The main function of a model class provides a default textual
interface. The user inputs events to the model from this interface,
and every time the current states of the model are changed, the new
states are displayed as a list between square brackets before the
``
'' prompt.
Figure 8.2 shows this default textual interface. It is started by executing the class of the main model in the JVM (Java Virtual Machine). For each model or submodel, this textual interface is defined in a main function. By default, JVM starts the main function of the main model. The main functions of submodel classes, if necessary, can be invoked by user-defined classes.
The user may reuse the Java code of a model with a customized interface instead of the default textual interface. This is discussed in section 8.5.
