The main browser is used at the same time for two purposes: showing the content of one Object type (referred to "the Object pointed by the Browser") and serving as control center for all activities of Lsd before and after a simulation run. The Object shown can be edited (e.g. add new Variable, change its number if instances, set its initial data). The uppermost part of the main Browser is made of a menu bar that allow to make the actions, on either the whole model (e.g. run the simulation) or change the Object pointed by the browser.

Browser commands:

• Object Label
• Descending from
• Variables list
• Descendants list

(Main Browser) "Object Label:"
The red label indicates the name of the Object pointed to by the Browser. Any operation specific to an Object will concern all the instances in the model of this type of Object.
Clicking on the red label is a shortcut to entry "Change Object Name" in menu Model.

(Main Browser) "Descending from:"
The red label reports the name of the Object from which the currently shown Object descends. The label can be clicked to move the Browser to point to that Object, that is "up" in the hierarchy.

(Main Browser)Listbox "Variables"
The listbox Variable contains all the Variables and the Parameters in the Object pointed by the Browser. The order in which the Variables and Parameters are listed depends on the order in which they have been inserted in the model, and it has no relevance for the simulation actual order of computation during a time step (for this see the Lsd Simulation Manager help page).
After the label of the Variables and Parameters there is a code between parenthesis:

• (P) means that the label corresponds to a Parameter;
• (n), where n is a non-negative integer, means that the label corresponds to a Variable. If n equals zero, it means that the Variable is never used in the model with lagged values. Positive n's mean that the corresponding Variable is used with a maximum lag equal to n.

The top part of the window indicates the label of the Variable or Parameter and the Object where it is contained. Double-click on the name of the Variable or Parameter to change it in another type of element (e.g. change the label, or turn a variable in a parameter).
Below the title there are three options (two for Parameters):

• The field Debug (only for Variables) checked on means that the computation of any instance of the Variable causes the debugger to stop the simulation and show the state of the model (see Lsd Debugger). The simulation will be interrupted immediately after the computation of the Variable.
• The field Save checked on means that the value of the Variable or Parameter must be saved in the result file for post-simulation analysis.
• The field Run Time Plot means that the value of the Variable or Parameter must be plotted during the simulation run on the Run Time Plot. Note that this does not cause the automatic saving of the values in the result file for post-simulation analysis.

• See code: show in a new window the actual code used to compute the Variable (not present for Parameters). See the manual page on the Lsd equations (C++ codying style or the new Lsd Macro codying style)
• Auto Docum.: ask the system to provide automatic documentation for the Variable, which will replace any text possibly present. If the item is a Variable the system scans the equation's code looking for a commented part in the beginning of the equation. If found, this comment is copied in the Description. Moreover, both for Variables and for Parameters, the system also reports in which other equations the item is used.
• Vars using 'XXX': clicking this button creates a list of Variables whose equation makes use the item XXX
• Vars./Pars. used in 'XXX': clicking on this item creates a new window with the list of items used in the equation for XXX.

The description part and the comments on the initial values are used in the model report in the cell concerning the item.

(Element Options)Change Labels, lags and nature of an element
After having inserted a Variable or a Parameter it is possible to change the nature of the element by changing its label, transforming a Parameter in a Variable, a Variable in a Parameter or changing the number of lags for a variable. Generally, these operations are required only in order to fix spelling errors. If the model runs, the only reason for such a change is when the equations are changed, for example when you want to transform a Parameter in a Variable.

To change the nature of an element you need to:
 

1. use the Browser to show the object containing the element you want to change;
2. Double-click on the element entry in the list of Variables to show the options for the element;
3. Use the following window to edit the element as required.

(Main Browser)Listbox "Descendants"
Listbox containing the list of descendants from the Object shown in the Browser. The names of the descendants can be double-clicked and the Browser will move to show that descendant. A model in Lsd is composed by a hierarchical structure of Objects: the whole model has a unique root, whose label is Root. Any Object can have any number of descendants, both intended in terms of different types of descendants and different numbers of instances for each Object type. The main Browser considers only Object types, without specifying the actual number of instances of each type. Therefore, browsing the model using the main Browser can be done by clicking on the descendants' names to go down the hierarchy and clicking on the label of the parent Object to go up the hierarchy.