===============================================================================

Release Notes
--- Flexsim 5.1.2 (February 2011) ---
* Fixed a bug with pallets not correctly setting items' locations
* Added code to execute the open model scripts when a model is double-clic
ked
* Fixed a bug on autocompletion for empirical() commands
* Added a gridz attribute to the perspective view so that it snaps vertica
lly with the gridsize
* Fixed a bug that was making the multicode window open tabs after the fir
st with the template edit open
* Modified the Breakdowns page so that it doesn't reorder the MTBFMTTR or
TimeTable's couplings when you Apply the Properties window
* Fixed a bug that caused fileopen() to crash in C++
* Fixed some more command overloads to compile properly in C++.
* New version of ExpertFit with working help documentation.
* Fixed some issues in Flexsim Chart.
* Fixed a glitch in the Model Settings window.
* Fixed a bug in the Animator that caused it to crash when adding keyframe
s to the Crane object.
--- Flexsim 5.1.0 (January 2011) ---
* added a File > Model Settings option that allows you to change model set
tings or add password encryption to the model
* added text compression to model, library, and tree files (model file siz
es will be much smaller now)
* added a "modules" features for program developers (undocumented currentl
y)
* added new listener functionality and listenerinfo() command
* enabled more features (such as the tree view) for the student version
* modified the educational watermark to be less intrusive
* fixed the calltip and auto completion issue on left-side monitors
* changed Excel browse buttons to show xlsx files
* changed Find/Replace in Tree so that you can specify VIEW:/ as the searc
h node to search the entire view tree
* fixed a bug on lifo, batching queues
* fixed an issue with variable binding
* fixed a bug with the excel single table import when using both row and c
olumn headers
* fixed a bug with the MTEI that wasn't allowing you to specify the entire
path to the node in the "tablelocation" without specifying the "tablename" (th
is fix allows you to navigate to a table node at first level of object data prop
erly)
* added hiding for surrogates into the "Hide shape and contents at a dista
nce" pick option
* upgraded the licensing system to Flexnet Publisher 11.9
* made it possible for offset tasks to use a navigator (must be implemente
d on the TE, though, so it's not automatic right now)
* fixed some bugs in the socket command parameters
* other minor fixes from the development list
--- Flexsim 5.0.4 (June 2010) ---
* Fixed a crashing problem introduced with a new Nvidia driver (257.21 WHQ
L).
* Fixed a bug with the FindReplace gui only working for the first code tab
.
* Fixed a bug with very big Flexscript functions not executing properly.
* Fixed several command overloads to compile properly in C++.
* Removed the Trace Debugger from the interface. The Event Log makes it ob
solete.
* Fixed a bug with the Find tool window.
* Fixed several icons that were not appearing correctly in Windows XP.
* Fixed some a bug with reversing direction on the BasicConveyor.
--- Flexsim 5.0.2 (May 2010) ---
* Fixed a graphics exception with Visual Tool internal connections.
* Fixed a bug with item spacing on a basicconveyor.
* Fixed a bug with table pasting on computers with '.' thousand separators
.
* Correctly unset the 'shouldcompile' flag after a successful compile.
* Fixed bug with post compile trigger timing.
* Fixed bug with the duplicate button messing up objects' ranks.
* Fixed a bug with the code window that wasn't building Flexscript or
changing code state correctly for some triggers.
* Fixed the installer to install the Flexnet licensing service - eliminati
ng
the need to "Run as administrator" when starting Flexsim for the first t
ime
after install.
* Fixed the offset tasks' event log entries.
* Fixed some bugs on the Conveyor properties window.
* Added a generic TaskExecutor to the library for use with custom 3d shape
s -
this eliminates the problem of having to delete surrogates when adding a
custom shape to a standard TaskExecutor (ie Operator, Forktruck).
* Added a new selection mechanism for experiment variables.
* Added commands setdrawnamefunction(), drawflattext(), and draw3dtext().
* Changed the name text to be more visible when using a black background.
--- Flexsim 5.0.0 (Apr 2010) ---
* New undo/redo capability.
* New debugging capabilities, including:
o An in-line, step-by-step Flexscript debugger. Just go to the c
ode
editor and click in the left margin to set a break point
.
o More strict syntax rules for Flexscript, including parameter
cardinality and type checking.
o An event log that lets you see all events that have fired in t
he
model, filter those events, export them to csv, etc.
o An event list that gives you a view of the list of pending eve
nts.
o A Flexscript code profiler that lets you see what Flexscript
functionality is being called, how often, and how much t
ime is
being taken up.
* A new Animation Creator that allows you to create movable sub-components
of
objects as well as custom animations for those sub-components.
* New .skp 3D file import capability, for using files from Google Sketchup
and Google 3D Warehouse.
* Improved 3D refresh rate.
* Improved compatibility with ATI, NVIDIA, and integrated graphics cards.
* New software-based licensing using Flexnet.
* Faster and more seamless compiling process, with no creation of a new
Flexsim instance.
* Fixed compiling issues for Windows Vista and Windows 7
* More detailed, navigable and configurable Experiment reporting, with
 additional histogram and correlation plots.
* Support for png, ico and gif texturing on 3D objects, allowing transpare
ncy
without requiring the .tmp and .tpg files.
* New all-in-one code editor with tabbing and an apply button.
* Improved look on default library objects.
* New 6-axis robot.
* Improved interface for defining Conveyor layout.
* Fixed AVI Maker for Windows Vista and Windows 7.
* New and improved xml save features, allowing multiple developers to work
on
the same model simultaneously, as well as better integration with
versioning management systems.
* Various improvements for advanced modelers and developers.
* Improved right-click menu options in the 3D View.
* Much more intuitive manipulation of objects in the 3D view.
* Users can now click on objects below the grid plane.
* Improved support for traversing window controls with the keyboard.
* Improved Find/Replace in Tree feature.
* Improved refresh rate on table views
* Fixed a crashing issue with auto-completion hints
* Fixed a bug with renaming labels
* Fixed an issue with spline points being invisible if the 3D view has a
black background
* Several new Flexscript commands for string parsing.
* You can now Ctrl-Tab to switch between windows within Flexsim
* More capabilities/commands for customizing TrafficControl object logic.
* Flexsim's 3D view now has a "hover" highlight so you can see what object
is under the mouse.
* More descriptive exception handling.
* Added TASKTYPE_STARTANIMATION, TASKTYPE_STOPANIMATION, and
TASKTYPE_FREEOPERATORS.
* Animation of the 3D View continues while panning/zooming.
* Various minor fixes and improvements.

===============================================================================
Installation
There is no upgrader from Flexsim 4.x to Flexsim 5.x. Flexsim 5 installs in its
own directory, so you can safely install Flexsim 5.x on a system concurrently
with Flexsim 4.x. ie. Flexsim 5 can coexist with Flexsim 4.
When installing Flexsim 5.x, any previous 5.x installations will be
automatically uninstalled before the new installation proceeds. Only Flexsim
program files are affected. This means that any models, libraries, or other
personal files located in Flexsim 5 directories will be unaffected by the
uninstall-reinstall process.
===============================================================================
Installation Instructions
1. Extract the installer file from the .zip archive to a temporary location
.
You will get a single .exe file.
2. To install the program, double click the installation .exe. The installa
tion
will begin. Follow the installation instructions. You may need to press
the
Allow button on Windows 7 and Vista to run the installer.
3. After installation is complete, double click the Flexsim5 icon to start
the
program.
===============================================================================
Normally, only one Flexsim 5 installation can be installed on a computer at a
time. To install multiple 5.x versions on one computer, see the "How To Install
Multiple 5.x Versions On Your Computer" instructions below before installing.
===============================================================================
How To Install Multiple 5.x Versions On Your Computer
For some of our users, it is useful to keep several versions of Flexsim 5
installed on the same computer. Here are instructions for keeping several
working copies of various Flexsim 5 versions installed simultaneously.
1. BEFORE you install the new version, do the following:
2. Create a new folder (not in the c:\Program Files or c:\Program Files(x86
)
folders) on your hard drive for the saved version.
3. Copy (do NOT move) the entire Flexsim5 folder (default location is
C:\Program Files\Flexsim5 or C:\Program Files(x86)\Flexsim5 on 64-bit OS
s)
of the current version to your newly created folder.
4. Change your desktop icon properties (right mouse click on icon) to refle
ct
the location to which you copied your current Flexsim 5 version. Also
change the name of your icon slightly so it won't be overwritten by the
new version when you install it.
5. Install the new version as per the Installation instructions above.

===============================================================================
License Activation
1. From within Flexsim, go to Help>License Activation. The License Activati
on
window will open.
2. In the License Activation Window, on the Activate tab, you will need you
r
activation IDs. You can look up your activation IDs at our website:
http://www.flexsim.com/account/. You can only submit one activation ID a
t
a time.
3. Enter the activation ID and press the "Activate" button to submit each
activation ID to the activation server. Wait for a complete response
before sending the next ID.
3. Flexsim should now be fully licensed according to your license type
(standard, educational, or runtime) and product.
4. Call Flexsim Technical Support at (801)-224-6914 with questions or
problems, or visit http://www.flexsim.com/support/ for email support.

===============================================================================
Upgrading Models
Models built with Flexsim 4.x will continue to work in Flexsim 5.x.
In Flexsim 5 the flexscript parser is much stricter on the number of
parameters you pass into commands as well as the type of the parameters. So in
updating your 4.x models, be prepared to get a lot of warnings (this is a
feature). However, if you find an instance where you are sure you're passing
the correct parameters, but the documentation/check is wrong, please let us
know at http://www.flexsim.com/support/.

===============================================================================
Visual C++
A compiler is not required to use Flexsim. However, if you would like to write
C++ code in your models, you will need to obtain and install Microsoft's free
Visual C++ Express Edition, available on their website:
http://www.microsoft.com/express/Downloads/
If you already have a full-featured development suite, Flexsim 5.0.x is
compatible with Visual Studio 2005 and later.