Route

By default, an item follows its own flow paths as it moves through a Planimate® system model.

To make an Item use a Track Object, the item is assigned a “Route” to follow.

A “Route” is a list of locations that are to be visited in turn, by travelling along Tracks instead of Item Flow Paths.

Before using a Track, the item looks up a table to determine how long it is to take travelling across each Track “section".

Route Specifiation and Assignment

Routes can be specified either by hand, or dynamically using the routines in a change object.

A route is assigned by passing the item through a change object. The train item is then “delivered” up to a track object by being sent out a portal exit within the first location specified in that route.

There are two methods of specifying and assigning routes onto a train item - each is straightforward.

Each method has aspects that might make you favour its use.

Manual Route Specification

How to Specify a Route manually:

1. Select the Routes option in the Track menu in the Menu bar.
   
2. Click on the Add New Route option.
   
3. Enter a name for the Route.
   A menu appears for input of the details used by the trains for their Route.
   
4. Select Edit Steps from the Menu.
   
5. Click on the Add button in the list box that pops up.
   
6. Specify the step of the Route by clicking on a Portal.
   NB: ALWAYS BEGIN WITH THE PORTAL FROM WHICH THE TRAIN WILL EMERGE.
   
7. Repeat 5) and 6) to add steps to the Route until it is complete.

The last portal in the Route will be the last location the train item will attempt to reach by travelling along a Track Object. This location need not necessarily be the same portal from which the Route began.

After entering this portal, the route is completed and the Train no longer has a route.
NB: If there is a great deal of duplication the copy button permits the details of a previously entered trip to be copied into the new trip.

Guess Intermediate Steps

Manually-created Routes do not need to include every portal to be passed through for the route.

By Default, a route will “Guess Intermediate Steps” between the portals included in it. You will need to include enough portal or loop locations in the Route specification so that the track path between these is unambiguous.

Guess Intermediate Steps is an option for a route. If it is turned off then all portals must be included in the route sequence, including the one from which the train emerges at the start of the Route.

Manual Route Assignment

Use the Route option in the change object, (click on the change object) where you build up a list of routes in a Route Assignment Table.

Any number of different Routes may be included in the list specified.

You then specify the Selection Attribute that is to provide the value to be used as the index into the list of Available Route in the Route Assignment table you have just created.

If a route matches the value of this Selection attribute when an item passes through the Change Object, then the item will be assigned the corresponding Route.

NB: Set the selection attribute to a Constant Number to get trips happening simply to begin with.