Settings and Properties Windows for Feature Nodes

For all operating systems, and when any node is clicked in the Model Builder (except a few container nodes such as Definitions and Datasets), a corresponding window opens with the same name as the node. The window contains settings for defining operations and properties specific to a node, as shown in Figure 3-3.

Figure 3-3: An example of a node Settings window. In this example, the Settings window for the Component node opens when the node of the same name is clicked. You can also toggle between the Settings and Properties window from the context menu.

Settings Window Functionality

When an operation or property is updated in the window, its effect on the model is displayed in the Graphics window either instantaneously or by clicking the applicable button, which are available in some of the window toolbars. If you update settings for the physics interfaces and features, you must recompute the solution to reflect the changes in the physics interface and features.


	For most sequences, you can run the sequence by right-clicking the top node of the branch and selecting Build All (geometry) and Build (mesh), Compute (studies), or Plot (plot groups), or by pressing F8. These buttons are also in the Settings window and in the respective toolbars.

To select the parts of the model to define in a specific window, select the relevant geometric entities directly in the displayed model in the Graphics window, from the Selection List window, or as, for example, in the window.

Labels and Names in the Settings Window

Every window has the option to change the node . The is the default node description (it defaults to the node followed by an index suffix). For example, it might be the interface, or in Figure 3-3 it is . You can also right-click and choose or press F2.

Some windows have the option to change the . These include physics interfaces, components (as in Figure 3-3), multiphysics couplings, and some Definitions features, where that field in some cases is called (for functions), (for probes), (for nonlocal couplings), or (for pairs). The is used primarily as a scope prefix for variables defined by the physics interface. Refer to such physics interface variables in expressions using the pattern <name>.<variable_name>. In order to distinguish between variables belonging to different physics interfaces, the name string must be unique. Only letters, numbers, and underscores (_) are permitted in the field. The first character must begin with a lowercase or uppercase letter (a–z or A–Z). All other characters in the Name must be a lowercase or uppercase letter, a number between 0 and 9, or an underscore (_). See Variable Naming Convention and Namespace for more information.


	You can choose to display any combination of the Name, Tag, and Type in the Model Builder. See Displaying Node Names, Tags, and Types in the Model Builder.

In most windows, there is also a button (

) next to the field. Click it (or press Ctrl+K) to create a shortcut to that node for use in the Application Builder (see the Application Builder documentation for more information). If a shortcut already exists, you can click the button (

) (or press Ctrl+K) to rename the shortcut.

The Properties Window

Figure 3-4: An example of a node Properties window. In this example, the Properties window for the Component node opens when you right-click the node and select Properties from the context menu. You can also toggle between the Settings and Properties window from this context menu.

The window (

) in Figure 3-4 is accessed by right-clicking the node and choosing from the context menu. The information listed includes the , , , and the .

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The can be edited in the Settings window. The default or edited name is displayed here but cannot be changed in this window.

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The is available for Component, functions, and other nodes under Definitions, Material, and physics interface and multiphysics coupling nodes. You can edit the name in the Settings window for Component nodes, the main physics interface nodes, and for some functions and other nodes under Definitions, where the name serves as an identifier in the namespace for variables or as the function name, for example.

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The is unique for each node and is assigned automatically. Tags are primarily used when running COMSOL models in Java or MATLAB. To display the Tag in the Model Builder, click

in the toolbar and choose . See Displaying Node Names, Tags, and Types in the Model Builder for more information.

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The section includes the following information: , , , and (the root node is a special case; see The Root Settings Windows). The field is automatically assigned by the software. You can edit the , , and fields in this window. For the field, you can add formatting and special characters, including bullet lists and numbered lists at multiple levels, that will appear in reports and presentations for report nodes whose setting is ; see Node Properties for Reports and Presentations.

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Toolbars and Keyboard Shortcuts

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About Selecting Geometric Entities

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The Graphics Window