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MANUAL.TXT
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WELCOME TO MULTIPLOT/2 v1.2
----------------------
by
Mike Stott
NeoDym Systems
15 Nesbitt St
Nepean
Ontario
Canada K2H 8C4
July 1996
QUICK START
-----------
Copy the MLTPLT22.ZIP distribution file into a convenient
directory on your hard drive. Decompress the MLTPLT22.ZIP
distribution file using PKUNZIP (DOS) or UNZIP (OS2). Get
an OS/2 command prompt by opening an OS/2 window and change
to the directory containing MULTIPLOT2. Now just type:
TRYITNOW
MULTIPLOT2 should now start and open up a PM window on the
desktop and show a plot of the data sets in the sample1.dat
file.
Read the following documentation and enjoy using MULTIPLOT2.
WHAT IS MULTIPLOT/2?
--------------------
Multiplot/2 is a versatile, easy to use OS/2 2.X 32 bit
Presentation Manager application for manipulation and
plotting of technical data sets and generation of publication
quality scientific and technical line graphs. On the same
chart it can plot many sets of data to the same scale and in
a variety of formats,selectable by simple menu 'click'. The
data in an individual data set can consist of any number of
points (greater than zero) and the points can be at
arbitrary, non-uniformly spaced intervals on the x axis.It
isn't necessary to tell Multiplot/s how many items are in
the data set. It will count them for you. Each line can be
automatically plotted in a different colour and line type
(i.e. dotted, dashed etc) or fixed as solid and black.
The data can be replotted in many different combinations of
linear, logarithmic, deciBel or polar by simple menu command.
The charts are automatically scaled to accomodate the maximum
range of x and y values in the data sets. Scaling is 'sensible'
and in a 1-2-5 sequence. If you want to force a larger scale,
just include two extra data sets in your data file, each with a
single point in it. These points should be the bottom left
corner and the top right corner of the chart you want.
Axis labels and plot title are entered via the data file
containing the numerical data. Annotations can be added via the
data file or manually and moved or re-sized in WYSIWYG fashion
using the mouse.
The plotted chart is displayed in an OS/2 PM window which can be
resized or reshaped using the mouse in the normal way.
Menu choices are presented in the diplay window to enable the user
to direct how the program interpolates between the data points.
Available choices (v1.0) are straight line,'low-pass' smoothing,
cubic spline and no interpolation i.e. only the points are
plotted with no lines in between.
The displayed chart can be copied via the clipboard to a suitable
PM DTP or word processing program from which the chart can be
incorporated into documents and printed. The copying can be made
as an os/2 metafile or as a bitmap. Metafile is best as it
enables the chart to be resized without loss of quality.
Unfortunately os/2 and MS Windows metafiles are different and so
this method can only be used with suitably equipped os/2
Presentation Manager programs. The OS/2 'Picture Viewer' is a
simple way to display the metafile and print the result on the
default printer. It can usually be found at \OS2\APPS\PICVIEW.EXE.
Charts copied to the clipboard in bitmap form can be pasted into
os/2 PM or MS Windows programs. Note that bitmaps exported from
MULTIPLOT/2 are copies of the display window and so reflect any
resizing or reshaping made to the window. Metafiles are device
independent and so do not resize or reshape with display window
changes. Graphs can also be saved to disk files both in metafile
or bitmap form.
Multiplot/2 has a lot of flexibility in reading and
modifying data organised in different ways. For example in
'column' or 'row' format and with one or several 'Y'
sequences corresponding to a single 'X' sequence. It can
also read data which is expressed in a recycling or modulus
fashion, such as day numbers in the week or week numbers in
the year. The addition the program can be made to "filter"
(i.e. plot or not plot) a point depending on the value of
the same or some other point. Using this facility you can
selectively plot points which satisfy some separate
criteria. You can also add a value to the X and/or Y data
so as to offset it and plot it 'modulo' an arbitrary value.
The new data thus created can be saved to disk in 'row' or
'column' format, thereby giving you the ability to transpose
your data using Multiplot/2.
For users who want automated data generation and plotting
environments, Multiplot/2 now has an extensive command line
control capability. Most features can be controlled from
the comand line, including the ability to store the images
to disk and to terminate automatically without asking for
user input when finished. This is most useful in automated
unattended data generation situations where, for example, you
want to run a series of programs overnight and look at the
graph results next day.
HOW TO USE MULTIPLOT/2
----------------------
SIMPLE OPERATION
The easiest way to run the program is to launch from the
Work Place Shell. Just display the MULTIPLOT/2 icon (for
example by navigating to the directory in which Multiplot/2
is located using the PM 'Drives' object) and double click on
it. You can also launch from an OS/2 command line.
Navigate to the correct directory using the normal and type
MLTIPLT2. A file dialog window will pop up to enable you
to select a data file for plotting. Several example data
files are included as examples.
To make your own data files, arrange your data in an ASCII
text file in column format as shown below with the X and Y
values on the same line, separated by spaces or tabs.
x y
x y
x y
: :
: :
***
x y
x y
x y
: :
: :
***
"X-axis label"
"Y-axis label"
"Plot Title"
###
Each group or set of X-Y pairs results in one line on the
final plot chart. You can have up to 800 points per line
and up to 60 lines on the plot. You don't have to have the
same number of points in each line and you don't have to
make the points uniforml y spaced along the x axis.
If you have a situation where you have several y values all
corresponding to the same sequence of x values, you don't
have to keep putting in the same x values over again. You
can instead put them in like this
X y1 y2 Y3 - -
X y1 y2 Y3 - -
: : : :
: : : :
***
:::
###
Sometimes you get a situation where your data is arranged in
rows rather than in columns. In mathematical terms it is
"transposed" -a term borrowed from matrix operations. In
this case we get all the X values on one line and all the Y
values on the next l ine. We have to tell Multiplot/2 that
the data is organized in this way. This is done by putting
the keyword xytransposed before the data. For example
xytransposed
x x x x x
y y y y y
: : : : :
: : : : :
***
:::
###
Similarly to the column situation we can have several sets
of y's corresponding to the same set of x's. For example
xytransposed
x x x x
Y1 Y1 Y1 Y1
Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2
Y3 Y3 Y3 Y3
: : : :
: : : :
***
:::
###
You can mix and match these formats in any combination.
Just remember to separate each one by the three asterisks
separator "***" and to finish off the whole file by a
termination string "###". The 3 label/title strings before
the final "###" are optional. If you don't put them in,
Multiplot/2 will not put any labels or title on the plot.
When using a spreadsheet to generate the data, one
convenient way to transfer the data to Multiplot/2 is to
select columns or rows of data in the spreadsheet and to
copy/paste them into an ASCII text editor such as the OS/2
System Editor, E.EXE. You can t hen add the necessary "***"
lines and the axis labels, title etc. and save the whole
thing as a text file from which you can then plot. Most
sprea