Figure 63: Unpopulated Plot Layout Menu
Plots are defined and positioned within the parent plot window through the Plot Layout Menu. (Note: what is actually output in each plot is defined in the Plot Definitions menu.) The parent plot window is divided into a rectangular grid of plot cells. This is a dynamic grid which expands and contracts with the number of defined plots. Plots are placed into the grid by specifying their row and column number in the plot grid. The upper left corner is row 0, column 0. Undefined cells in the grid produce blank areas in the plot window.
There are options to define the characteristics of all the axes against which data can be plotted. 2D plots have four independent scalable axes, the top and bottom X and the left and right Y axes. 3D plots make use of these axes plus the Z axis. Plots which use color to represent intensity will make use of the color bar axis options.
Clicking the Plot Layout Menu button in the main menu brings up the menu shown in Figure 63.
When first invoked the menu comes up empty with default values are supplied for most options. The menu itself is divided into two areas: a text window which holds a summary of the defined plots and below that the plot definition work area that contains the options associated with the current plot being edited. The text window is initially empty. The order in which the plots appear in the text window is the order that the plot outlines, ticking, and numerical annotation are output. This generally does not make any difference, however, a defined plot can be moved in the stack by hilighting it and then moving it using the up and down arrows.
When starting with an empty plot setup menu you can either fill in the plot options and then click ADD or just click ADD to start with an empty plot definition. In the latter case you will need to hilight the entry and click EDIT. This transfers any current plot settings for the hilighted plot into the plot work area. Edit or set the various options and then click ACCEPT. This reflects part of the information back into the text window and transfers all the settings into the structure for that plot. Repeat the process to add new plots until you have defined all the plots required. Figure 64 below shows a populated Plot Layout menu with the hilighted plot’s definition in the process of being edited.
The full set of options in this menu are described below
The text window holds a summary of the defined plots. It shows the assigned plot identifier, where the plot resides in the plot grid, and whether it spans multiple rows or columns. Also included in the summary is the slot position of the plot which is for internal information only. You can shift a definition around in the window by hilighting it and then moving it up or down using the arrow keys.
There are 5 control buttons associated with the text window. These are to its right and are used to add a new plot, or to modify and or delete an existing one.
Adds a new plot definition. The plot is initiated using whatever information currently exists in the work area below the text window. Initiating a new plot does not require that any options be set, including the plot location. These can all be set or modified by editing the definition.
Edit the hilighted plot definition in the text window. Editing a plot transfers its current option settings into the work area below the text window. There you can modify any of the current settings. Click on ACCEPT to transfer the options back into the plot definition.
Deletes the currently highlighted plot definition in the text window. There is no undo.
This button accepts all changes made to a plot definition during an edit. It can be activated multiple times in the edit process. Changes do not become permanent and are not reflected in the text window until they are accepted.
This causes all of the options in the work area below the text window to be reset to their default values.
The plot layout options are found in the work area below the text window. This set of options forms the default settings used when creating a new plot definition or contain the current option settings of a plot being edited. It should be emphasized that the work area option settings are not imported into the current plot definition and made permanent until they have been accepted by clicking he ACCEPT button.
The options are always in their default state when the Plot Layout menu is first invoked and can be returned to their defaulting settings at any time by clicking RESET button to the right of the text window.
In the menu the position set of options is used to place the plot in the plot grid in the parent plot window. The remaining options define the plot axes characteristics. The axis options are applied on a per axis basis. Each option runs across a set of columns with each column representing one of the plot axis. The color bar axis is applicable if the plots will have an intensity variable associated with it.
The plot identifier used to uniquely identify this plot definition in other menus. A plot identifier of _DP_ signifies that the plot definition to be considered a dummy definition with no output. This is often useful as a place holder in the plot grid to preserve plot alignments in the columns and rows.
This row number in the plot grid where this plot is anchored. The first row of plots across the top of the plot window is row 0.
The column number in the plot grid where this plot is anchored. The first column of plots down the left hand side of the plot window is column 0.
The number of rows the plot spans in the plot grid. This is defaulted to 1 so that the plot only occupies one cell in the grid row. Setting this to a larger value stretches a plot in the Y direction beginning at its anchor position.
The number of columns the plot spans in the plot grid. This is defaulted to 1 so that the plot only occupies one cell in the grid column. Setting this to a larger value stretches a plot in the X direction beginning at its anchor position.
Set this option to YES if this is to be a time based plot, set to NO otherwise.
Set this option to YES if a background or foreground grid is to be included with the plot. Set to NO if no grid is to be included. If a grid is to be included it is drawn with the grid characteristics set in the Plot Setup Menu.
Set this option to YES if you want a colorbar output in conjunction with this plot. The colorbar will be scaled and annotated according to the setting of the options in the CBar column of the menu. Set this option to NO if no colorbar is to be output.
If the Show Colorbar option is set to YES this option sets the location relative to the plot where the colorbar is to be output. This can be either RIGHT, LEFT, TOP, or BOTTOM to output the colorbar to the right, left, above, or below the plot.
If the Show Colorbar option is set to YES this is number of rows in the plot grid to span for a vertically output colorbar or the number of columns in the plot grid to span for a horizontally output colorbar. You can add a dummy span value to the span value using the format S,DS where S is the span value and DS is the dummy span value. A dummy span value adds room for a colorbar to a plot without the colorbar being output. This is useful at times for plot alignment within the plot grid.
If the Show Colorbar option is set to YES this is the orientation to output the colorbar. This can be VERTICAL, RHORIZONTAL or LHORIZONTAL. The vertical orientation should be used when the colorbar is being output to the left or right of a plot and the horizontal orientations when the colorbar is being output above or below the plot. RHORIZONTAL is a horizontal colorbar drawn from left to right. With a rainbow color scheme the colors would progress from violet to red from left to right. An LHORIZONTAL is the reverse progressing from violet to red from right to left.
The minimum value associated with an axis. This setting will be ignored if a variable being output in the plot is set to be autoscaled against this axis. In that case the lower scaling will be set in the autoscaling. For time based axes this value is always ignored.
The maximum value associated with an axis. This setting will be ignored if a variable being output in the plot is set to be autoscaled against this axis. In that case the upper scaling will be set in the autoscaling. For time based axes this value is always ignored.
Sets the scaling method to use along an axis. This can be either LINEAR or LOG. Time bases axis are always scaled LINEAR. On LOG scaled axes both the axis minimum and maximum value must be greater than 0.0.
Moves the default location of an axis either inward (positive) or outward (negative). It is generally used to create white space between neighboring axis but can be used to expand a plot to use unused area in a plot grid especially when too much white space is being left for labels. Annotated axes automatically have space left for the annotation. Gap is specified in units of 12 point characters. In general all plots within a row or column of the plot grid should have the same gaps assigned to them. This will give them a common X and Y axis length within the grid.
Set this option to YES if the axis is to be numerically annotated. Set it to NO if the axis is to be left unannotated.
The size of the text to use in the numerical annotation of an axis.
The C format specification to use when numerically annotating an axis. One non-C format available for use is the format specification expon which just outputs the exponent of the numerical label. This should only be used on LOG scaled axes.
Set ON if you want the axis numerical annotation to be output as bold text, otherwise set to OFF which is the default setting.
The color of the numerical annotation along the axis. This is set through the Color Picker Menu. Click the color to bring up the menu. The default text color is White.
This option allows for either or both of the extreme numerical labels along an axis to be omitted in the annotation. This is sometimes useful when the lower label of one plot partially overlaps the upper label of an adjacent plot. To output both the upper and lower labels set the option to NONE, to output neither the upper or lower labels set the option to BOTH, to omit just the upper label set the option to MAX and to omit just the lower label set the option to MIN. You can omit all numerical labels by setting the option to ALL.
The number of major tick marks to output along an axis.
The number of minor tick marks to output between adjacent major tick marks.
The format to use when outputting the axis tick marks. This can be INSIDE, OUTSIDE, STRADDLE or SPAN. The inside format draws the ticks starting at the axis towards the inside of the plot. The outside format draws the ticks starting at the axis towards the outside of the plot. The straddle format draws the ticks starting outside the axis and ending inside the axis (they straddle the axis). The span format draws the ticks inside the plot running from one axis to the corresponding opposite axis. With the exception of the span format the same format is used for both the major and minor tick marks. When using the span format only the major tick marks are out put with this format. The minor tick marks are output using the inside format.
