This is the main content page for a collection "tips and tricks" for using Simile. Ranging from installation to model editing and model simulation. This collection is of tips that make using Simile easier to use but generally can be done without. This differs from the "How to" pages that give more solid, required information on how to do things using Simile.
The content is organised as a Drupal "book". (Drupal is the content management system used to build and manage this site.) Any registered user can add a tip or trick. Use the "Add child page" link below.
As of Simile version 5.0, glibc version 2.4 is required to run the Linux Simile build available from simulistics.com. (If you have an earlier version we may be able to build Simile for you. Let us know the version of glibc you have and other details of your Linux distribution.)
To find the version of glibc on most systems, including Debian, call the library as a program:
(uiserver)::~ > /lib/libc.so.6
GNU C Library stable release version 2.3.6, by Roland McGrath et al.
On Debian-based systems:
Open up a command prompt and enter
$ sudo aptitude show libc6
NB the sudo assumes that you need root permissions to run the aptitude command and have the password.
Simile on Windows can load file parameter values straight from an Excel spreadsheet, but to do so you must first install and register a compatible driver, otherwise you will see the warning dialogue headed "ODBC driver not found".
The driver is AccessDatabaseEngine_X64.exe (or ..._X86.exe if you are using 32-bit Simile) and is downloadable from Microsoft here.
There are commercial drivers available to do the same thing on Linux.
Use undo/redo
When editing a model it can be easy (as is often the case with diagram editors) to make an addition or change you immediately wish you hadn't made. Returning the diagram to how it was before the change manually can be a nuisance involving several mouse manipulations and/or key clicks. Any change can be undone by using the undo button on the toolbar or pressing Ctrl z. You can undo changes incrementally by repeated undo operations and if you change your mind there is a redo button.
Undo/redo can make your diagram editing more fluent, saving time and patience when you are up against a deadline.
The aim of this section is to provide workarounds for problems you may encounter in using Simile. Where an error message is given, this is quoted here. Please contact us if you have any suggestions to add to this list.
Sometimes when trying to save a model an error message will appear, similar to,
Simile encountered an unexpectected problem: error deleting modelpath/model.dll permission denied
This happens when
This not a severe error, the model specification will be saved. When the model is next loaded the executable can be rebuilt from the specification. (Model executable is only saved as a convenience to save rebuilding each time the model specification is loaded.)
Work around:
Rebuild the model by selecting run on the model window Model menu before saving the model.
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