home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- • Scan the plot at the highest magnification possible
- on your screen; i.e. make the image fit the whole
- screen if possible. The screen resolution is
- the limiting factor stealing the data.
- • Save the image as a MacPaint or as a PICT
- format file.
- • Open DataThief. You will be prompted to open a
- file. Select the image you would like to steal
- data points from.
- • The plot will appear on the screen. Now move
- the mouse pointer to the leftmost point of the
- horizontal axis in your plot and click the mouse.
- A dialog box will show, in which you can fill in
- the real X coordinate of this axis point.
- • Then move the mouse pointer to the rightmost
- position of the horizontal axis and click the mouse
- once. You will get another dialog box; fill in the
- appropriate value. Do the same for the lowest and
- highest points on the vertical axis.
- • You will now be prompted for an optional correction
- in the axes coordinates and additional options;
- e.g. error bars, logaritmic axes & markers to make
- your datapoint-clicking visible.
- • Don't be afraid if the plot appears skewed on the
- screen. DataThief will correct for skewness in the
- output file.
- • This is the time to investigate the options in the
- menu bar. You can click each datapoint separately
- or perform an automatic scan. In the latter case
- you can set several variables to make the scan fit
- your wishes. Try it out and find your preferences.
- • Now move the mouse pointer to the first data point
- you want to steal and click the mouse once. Repeat
- this for all data points or watch the scan going on.
- • In single data mode, if you have selected error
- bars, click on either the upper or the lower
- extremity of the error bar, then click on the
- remaining extremity.
- DataThief is smart enough to realize which end
- of the error bar has the highest value, and will
- save that value accordingly.
- • When you have clicked all data points, select
- Save or Close from the File menu.
- This will save your data points in a TEXT file
- which can be read by any word processor,
- spreadsheet or plotting program. If you like,
- you can set the 'creator'. This enables your
- favorite program for further processing to
- open the data file automagically.
-