor over characters) or insert (keyboard key <INS> has been pressed - thin cursor between characters).

The following applies after a single left-click on the input field:

Excel Style Editing (Excel Style Field Editing option On) - behaves as per data entry in Microsoft Excel. When typing a new value, the old value is completely replaced, no matter where the text cursor is placed. SysCAD Style Editing (Excel Style Field Editing option Off) - default SysCAD behaviour. New text overwrites or inserts at the text cursor position, depending on keyboard <INS>. The example below shows the behaviour of overwrite. If the text cursor is in the white space (to the left of a value, or to the right of text), then the old value is completely replaced (same as Excel Style). See in the example below for the cursor position.

For Example: SysCAD Style Editing

Accessing Data Fields

1. The data fields that appear in White are changeable and user inputs are normally required.
   • These fields can be number boxes, text boxes (with or without pull down lists), or checkboxes.
   • All required fields come with default values.
   • The SysCAD Models Documentation offers more help on data fields for individual models.
2. The data fields that appear in Grey are NOT changeable by the user. These fields are results calculated by SysCAD.
3. Some data fields are only changeable when SysCAD is not solving. That is, when a flowsheet is solving (steady state) or running (dynamic), some originally changeable data fields can be greyed out also.
   • Examples of such are solving methods or Unit Operation On Tickbox.
4. Most data fields can be copied and pasted into changeable data fields (white cells), trends, MS Excel or Notepad by using the <Ctrl + T> and <Ctrl + V> key strokes. For more information, see section Copy and Paste.
5. Most data fields are displayed with a conversion unit - e.g. Mass Flow may be displayed in t/h. The user may change either the Default conversion units, or the conversion units for the individual data field, at any time. Please see Conversions.
6. When entering data into SysCAD data fields, the default mode is overwrite. This is represented by a flashing wide text cursor positioned over a character. If the cursor is placed in the white space of a field (to the left of a value, or to the right of text), the new value entered will completely replace the old value. If the cursor is placed on a character/digit, then the normal overwrite rule will apply. Pressing the <INS> key will activate the insert mode. This is represented by a thin text cursor between characters.
   • Alternatively, the Excel Editing Style may be used, where the action is to always replace the old value.
7. While solving or running, data is not updated on the Access Window, to update, press as required. The Access Window data is updated when SysCAD is stopped.

Selection Buttons

		The access window buttons are displayed at the top of every unit Access Window.
	OK Button	This is used to accept all changes made to the Access Window. When a user types in a value, it will be displayed in Blue text with a Blue Dot until the OK button has been clicked. At that point the change is accepted and the value will change to Black. Pressing [Enter] or [Ctrl+Enter] key is the same as pressing the OK button. Key setting may be changed via the General Options Access dialog. If the user makes changes and does NOT click on the OK button before closing the Access Window, or changing to another command then a dialog box will be displayed to alert the user to save or cancel the unsaved changes. If AutoSave (see Options Button) is on, then any changes made will be saved automatically without user confirmation. NOTE: 2 & 3 were removed in Build 139.36522 - changes are now always auto-saved.
or	Cancel or Close Buttons	Available from Build 139.37009. The Cancel button is used to cancel all unsaved changes made to the Access Window (i.e., outstanding user-changed values are displayed in Blue). The Close button closes the Access Window.
	Options Button	The options are listed under the Options Button heading.
or	Display More or Display Less Buttons	The button will display ALL the fields on an Access Window. A number of fields may be Hidden, either by default or the user may have chosen to hide them to keep the Access Window uncluttered. The normally Hidden fields are marked by . By clicking on these hidden fields will be visible. While all fields are visible, user may click on the individual mark or Dot (just to the left of the variable) to toggle the show/hide status for the variable. Once this button has been clicked and all the fields are displayed, the button changes to . Clicking on this button will only display those fields that are not Hidden.
	Quick View Button	This will open the Quick View dialog box.
or	Tag:Long and Tag:Short Button	This allows the user to toggle variable tags between Long and short. Examples of differences between Symbols and Tags for a Pipe is shown:	Short Long Qm MassFlow Qv VolFlow Ti TemperatureIn Rho Density SrcIO SourceLink
or	Model Help Button	Clicking on this will open the Online SysCAD Help to the section for the unit model associated with the open Access Window. Note: This will only access the Online Help file if the user has access to the Internet.
or	Change Tag Button	This allows you to change the unit model's tag name from the Access Window. Old Tag will display the unit's current tag and the user may type in the required tag into New Tag. Please observe SysCAD tag naming rules when specifying the new tag name. Press OK to change the tag. The tag will be changed in the model and any other place where it is referred to within SysCAD, such as PIDs and trend windows. Please also see Change Tag for more information. Notes: User will be warned if the new tag names "already exist", "contain illegal characters" or "too long". Please see Model Tags for information on tag naming rules. If user types in Space between words, they will be replaced with _ when the tag is changed. For example, "PLANT FEED" will be changed to "PLANT_FEED" when the OK button is pressed. The Change Tag command will also result in tags changes to all PGM files in the project if the "Apply Tag Change in PGM files" tickbox has been selected from the General Options Project dialog box. The Change Tag command will also result in tags changes to all CSV and TXT files in the project if the "Apply Tag Change in CSV and TXT files" tickbox has been selected from the General Options Project dialog box.
	Refresh Access Window Button	When a project is being solved, the access window data is not updated until the solver stops. To force an access window display update manually during a project solve, user can click on this refresh button. User may need to click this repeatedly to keep receiving updated information. Alternatively, the Quick View pop up window or Trend Window can be used to get continuously updated information on selected variables.
and	Browsing Graphics buttons	Pressing shows the model data for the upstream unit operation; Pressing shows the model data for the downstream unit operation. If the model has more than one upstream or downstream connections, then a pop up list will appear, user needs to select one of the connections to keep going. This will also find the unit on the graphics window and brings into view. For and / or key variations, see Access Window Scroll Short Cut Keys for more information.
	Find Unit Button	If the user clicks on this button SysCAD will jump to the Graphics page containing the unit associated with the Access Window and it will highlight the unit.
	Open in Other Access Window Button	Clicking this button will open the other Access Window for the unit (Access.2 from Access.1 and vice versa). User can use the second window to view data on another Tab. The second access window is also useful for comparing data between two different unit operations. NOTE: User can only "see" the second Access Window when NOT using "Maximised Screen".
	Fit Window Vertically Button	Clicking on this will adjust the Access Window height to the full height of the SysCAD window. This is useful when opening a project that was created on a different PC using a different screen resolution.
: For Access Window 1	Move Access.1 beside Graphics Button	Available from Build 139.30447. This button can be used to adjust the layout of the Access window 1 / graphics page(s) to allow both document types be displayed neatly in the application window. Clicking on this button will resize the Access Window 1 and position to the right of the graphics window(s), so that there is no overlapping display of the graphics window(s) and Access Window 1. If there is not enough space to fit both the graphics window(s) and access window 1 using the current window width, the windows will auto resize so that Access window1 will be right-aligned with the application window, and the graphics page will be repositioned to the left of the access window 1.	Fit Access 1 Example
: For Access Window 2	Move Access.2 beside Access.1 Button	Available from Build 139.30447. This button can be used to adjust the layout of the Access window 2 to allow easy side by side comparison of access window data. If the Access Window1 is position on the right hand side of the application window, clicking on this button will resize and reposition the Access Window 2 to the left of Access Window 1. If the Access Window1 is position on the left hand side of the application window, clicking on this button will resize and reposition the Access Window 2 to the right of Access Window 1. This button does not adjust the layout of flowsheets.	Fit Access 2 Example
	Go to previous Access Window Button	Shows the model data for the previous (most recently) accessed unit operation, this is useful for filling in data for controllers. This will also find the unit on the graphics window and brings into view. For and / or key variations, see Access Window Scroll Short Cut Keys for more information.
	Go to recent... Drop Down List	SysCAD keeps a record of the units you have accessed in the past, starting with the most recently accessed unit. You can access any of the listed units by clicking on it. This will also find the unit on the graphics window and brings into view. For and / or key variations, see Access Window Scroll Short Cut Keys for more information.

Options Button

These options are available by pressing button on the Access Window. Note: The options shown here are for the latest version of SysCAD. They may differ in earlier versions of SysCAD.

Data Transfer: See section on Data Transfer. Print: This command prints the Access Window data by performing screen captures of each access window tab pages. Auto Save: If this option is selected, any changes made in the Access Window are automatically saved when switching to other unit operations' access window without clicking on the OK button. Removed in Build 139.36522. Excel Field Edit Style: When editing values in writable fields, the new value will replace the old value. See General Options Access Default Fixed Format: User may specify the default number format based on the number of decimal or significant points Default Floating Format: User may specify the default number format to be based on the number of decimal point, using scientific notation. Reset formatting, conversions and visibility (for ModelX): This option resets the formatting, conversions and visibility (Show/Hide) of all tags in this model back to their default values. The formatting, conversions and visibility (Show/Hide) options for individual tags are set by right clicking on the variable in the Access Window. Reset formatting, conversions and visibility for ALL models: This is the same as the option described above except it is for ALL models within the project. Conversions Management: This allows the user to manage the Conversions units for the project. Describe Indicators: This will add a section to the top of the access window, describing the status indicators, see Access Field Reference Tag Status Colour for more information. Reset: complete Reset of for the current model only. Reset Actions (Dynamic Only): Please see Solver Settings for more information. Remove Qualities: This option is used to remove any Qualities inherited in the model. Useful for cleaning up unwanted build-up values. Content to Preset: Sets the content (where available) to the Preset settings. (Dynamic Only) Show Network: This option is available only in Dynamic Transfer mode. It will open the Show Network Summary window, which lists all the process units in the local flow network. For more information see Setting up Transfer Pull Network

Other Buttons

or	The button can be found on unit operations such as Pipe or Tank Feed/Prod pages, it copies the T, P and Component Mass Flow data to the Clipboard. The button can be found on FeederSink unit operation, it will paste the T, P and Component Mass Flow data from the Clipboard to the Feeder. User can choose to paste: Species Mass Flow - Only the mass flow data will be pasted, T and P are not used. Temperature & Pressure - Only T and P will be pasted, the mass flow data is not used. MassFlows and T & P - All data is used.
	User can select to see more or less groups of data. Please see Additional Properties Options for more information.
or	can be found on the Sp Tabs, all species will be displayed, including those with no flow. can be found on the Sp Tabs, it will hide all species with no flow.
or	The Filter On allows the user to filter the species display on the Sp tab. The various Filter Options are described in Species Filter.
or	Toggles between long / short Species Names. For Example:
or	Toggles between showing/Hiding the Elemental information. See Hide / Show Elements + Components Button
or	Toggles between showing/Hiding the Component information. See Hide / Show Elements + Components Button

Right click on Access Window variables

Right clicking Pop Up Menu for Access Window:

Conversions:Internally SysCAD stores all data in SI units but you can change the engineering units for the data as they are displayed on screen or reported elsewhere, please see Changing Conversion units for a Data Field. Format:The number format of the value displayed can be changed to a Fixed or Floating format. Send to Quick View:This will add the selected variable(s) to the Quick View list. Send to Topmost Trend (previously Send to Trend) : Adds the highlighted variable(s) to the Trend window. The project must contain at least one Trend window. If the project contains multiple trend windows, this command will send the tag to the most recently opened Trend window. The placement of the Tag on the trend window will be: On the highlighted line if it is blank; or On the line below the highlighted line if it is not blank; or Below the most recently accessed line. Send to Topmost TagList: Available from Build 139. Adds the highlighted variable(s) to the TagList window. The project must contain at least one TagList window. If the project contains multiple TagList windows, this command will send the tag to the most recently opened TagList window. The placement of the Tag on the TagList window will be the first available empty row. Send to Annotation: Available from Build 139. This option can be used while the Insert Annotation Table dialogue is opened. The variable(s) will be added the "Variable List" box. Open Find Results: This will open the Find Results List, the Find Query used to generate the result is the current Field you have right clicked on. ReOpen Find Results: This option will only be visible if the Find Results window is already open. Selecting this option will close and reopen the Find results window, thus clearing any previous search results. Extend Find Results: This option will only be visible if the Find Results window is already open. Selecting this option will append the results to the previous search results. Record in Historian:This can add/remove tags to/from the Historian. User can choose to add/remove the selected tag belong to the active unit operation only; or add/remove the selected tag for all unit operations of the same type (eg, all pipes or all tanks); or add/remove the selected tag for unit operation types. Show / Hide Field: Toggles the visibility of the variable. If all fields are displayed (by pressing ), the normally hidden variable(s) will be marked with . While all fields are displayed, user may click on the individual mark to directly toggle the show/hide status for the variable. Some variables cannot be hidden, e.g.: Tag Show / Hide Row : Only visible if the field is part of a Grid display, toggles the visibility of the row. (e.g.: Audit Tab top table) Show / Hide Column : Only visible if the field is part of a Grid display, toggles the visibility of the column. (e.g.: Audit Tab top table) Copy Full Tag: This will copy the full tag name(s) of the variable(s) you have highlighted on to the clipboard. This must be used if variable being copied is part of a Table. (Eg. Sp Tab, where multiple columns of data are being displayed) Copy Tag for PGM: This will copy the full tag with the PGM tag function syntax already added, user can paste this tag directly into the PGM file without having to add the [" "] syntax separately. If the function returns a values, syntax added is ["Valid SysCAD Tag"], for example:["P_003.Qo.Qm (t/h)"] If the function returns a string, syntax added is [Str "Valid SysCAD Tag"], for example: [Str "Feed01.ConnectTo"] Available from Build 139. Copy Tag: This will copy the field name(s) - without the unit operation tag name - you have highlighted on to the clipboard. This is primarily used for building reports where secondary tags are required. For more information on Excel reports see Basic Format of a simple Get Tag Report. Copy: This is used when a copy of the actual value of a field is required. Choosing Copy will copy the values of the highlighted data fields. For floating point numbers, it will copy the full underlying value and not the rounded formatted value displayed. NOTE: If the variable tags that are not in a Table are highlighted then instead of coping the variable name displayed, the underlying full tags will be copied (i.e. same as "Copy Full Tag"). Copy Displayed: This copies all text as displayed in the Access window. For floating point numbers, it will copy the rounded formatted value displayed if using Build 139.36522 or newer, or the full underlying value if using an older Build. Unlike "Copy" this copies the displayed variable name and not the underlying full tag for any variable tags selected that are not in a Table. Available from Build 139.33457. Paste: This will paste the information from the clipboard onto the selected fields. This is the same as pressing <Ctrl+V>. Paste Special: If multiple columns are selected for the paste area, this will allow space separated values in clipboard to be pasted. A normal Paste requires tab separated values. Removed in Build 139.36522. Data Transfer: This will open the Data Transfer Dialogue box with the selected field(s) marked (tick) for transfer. NOTE: User must right click on a "writeable" (white background) field to see the data transfer option. Block variables selection are allowed, all writeable variables in the selected block will be marked for data transfer. Control Tags: See Controlled and Referenced Variables

Right click on the Access Window Background

Right clicking on the background of the Access Window, away from the variable names will give you a pop up box similar to this:

Refresh: The Access Window values are not updated as SysCAD solves, pressing Refresh will update the Access Window display once Find (name of unit operation): Finds the graphics symbol for the active unit model on the Graphics Window. Model Help Access Models help for the current unit model, if exists. Access Input: Name of Unit operation, This is open the access window of the connected source unit. Access Output: Name of Unit operation, This is open the access window of the connected Destination unit.

Left click on the Access Window Background Symbols

For some variables, these symbols: will be displayed to the right of the field. Clicking on the Binoculars symbol will find the Unit Operation on the Graphics Window, while pressing the Magnifying Glass symbol will open the Access Window for the corresponding Unit Operation.

Access Field Reference Tag Status Colour

A full list of the available status colour can be view by selecting the Button - Describe Indicators option. When this option is used, the following will be added to the top of the access window, describing the status indicators.

Field Indicators:Show Standard

Field Indicators:Show All

Detailed description of some of the most common status colours are described below:

Type	Description	SysCAD View
Stopped	These are variables that can only be changed if SysCAD is stopped (no simulation running).	For example, Tank sub-model selections. If Tools - General Options - Access - Field Indicators:Show All is used, then these fields will be displayed in dark grey colour.
PreStart	These are variables that will only be executed once during the PreStart Step of the simulation. This means when using these tags in a PGM file, they have to be put inside the Initialise PreStart Subroutine.	For example, PlantModel - Flowsheets See Initialise PreStart Examples for an example of how to set these in the PGM file.
Global	Fields with a thin blue Rectangle block indicates the variable is global, changes to this variable will be applied to all access windows.	For example, Pipe - Sp Tab, SpBasis is global
Dependent	Fields with Yellow Field Colour means something is setting the value, if the field has no triangle indicator, then it is likely due to Composition Fetch, Feeder Calculator (Bayer, Sugar, Potash) or Solubility. For Example, If composition fetch is set to continuously fetching the composition from another unit, then the composition in the feeder is Linked to the other unit, these fields are presented with the yellow background. User should not change these fields as any changes will be overridden by SysCAD when the project is solved.
Quick View	Fields with a small turquoise square indicates the variable is displayed in Quick View.
Set or Get Reference Tags	Yellow Forward Triangle and Yellow Field Colour: This Variable is being set by some logic. eg, PID, SetTag or General Controller. Green Backward Triangle: This variable is being read by some logic. eg, PID, SetTag or General Controller. Red Forward Triangle and Red Field Colour: This variable is being set by more than one logic, it is in conflict and should be looked into. Placing the cursor on the field will bring out a help box, detailing which controls are trying to write to the field. NOTE: If the triangle is not shaded (i.e. only the outline is shown) then the tag was not set or read for that particular iteration.
Manual User Input Value Change	Fields with a Blue Dot indicates the value has been changed by the user, but the change has not been applied yet. To apply the change, hit the button, or the Enter or Ctrl-Enter keys.
Inactive Tags	Fields with values displayed in mustard colour indicates the model is NOT active, most likely due to the flowsheet being Deactivated.

NOTE:The above status colour will also appear on the trend window.

Zero Values Verses Small Number Display

SysCAD displays all data with two decimal points by default. The user can change the number format as needed anywhere on the Access Window, Trend, TagList, etc.

WARNING: There is an exception - by default SysCAD displays zero values as 0 with no decimal points. If a number appears as 0.00, it means the number has a small value and the user may get its exact value by changing the number format. This is not to be confused with true zero values.

Drop List

There are two types of droplist in SysCAD:

1. Returns a value - the drop list that returns a value will have an integer value listed to the right of the droplist, e.g.:

   

   • When making the droplist selection from a PGM file, user needs to set the integer value. For example: ["Cementation.GM.Operation"] = 43
2. Returns a string - the drop list that expects a string input will not have an integer value listed.

   

   • In addition, the tooltip window shown when mouse hovers over the drop list field includes 'Underlying tag is a String type' in the description.
   • When making the droplist selection from a PGM file, user needs to set a string variable. For example: [Str "Cementation.MU1.Model"] = "Product Composition"

Access Window Short Cut Keys

+ Enter	Same as pressing the OK button.
+ Home	Scrolls to the Top Left of the Current Access Window Tab Page
+ End	Scrolls to the Bottom Left of the Current Access Window Tab Page
+	Pans the horizontal scroll bar left/right (1 character width at a time)
+	Pans the Vertical scrolls bar up/down (1 row at a time)
+	Highlights the fields which the text cursor travels over (e.g. for Copy/Paste)
+ PageUp	Go to the next Access Window tab page
+ PageDown	Go to the Previous Access Window tab page.
+ Various Selection Buttons	Displays the model data on the Current Access Window without finding the unit on the Graphics Window.
+ Various Selection Buttons	Displays the model data on the other Access Window, and finds the unit on the Graphics Window.
+ + Various Selection Buttons	Displays the model data on the other Access Window without finding the unit on the Graphics Window.