2.3.1.3 Default Value Management

Parameter classes contain an optional default value. When parameters are linked a common default value is assigned to the link if at least one of the involved parameters (or groups of parameters already linked together) has a default value. When linking parameters which are both equipped with default values, the default value of the linked parameters is taken over from the source with the highest priority number (Table 2.3). The strategy behind the priority number scheme is that default parameter values should be chosen by the application designer within the application interface. These values can be changed by the model designer for specific Model classes supplied with the simulator without having to access the simulator code. External model developers specify default values for their own models by simply overwriting definitions in inherited or newly defined Model classes.

Table 2.3: Default value priorities

Priority	Default Value Source
5	definition within a Model definition on the input deck using the AliasedModel construct (Section 3.2.8)
4	definition within a Model definition on the input deck using the NewModel construct (Section 3.2)
3	definition within the constructor or initialize method of the Model class itself
2	definition within a parent Model class
1	definition within the application interface