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- PLOTTER INSTRUCTIONS
-
- PLOTTER is an ASCII data plotting and evaluation program that can be
- run on any PC/AT compatible computer with at least 640K bytes of RAM
- and a standard CGA, EGA or VGA color monitor. Both Epson compatible
- and HP LaserJet compatible printers are supported. Screen images of
- EGA and VGA plots can be saved to disk in PCX format for importing
- to word processors. If a MOUSE is detected in the system, it is
- automatically supported.
-
- If you want PLOTTER to load a data file at start-up time, you can
- type PLOTTER FILENAME at the DOS prompt. The file will be read
- as DATA FILE TYPE #1, and the program will start at the Options
- Menu (see below). The DOS command line option makes it possible to
- call PLOTTER from inside your own programs. For example, in BASIC
- you would include the program line: SHELL "PLOTTER FILENAME".
-
- In general, default input responses are indicated by an asterisk
- (*). Inputs that require key strokes not followed by ENTER are
- indicated by square brackets []. Inputs that require ENTER to
- complete the entry are indicated by parentheses (). You can back
- out of most prompts in the program by pressing the ESCAPE key.
-
- The use of the MOUSE is intuitive throughout the program. Place
- the MOUSE CURSOR on the item to be selected and click the LEFT
- BUTTON. In general, the LEFT BUTTON is treated as an ENTER key
- press, and the RIGHT BUTTON is treated as an ESCAPE key press.
- You can use the MOUSE to answer single key prompts, such as [Y/*N]
- or F2=LABEL, but most program inputs require use of the keyboard.
-
- For the menus in PLOTTER, you can use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys
- to scroll through the items and press ENTER for your selection.
- Or you can press the highlighted "hot key." To use your MOUSE,
- place the CURSOR on the desired item and click the LEFT BUTTON.
-
- When you start PLOTTER you will see the Main Menu, consisting of
- the following selections:
-
- (R)ead Data File from Disk
- Create or (E)dit Data Files
- Change Plotter (S)etup
- (I)nstructions for Plotter
- Shell to D(O)S Environment
- (Q)uit the Program
-
- Press the (O) key to shell to DOS, and enter "exit" to return to
- PLOTTER. Press (Q), ESCAPE, or the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON to quit.
-
- Pressing (I) will let you read through the instructions for PLOTTER
- contained in the ASCII text file PLOTTER.DOC (which is the document
- you are presently reading). Use the UP and DOWN ARROW or PAGE keys
- to move through the document. Place the MOUSE CURSOR on the top or
- bottom border lines and click the LEFT BUTTON to scroll up or down
- one line, or place the MOUSE CURSOR on the ARROW ICONS and click the
- LEFT BUTTON to move up or down one page. The (I)nstructions feature
- requires PLOTTER.DOC to be in the default directory.
-
- (R)ead Data File from Disk
-
- You will be presented with a file selection menu that allows you to
- navigate to all drives and directories. Use the UP/DN ARROW KEYS,
- PAGE UP/DN, HOME/END or the MOUSE CURSOR to move the highlight bar
- (selecting the ".." token moves you up one directory). You can select
- a data file by pressing the ENTER key, or by DOUBLE-CLICKING the LEFT
- MOUSE button, on the highlighted file. When you are done, the program
- will take you to the Options Menu (see below). Press ESCAPE, or the
- RIGHT MOUSE button, to enter a file name manually. You will see the
- prompt "Enter the FILE NAME of your DATA SET." Press ESCAPE again to
- cancel the (Read) option and return to the Main Menu.
-
- Use this option to read your data file(s) into PLOTTER. The program
- can plot up to a total of 60,000 data values (for example, 30000 X-Y
- pairs in one data set). For DATA FILE TYPE #1, the number of columns
- in your data file, and the length of the file, will be automatically
- determined as the data is read. For DATA FILE TYPE #2, you can select
- up to 9 separate data files (from the file menu only), each with
- different numbers of points and different X axis values. This can
- be handy for "batch" processing a group of individual files.
-
- Create or (E)dit Data Files
-
- Use this option to manually create or edit small data files. You
- will be presented with the file selection menu (see above). If you
- want to create a new data file, press ESCAPE and you will get the
- prompt "Enter a FILE name for your DATA SET." Press ESCAPE, or the
- RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON, again to cancel. If the file name you type in
- does not exist, you will be asked if you want to create it. You are
- then taken to the data editing screen.
-
- Use the MOUSE CURSOR to position the editing cursor, scroll the data
- screen (by clicking on the ARROW ICONS or the BORDER LINES) and select
- options from the bottom status bar. The editing keys are as follows:
-
- ARROW KEYS .......... MOVE CURSOR OR SCROLL DATA
- PAGE UP/DN .......... PREVIOUS/NEXT SCREEN
- HOME/END ............ START/END OF A LINE
- CTRL-HOME/END ....... START/END OF THE FILE
- INSERT .............. TOGGLE INSERT/TYPEOVER
- ENTER ............... START A NEW LINE
- TAB ................. INSERT OR TYPEOVER 5 SPACES
- DEL/BACKSPACE ....... DELETE DATA AND LINES
- CTRL-Y .............. CUT CURRENT LINE INTO BUFFER
- SHIFT-INS ........... PASTE SINGLE LINE FROM BUFFER
- CTRL-X .............. SORT DATA BY X AXIS VALUES
- ESCAPE .............. SAVE FILE AND OPTIONALLY QUIT
-
- Enter your data according to the format shown below in the des-
- cription of the Change Plotter (S)etup option. The data on each line
- must be separated by AT LEAST ONE SPACE. Note that PLOTTER cannot
- use more than 10 columns of data, and that the maximum file length
- is about 1200 lines. Make sure that your data is entered correctly.
- For example, DO NOT include commas or non-numerical characters.
- Press ESCAPE, or click the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON, to the quit editor.
- You will then have the chance to save any changes you have made.
- Finally, the program takes you to the Options Menu (see below).
-
- Change Plotter (S)etup
-
- Use this option to change the default settings in PLOTTER. The new
- settings will remain in effect while the current session of PLOTTER
- is running. The first prompt is "Select DATA FILE TYPE to read:"
- PLOTTER can read two different file formats, as shown below. The
- program initially defaults to DATA FILE TYPE #1. Note that all data
- files must have the data separated by AT LEAST ONE SPACE.
-
- DATA FILE TYPE #1: Plot up to 10 columns of data from one file.
-
- X1 Y11 Y12 .. Y1m Data columns have a common X axis and
- X2 Y21 Y22 .. Y2m the same number of points. You can
- : : : .. : redefine the X axis column. Max size
- Xn Yn1 Yn2 .. Ynm for the data is 60,000 real values.
-
- DATA FILE TYPE #2: Plot up to 9 separate X-Y data files.
-
- X1 Y1
- X2 Y2 Data sets can have different X axis values and numbers
- : : of points. Max data size for ALL sets is 60,000 values.
- Xn Yn
-
- The next prompt is "Select [X]-Y or [S]EMI-LOG plot:" PLOTTER de-
- faults to X-Y plots. Press [S] to plot the X axis values as BASE
- 10 LOGARITHMS. Semi-Log plots are useful for data whose X axis
- values span a range from small decimals to large whole numbers.
- Note that PLOTTER automatically reverts to the default X-Y plot
- type when you select the Curve Fitting or Signal Processing Menus.
-
- The third prompt is "Show GRID LINES on plots?" You will auto-
- matically get dashed grid lines on your plots indicating the
- axis divisions. Press [N]o to get tick marks instead of lines.
-
- The final prompt is "Select maximum FFT size:" The (S)etup module
- asks for the maximum FFT size, with the default being AUTO. Legal
- FFT sizes for PLOTTER are integer powers of two: (256, 512, 1024,
- 2048, 4096, 8192, 16384). Entering the word AUTO causes the program
- to select the largest FFT size that can fit your data size.
-
- After you have loaded your data, the Options Menu is presented:
-
- (P)lot the Data Only
- (S)ignal Processing Menu
- (C)urve Fitting Menu
- Return to (M)ain Menu
-
- Press (M), ESCAPE, or click the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON, to return to
- the Main Menu. You can also press ESCAPE in answer to any prompt
- described below to return to the Options Menu. NOTE: If you have a
- data file already loaded, and you Return to (M)ain Menu to review
- the (I)nstructions or change the (S)etup, you will be returned to
- the Options Menu so you can continue evaluating your data.
-
- (P)lot the Data Only
-
- Use this option to plot your raw data. The option has slightly
- different prompts for each DATA FILE TYPE.
-
- DATA FILE TYPE #1: You are first asked "Which COLUMN of DATA is the
- X AXIS?" The default selection is column 1. If you choose a different
- column, then all the curves will be plotted using that column as the
- common X axis. This is done by SWAPPING the current X axis column with
- the selected column while the plot is made. It is your responsibility
- to know the structure of your data so that you end up plotting the
- curves that you want. If your data file contains more than 2 columns
- (X and Y), then you are asked "How many CURVES do you want to PLOT?"
- The default is the total number of curves that were detected in your
- data file. If you select less than the default number you are asked
- "PLOT which CURVE(S)?" Enter the column numbers you want to plot.
-
- DATA FILE TYPE #2: If you have read more than one data set, you are
- first asked "How many CURVES do you want to PLOT?" The default is
- the number of data files you have read. If you select less than the
- default number then you are asked "PLOT which CURVE(S)?" Enter the
- numbers of the data sets you want to plot. Recall that for this DATA
- FILE TYPE each curve can have a different X axis.
-
- You are then asked if the plot should "SHOW original DATA points?"
- The default answer is [N]o. If you select [Y]es then small symbols
- will be plotted indicating your original data. PLOTTER will pause
- after showing the data points. Press ESCAPE, or the RIGHT MOUSE
- BUTTON, to leave the points unconnected. Press ANY OTHER KEY, or
- the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON, to connect the points with lines.
-
- If you are plotting just two curves, you will be asked "Do you want
- a DUAL PLOT?" The default answer is [N]o. Selecting [Y]es will plot
- the first curve on the upper half of the screen and the second curve
- on the lower half of the screen. Press ENTER to continue plotting
- your selected curves. After the last curve has been plotted, press
- ESCAPE to return to the Options Menu. See the PLOTTING OPTIONS below
- for details of the features available during plotting.
-
- The Signal Processing Menu consists of the following options:
-
- Calculate (F)FT of the Data
- (D)igitally Filter the Data
- Return to (O)ptions Menu
-
- Press (O), ESCAPE, or click the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON, to return to
- the Options Menu. You can also press ESCAPE in answer to any of
- the prompts below to return to the Signal Processing Menu.
-
- Calculate (F)FT of the Data
-
- PLOTTER has a valuable feature that lets you evaluate the frequency
- content of time domain data, for example from a data acquisition
- system, using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). At least 256 data
- values are required. Also, the X axis time data must be all positive,
- and must have a constant time step.
-
- If you have read more than one data set, you are asked "FFT which
- DATA SET?" The default is set #1. If the size of your data set
- is EXACTLY the size of a legal FFT window (256, 512, 1024, 2048,
- 4096, 8192 or 16384 points), then the program will prompt "Select
- HANNING, FLAT TOP or RECTANGULAR window: [H/F/*R]" (see below).
-
- If the amount of data is not an even FFT size, you will be asked to
- "Select START of TIME WINDOW for NMAX point FFT," where NMAX is the
- currently selected FFT size. PLOTTER will automatically select the
- largest FFT that will fit your data set, unless you have specified
- the FFT size in the (S)etup module. This prompt lets you tell the
- program where in your data set to locate the NMAX number of points
- that will be sent to the FFT subroutine.
-
- The final prompt is "Select HANNING, FLAT TOP or RECTANGULAR window:
- [H/F/*R]." The default answer is [R]ectangular, which is the same as
- applying no window. The [H]anning window is used for identifying
- closely spaced frequency components in the spectrum. The [F]lat Top
- window produces magnitudes in the spectrum that more accurately
- show the amplitudes of the components in the original time domain
- data. Consult a text on Digital Signal Processing for details.
-
- The time domain data is plotted on the upper half of the screen. Note
- that the F6=MATH option can be used to SMOOTH or SCALE the data in the
- window before computing the FFT (the original full data set is not
- affected). Press Q to quit without an FFT. Press ENTER to compute the
- FFT. The frequency spectrum is then plotted on the lower half of the
- screen. The PLOTTING OPTIONS are again available. Press ESCAPE, or
- click the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON, to quit the plot.
-
- Before you are returned to the Signal Processing Menu, you are
- asked if you want to "Save FREQUENCY and MAGNITUDE values to disk?"
- This allows you to store the spectrum that has just been computed.
- The default answer is [N]o. If you select [Y]es, you will be asked
- to "Enter a NAME for your FREQUENCY FILE." Press ESCAPE, or the
- RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON, to cancel the file save option.
-
- (D)igitally Filter the Data
-
- This feature lets you apply a LOW PASS, HIGH PASS or NOTCH filter
- to your data set(s). Consult a text on Digital Signal Processing for
- details. At least 256 data values are required for filtering. Also,
- the X axis time data must be all positive and must have a constant
- time step. Due to the numerical processing required, a maximum of
- 20000 Y axis data values can be filtered. If you have read more than
- one data set, you are asked "FILTER which DATA SET?" The default is
- set #1. The Filter Design Screen then appears.
-
- The first prompt is "Select LOW PASS, HIGH PASS or NOTCH FILTER:
- [L/H/*N]." The default is a [N]OTCH filter, which can be used to
- remove specific frequencies from your data.
-
- If you select a NOTCH filter, you will be asked to "Enter CENTER
- FREQUENCY for FILTER: (0 to FMAX Hz)" where FMAX is one half of the
- sampling frequency detected in your data. This value is the center
- of the frequency range where the filter will operate. You are then
- asked to "Enter BANDWIDTH for FILTER: (FRQ Hz)" where an arbitrary
- default value, FRQ, is offered. This value defines the frequency range
- over which the filter will operate. The NOTCH filter is a 2nd order
- INFINITE IMPULSE RESPONSE (IIR) filter.
-
- For a LOW or HIGH PASS filter, you are asked to "Enter CUTOFF
- FREQUENCY for FILTER: (0 to FMAX Hz)." This value determines the
- range of frequencies to be passed. The next prompt is "Enter ORDER
- of FILTER: (50)." This value determines the "rolloff" characteristics
- of the filter. The PASS-type filters in PLOTTER are FINITE IMPULSE
- RESPONSE (FIR) filters, and use a VON HANN window to compensate for
- amplitude loss. Note that your data can be filtered multiple times
- (allowing you to create, for example, a BAND PASS filter effect).
- However, be aware that LOW PASS digital filtering will NOT remove
- any ALIAS signals that are already in the data.
-
- After some processing time, you are presented with a frequency plot
- showing the attenuation (in dB) of your filter. This lets you verify
- that the filter will perform as expected. Press Q to quit without
- implementing the filter, and return to the Signal Processing Menu.
- Press ESCAPE to continue. After more processing, the filtered data
- is plotted on the upper half of the screen. To let you evaluate the
- spectrum of the filtered data, an FFT is computed from the first NMAX
- points, where NMAX is the largest FFT size that can be fitted to the
- data up to 8192 points. Press Q to quit without the FFT. Press ENTER
- to calculate the FFT and display the spectrum on the lower half of
- the screen. The PLOTTING OPTIONS are then available.
-
- Before you are returned to the Signal Processing Menu, you are
- asked if you want to "Save TIME and FILTERED DATA values to disk?"
- The default answer is [N]o. If you select [Y]es, you will be asked
- to "Enter a NAME for the FILTERED DATA FILE." Press ESCAPE, or click
- the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON, to cancel the file save option.
-
- The Curve Fitting Menu consists of the following options:
-
- (C)ubic Spline Curve Fit
- (P)olynomial Curve Fit
- (A)utomatic Curve Fit
- Return to (O)ptions Menu
-
- Press (O), ESCAPE, or click the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON, to return to
- the Options Menu. You can also press ESCAPE in answer to any of
- the prompts below to return to the Curve Fitting Menu.
-
- If you have read more than one data set, you are first asked "How
- many CURVES do you want to FIT?" The default is the number of data
- sets you have read. If you enter less than the default number,
- you are asked "FIT which CURVE(S)?" You are then asked if the plot
- should "SHOW original DATA points?" The default answer is [N]o. If
- you select [Y]es then small symbols will be plotted indicating your
- original data. PLOTTER will pause after showing the data points.
- Press ESCAPE, or the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON, to leave the points
- unconnected. Press ANY OTHER KEY, or the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON, to
- connect the points with the curve fit.
-
- If you have selected JUST ONE DATA SET for curve fitting, after the
- plot of the curve fit has been presented you will be asked if you
- want to "Save X and Y CURVE FIT values to disk?" The default answer
- is [N]o. If you select [Y]es, you will be asked to "Enter a NAME for
- the CURVE FIT DATA FILE." Press ESCAPE, or click the RIGHT MOUSE
- BUTTON, to cancel the file save and return to the Curve Fitting Menu.
-
- (C)ubic Spline Curve Fit
-
- This option will perform a CUBIC SPLINE curve fit of your data
- set(s). The cubic splines will always pass through your original
- data points. The most data that can be handled is 1000 points for
- a single data set, or 500 points each for multiple data sets. Press
- ENTER to continue plotting your selected curves. After the last
- curve has been plotted, press ESCAPE to return to the Curve Fitting
- Menu. Note that for this kind of curve fit, the F6=MATH option is
- not available. This is because you can modify your original data
- first, and then perform the curve fit. See the PLOTTING OPTIONS
- below for details of the features available during plotting.
-
- (P)olynomial Curve Fit
-
- This feature performs a least squares polynomial curve fit on your
- data set(s). The most data that can be handled is 500 points per data
- set. For each of the data sets you have selected, you will be asked
- to "Enter the DEGREE for POLYNOMIAL #." Each data set can be fitted
- with a different order polynomial. The legal range for the DEGREE
- of each polynomial is from 1 to 19 (integer values). You can use the
- F6=MATH key to view the coefficients of the polynomials for each data
- set (see the description of the PLOTTING OPTIONS below). Press ENTER
- to continue plotting your selected curves. After the last curve has
- been plotted, press ESCAPE, or the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON, to return to
- the Curve Fitting Menu.
-
- (A)utomatic Curve Fit
-
- This option automatically selects the curve fit that best describes
- your data set(s). The following three types of curves are used:
-
- Linear: Y = A + B * X
- Exponential: Y = A * EXP(B*X)
- Power: Y = A * X^B
-
- The fit that produces the highest correlation coefficient (R^2)
- for each slected data set is plotted. The most data that can be
- handled is 500 points per set. Use the F6=MATH key during plotting
- to view the equation and coefficients for the curve. Press ENTER
- to continue plotting your curves. After the last curve has been
- plotted, press ESCAPE, or the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON, to return to the
- Curve Fitting Menu.
-
- PLOTTING OPTIONS
-
- During plotting you can press Q to QUIT the plot screen and return
- IMMEDIATELY to the previous menu. If you are plotting multiple
- curves, press ENTER, or click the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON, to CONTINUE
- with the next plot. After the last curve has been plotted, press
- ESCAPE, or click the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON, to QUIT the plotting screen
- and return to the previous menu. You can also press the ESCAPE or
- Q keys while a curve is being generated to stop the plotting.
-
- After each curve has been plotted, you will see a list of options
- (F1 through F7) presented at the bottom of the screen. They can
- be selected by the corresponding function key, or by positioning
- the MOUSE CURSOR on the item and clicking the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON.
- Each option contains a number of utilities.
-
- F1=LIMITS: You can select the upper and lower limits, and the
- number of axis divisions, for both the X and Y axes. Press ENTER
- alone to retain the current value. Note that you can select the
- lower limits (XLOW or YLOW) to be greater than the upper limits
- (XMAX or YMAX) if you so choose. If you are plotting multiple
- curves, the plots will be regenerated starting at the first curve.
-
- F2=LABEL: This key activates one of the best features of PLOTTER.
- It allows you to type ASCII text ANYWHERE on the plot screen. You
- can type axis labels, plot titles, and identifying labels for your
- curve(s). The cursor is originally placed above the upper left
- corner of the plot. Use the ARROW keys, HOME, END, PAGE UP and PAGE
- DOWN keys to move the cursor around, or you can use the MOUSE CURSOR
- to position the text cursor by clicking the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON. Press
- the ESCAPE key when you are done labeling. Note that the F1=LIMITS,
- F3=REPLOT, F4=SINGLE and F6=MATH functions will redraw the plots and
- wipe out your labels, so it's best to wait until you have the plot
- just the way you like it before labeling (however, see the discussion
- of the S and L keys below).
-
- F3=REPLOT: This function acts like an "oops" key. It replots the
- curve(s) with the plot limits reset to the original autoscaled
- values. If you are plotting multiple curves, the plots will be
- regenerated starting at the first curve.
-
- F4=SINGLE: If you are plotting multiple curves, or have a dual plot
- (as in the FFT option), this key will plot the current curve on a
- single plot of its own. If you are plotting a curve fit, the plot
- will be autoscaled according to the maximum and minimum values in
- the curve fit. Press ESCAPE to return to the multiple curve plot
- (the plots will be regenerated beginning with the first curve).
-
- F5=CURSOR: The data cursor function allows you to examine the
- numerical values in your data. The X and Y data values of the
- current curve are printed below the lower left corner of the plot.
- The LEFT and RIGHT ARROW keys move the cursor. Press CTRL-ARROW
- keys for a faster cursor. Alternatively, you can drag the data
- cursor by holding down the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON and moving the MOUSE.
- If the cursor is near a LOCAL MAXIMUM in the data, selecting
- F1=LOCAL MAX will make the cursor jump to that maximum. If the
- cursor is near a LOCAL MINIMUM in the data, selecting F2=LOCAL
- MIN will make the cursor jump to that minimum. Each time you select
- F3=STORE, the current data values are appended to an ASCII data
- file that is automatically created in the default directory. For
- DATA FILE TYPE #1, the file name is the prefix of your data file
- with a ".CSR" extension. For DATA FILE TYPE #2, the file name is
- "PLOT.CSR". Press ESCAPE to quit the data CURSOR option.
-
- F6=MATH: This function provides several features. If you are
- plotting (P)olynomial or (A)utomatic curve fits, you will be
- shown the coefficients for the current curve (the plots will then
- be regenerated beginning with the first curve). The other F6=MATH
- options are not allowed for curve fits since you can modify the
- data first, and then perform the curve fit. S=SMOOTH will smooth
- the current data set by passing it once through a five point
- approximation algorithm. Data smoothing can remove jagged peaks
- often caused by signal noise. X=SCALE X AXIS and Y=SCALE Y AXIS
- allow you to multiply the current data set by some scaling value
- (for example, multiplying by -1 would invert the plotted values).
- This is especially useful for converting raw data (say volts) from
- data acquisition systems to engineering units. You can also add
- (or subtract) a constant offset to the data. If you are plotting
- multiple curves, the plots will be regenerated starting at the
- first curve. Press ESCAPE to quit the MATH option.
-
- F7=PRINT: This function allows you to generate hard copy of your
- plots, and save EGA or VGA plot screens to disk in PCX format.
- Any printers capable of emulating either an EPSON dot matrix or
- a HEWLETT PACKARD LaserJet are supported for hard copy. Note that
- many brands of printers can automatically emulate an EPSON printer
- (the IBM laser printer is an example). The printer MUST be connected
- to LPT1. The default options are H=HP LASERJET and L=LANDSCAPE.
- Select H=HP LASERJET or E=EPSON to choose the printer you want (be
- careful, since choosing the wrong type will cause garbage to be sent
- to the printer). Select L=LANDSCAPE to print your plot sideways,
- using the full paper size. Select P=PORTRAIT to print the plot
- straight on using half of the paper size. When you are ready, and
- the printer is turned on, select G=GO to print your plot. If you
- want to save an EGA or VGA plot to disk, instead of printing, press
- X=PCX. Your PCX files will be saved in the default directory with
- names of the form PLOT#.PCX, where # is a number that is incremented
- each time you save a screen (while the current session of PLOTTER is
- running). Many word processors can import PCX files as figures into
- documents. The prompt line at the bottom of the screen and the MOUSE
- CURSOR are automatically blanked while the plot is being sent to the
- printer or to disk. Press ESCAPE to quit the PRINT option.
-
- S: You are not prompted for this key, but pressing S will save all
- text on the plot screen to a file called PLOT.TXT. The text can be
- applied to any other plot screen by pressing L (see below).
-
- L: You are not prompted for this key, but pressing L will load and
- display the screen text stored by the S option above. Axis numbers
- and the data file name are not overwritten, but all your saved text
- is restored. This is handy if you have re-plotted, or are plotting
- multiple files that all require similar titles and labels.
-
- Q: You are not prompted for this key, but pressing Q will quit the
- plot screen and return IMMEDIATELY to the previous menu. Also, you
- can press Q as a curve is being generated to stop the plotting.
-
- RET=CONTINUE: This prompt is displayed in the lower right corner
- of the plot screen. When you are plotting multiple curves, press
- ENTER to continue to the next plot. After the last curve has been
- plotted, the RET=CONTINUE prompt is replaced with the ESCAPE=QUIT
- prompt. This keeps you from accidentally pressing ENTER too many
- times and quitting the plot screen before you are ready. Recall
- also that the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON is treated as an ENTER key press.
-
- ESCAPE=QUIT: This prompt is also displayed in the lower right
- corner of the screen. The ESCAPE key is the principal means of
- quitting each of the options described above. Press ESCAPE after
- the last curve has been plotted to quit the plot screen and return
- to the previous menu. Recall that, in general, the RIGHT MOUSE
- BUTTON is treated as ESCAPE. Also, you can press ESCAPE when a
- curve is being generated to stop the plotting.
-
- SHAREWARE
-
- PLOTTER is distributed as Shareware. Feel free to share the program
- and its files with others. However, if you continue to use PLOTTER,
- you must register the program by sending $19 US to:
-
- Robert Lindsay Wells, Ph.D.
- 1405 Lynn Avenue
- Clearwater, FL 34615
-
- When you register, you will receive the latest version of PLOTTER,
- an instruction booklet, one free upgrade to any future version, an
- ASCII Text Editor as a bonus utility, and three months of technical
- support by telephone or E-Mail.
-
- AND FINALLY ... THE INEVITABLE DISCLAIMER
-
- Although all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the
- accuracy of the algorithms used in PLOTTER, the author of this
- software makes no guarantee of, and takes no responsibility for,
- the correctness of the plots or the data presented by PLOTTER.
- Any decisions or judgements made by the user based on the plots or
- data output by PLOTTER are solely the responsibility of the user.
-