The WinDaq XY Viewer > Menus
Choosing a command from one of the pull-down menus tells the XY Viewer what to do next. When the XY plot is being displayed on the screen, some menu commands will appear dimmed and thus not selectable. To enable these commands, you must stop the plotting process.
Go
Starts/stops the data plotting process. When this command is selected, plotting is started and a check mark is displayed on the File menu preceding this command. A second activation of this command stops the data plotting process and removes the check mark from the File menu. All subsequent activations toggle between start and stop. If this command appears dimmed (thus unselectable), it is because less than two channels are enabled in WinDaq Acquisition. At least two acquisition channels must be enabled for the WinDaq XY Viewer to work.
Clear
Clears the display and data buffer of all XY data.
Loop Mode
Toggles between continuous loop and one-shot data plotting modes. When this command is selected, a check mark is displayed on the File menu preceding this command and data is plotted continuously, overwriting the existing data on the monitor and in the buffer. This is known as loop mode. A second activation of this command removes the check mark from the File menu and disables the loop/overwriting process, causing the plotting process to stop when the designated number of data points have been displayed. This is known as one-shot mode. For example, say 64 is entered in the Depth of Plotter (Samples) text box. This means that 64 data points will be displayed on the monitor at all times. When loop mode is enabled, data is continuously plotted on the monitor. The newest data points simply overwrite the oldest, maintaining 64 data points on the display. When the one-shot mode is enabled (this happens automatically when loop mode is disabled), the plotting process will stop when 64 data points have been displayed on the monitor.
Save…
Saves the active file in comma separated value (CSV) format, to its current name and directory. When saved for the first time, the File Save As dialog box is displayed, so you can specify a file name and directory. If you want to change the name and/or directory of an existing document before you save it, use the Save As… command. The comma separated value (CSV) format is compatible with most spreadsheet and word processing applications.
Save As…
Saves the active file, but allows you to save it with a different file name, path, or drive specification. The file is still saved in the comma separated value format (CSV), which is compatible with most spreadsheet and word processing applications.
Print…
Prints the active file. Note that the plotting process must be stopped to make this command selectable. When this command is selected, the Print dialog box is displayed, allowing you to specify the destination printer, the range of pages to print, the number of copies, print quality, and other print options.
Print Setup…
Allows you to select a printer and printer connection. When this command is selected, the Print Setup dialog box is displayed, allowing you to specify printer options based on your printer.
Stretch to Page
Stretches the XY plot to fill the entire page when printed. When this option is selected, a check mark is displayed on the File menu preceding this command. When printing with this option selected, the printed image is stretched in the vertical direction (portrait oriented) to fill the entire page, thus not maintaining aspect ratio. This option provides the best print quality but takes longer. A second activation of this command disables the Stretch to Page option, removes the check mark from the File menu, and delivers a faster but lower quality screen shot. All subsequent activations toggle between enabled and disabled.
Exit
Quits the XY Viewer utility.
Channels…
Allows you to specify the waveform channels for X and Y axis assignment and the number of data points to plot. Note that the data plotting process must be stopped to select this command. When this command is selected, the Channel Selection dialog box is displayed. You can specify any enabled channels for the X (horizontal) or the Y (vertical) axis. The Depth of Plotter (Samples) text box allows you to vary the number of samples plotted at any one time. Valid entries range from 16 to 2048. For example, let’s say 64 is entered in the Depth of Plotter (Samples) dialog box. This means that 64 data points will be used to plot the XY waveform on the monitor. When loop mode is enabled, the newest data points simply overwrite the oldest, maintaining 64 data points on the display. When one-shot mode is enabled (automatically enabled when loop mode is disabled), the plotting process will stop when 64 data points have been displayed. When channels and view depth have been set, close the dialog box by choosing the OK command button.
Limit Lines…
Allows you to draw up to four visual reference lines on the XY plot. These reference lines can be used for marking a “limit” or reference line so the XY plot can be monitored for excursions within or beyond this limit. When this command is selected, the Limit Lines dialog box is displayed. In this dialog box you specify the beginning and ending XY coordinates of each reference line. When the lines have been set, close the dialog box by choosing the OK command button. The lines will appear on the display when the dialog box is closed. You may want to adjust the color of the limit lines for best contrast with your current background and line color settings. Color settings are changed with various commands on the View menu. To remove the limit lines, set the beginning and end point coordinates equal to each other.
Default View Area…
Allows you to constrict the view area to a specific size. Note that the data plotting process must be stopped to select this command. When the XY plot is initially generated, it is displayed at the full scale resolution of your instruments A/D converter. If for example your XY plot only occupies one corner (i.e., the upper right quadrant) of the XY display area, the rest of the display area is wasted. With this command, you can constrict the display to show only the upper right quadrant (or any area) on the monitor, thus spreading the A/D converter resolution over only your area of interest, instead of over the entire viewing area. When this command is selected, the Default View Window is displayed. In this dialog box you specify the minimum and maximum X and Y axis units. Close the dialog box by choosing the OK command button. The Full Range command button allows you to revert back to the original, full scale resolution of your instrument.
Zoom Out
Allows you to return to normal view, after zooming in. This command is dimmed (unselectable) until a zoom operation is done. To zoom in on a specific part of the XY plot, position the mouse pointer anywhere in the XY plot area and drag with the right mouse button until the resulting rectangle encloses the area you wish to zoom. When the mouse button is released, the area bounded by the rectangle is magnified. The Zoom Out command can now be selected. You can also zoom out by double clicking the right mouse button anywhere in the XY display area.
Use Index
Displays the XY data pair currently under the data cursor (cross hair) as an indexed number or as elapsed time from when the very first data pair were plotted. Subsequent activations of this command toggles between the index or elapsed time displays. Note that you must stop the plotting process to select this command. When selected, a check mark is displayed on the View menu preceding this command and the elapsed time from the first data pair in the buffer or the data pair index number is displayed in the status bar (bottom right of window) along with X and Y data point values (the X and Y data values at the current cross hair position). A second activation of this command removes the check mark from the View menu and toggles the elapsed time/index display, but the X and Y data point values remain unchanged. All subsequent activations of this command toggles between the index display and elapsed time display.
Data Cursor
Enables/disables the display of the data cursor (cross hair). When enabled, the data cursor can be traced over the entire XY plot (with the data cursor scroll bar), allowing you to examine every data point in the XY plot of the first group (or combination) of X and Y channels. Note that you must stop the plotting process to select this command. When selected, a check mark is displayed on the View menu preceding the Data Cursor command and the data cursor cross hair appears on the XY plot. The scroll bar arrows or the slider box can now be used to trace the cross hair over the XY plot, point by point. This reveals for every data point in the first group; the X axis value, the Y axis value, and the index or elapsed time from when the very first data pair were plotted. A second activation of this command removes the data cursor from the display and removes the check mark from the View menu. All subsequent activations toggle the display of the data cursor (cross hair).
Grid Lines
Enables/disables the display of grid lines on the display. When selected, a check mark is displayed on the View menu preceding this command and the grid lines appear on the display. A second activation of this command removes the grid lines and removes the check mark from the View menu. All subsequent activations toggle the display of grid lines.
Grid Setup…
Allows you to specify the number of major grids for the X and Y axis. Major grids are defined by the thicker grid lines. To specify the number of major grids, enter a whole number between 5 and 20 for the X and Y axis. When the “Do not enforce major grids” option is selected, the XY Viewer window will not be confined to the specified number of major grids and can be stretched to any desired size. When the “Do not enforce major grids” option is unselected, the XY Viewer window will maintain the specified number of major grids when the window is stretched.
Invert X
Inverts the plotted data and axis values in the X (horizontal) direction.
Invert Y
Inverts the plotted data and axis values in the Y (vertical) direction.
Show legend
Toggles legend on/off.
Line Color…
Allows you to change the color of the XY plot for the first, second, third, and fourth group (or combination) of X and Y channels.
Background Color…
Allows you to change the color of the background or display window.
Axis Color…
Allows you to select a color for the X and Y axes, the grid lines, and the units annotation.
Limit Line Color…
Allows you to change the color of the limit or visual reference lines.
View toolbar
Toggles toolbar on/off.
View Status bar
Toggles status bar on/off.
Index
Provides an index of help items. Note that you must stop the plotting process to select this command. From here, you can jump to step-by-step instructions on how to use the WinDaq XY Viewer and various other types of help information.
Using Help
Provides information on how to use context sensitive help. Note that you must stop the plotting process to select this command.
About XY Viewer…
Provides version and copyright information about your copy of the WinDaq XY Viewer. Note that you must stop the plotting process to select this command.