Histogram Windows


Creating a Histogram Display

When an acquisition entity is added to your system,  no display is created for it.  In order to see a histogram based view of what an AE is doing, you need to create a histogram window and then add a plot for the AE.  Currently histogram windows can display CSC acquisition entities.

You can create a histogram window from the Window menu on __prod_name's main window.



You will then get a new, empty histogram window.  To add a plot to the window you can either use the Display menu of the new window or right click anywhere in the window and select Add Plot(s).  You will then see the Acquisition Entity Selection dialog.  Select one or multiple (by holding down Shift or Ctrl, just like multi-select in Windows) AEs and click the Add Acquisition Entities button to add plots.




Histogram Window Overview

This section will give you a general overview of each of the parts of the Histogram window.  There are more detailed descriptions of some of the sections after this overview.

Histogram windows have the concept of a current plot.  This plot is indicated by a purple plot title bar and the name of the plot shown in the window's title bar.  In the following image, the current plot in Histogram Window 3 is CSC4.  When a plot is current, all plot specific menu options and keyboard short cuts will be directed at that plot (i.e. setting the audio source).  A plot can be made current by clicking on it.  When a new plot is added, it is automatically set to the current plot.




1. Title Bar The histogram window title bar will always display the name of the window along with the name of the currently selected plot in this window.  Additional information can also be displayed in the window's title bar, such as whether or not the window is frozen.  See the detailed description of the histogram window's Freeze feature in the Histogram Window Display Menu.
2. File Menu This menu will expand to show some common window tasks.  See the detailed description of the histogram window's file menu.
3. Display Menu This menu will expand to allow you to manipulate some of the display aspects of the histogram window.  See the detailed description of the histogram window's display menu.
4. Audio Menu This menu will expand to allow you to manipulate the audio output settings in __prod_name.  See the detailed description of the histogram window's audio menu.
5. Close Window Clicking on this X will close a window, exactly as it does for all Windows programs.  Closing a window will destroy the window.  This means that when you close a window, all of the display settings you have changed and plots you have added to the window will be lost.  
6. Maximize Window Clicking this button behaves the same as it does for all Windows programs on your system.
7. Minimize Window Clicking this button will minimize this window to the bottom of the screen.  It will not minimize this window to the taskbar as it does with most Windows programs.


Histogram Window File Menu

1. Close Window Clicking on this menu option will close a window, exactly as it does for all Windows programs.  Closing a window will destroy the window.  This means that when you close a window, all of the display settings you have changed and plots you have added to the window will be lost. After you click the close button, a message box will be shown where you will confirm that you want to destroy the window.


Histogram Window Display Menu

1. Add Plots Clicking this menu option will allow you to add a histogram plot to this window.  When you select add plot, you will see the Acquisition Entity selection dialog.  This dialog will have a list of available acquisition entities that can be used to create a plot and add it to this window.
2. Remove Plots Clicking this menu option will allow you to remove histogram plot(s) from the window.  When you select remove plot, you will see the Acquisition Entity selection dialog.  This dialog will have a list of all the plots currently in the histogram window.  The user may select any number of plots to be removed
3. Lock Window Size When the window size is locked, you will see a check mark next to this option.  Locking the window size will disable resizing of the window.
4. Maximize View Clicking this menu item with toggle between maximize and normal view.  Normal view contain a plot being displayed in the window for every plot that exists for the window.  Maximize view shows only the current plot, and the plot is maximized to the entire window display.  There will be a checkmark next to this menu item when the window is in maximized view.  This menu option is not available when there are no plots in the window.
5. Freeze (Frozen) Window Selecting this menu option will freeze the drawing for all plots currently being displayed in the window.  The word "Frozen" will also appear in the title bar, after the current plots acquisition entity name.  Clearing the display or resizing the window will cause the window to clear, but no new data will be displayed until the window is no longer frozen.  There is also a check mark next to this option when the window is frozen.  Unfreezing the window will begin to draw new data for each plot.  You will not see any of the data that occurred while the window was frozen, but all data will be processed by __prod_name.  In addition to this menu command, you can press the Spacebar with this window selected to freeze and unfreeze the display. 
6. Save Window to Image This option is only available when the window is frozen.  It will allow you to save the current window display to a BMP, PNG or JPG raster image.
7. Window Properties This will bring up the properties page and selects this window in the tree.  If the properties page is closed, __prod_name will open the properties page.  If the properties page is open, it will make sure the properties page is visible.  You can see a detailed description of histogram window properties for more information.


Histogram Window Audio Menu

1. Set / Clear Left Source This menu option will allow you to set or clear the audio source for the left channel of the acquisition system's first pair (#1, #2) of Analog Outputs.  This menu uses the current plot to determine what source will be set or cleared.  If the current left source's AE is not the same as the current plot's AE, then this menu will allow you to set the current plot's AE to the current left source.  If, however, the currently selected plot's AE is the same as the current left source's AE, then this menu option will allow you to clear the left source.  Clearing the source will set the source's AE to None.  In the above image, the left audio source has been set to an AE.
2. Set / Clear Right Source This is identical to the Set / Clear Left Source menu option, except that it affects the right audio source.
3. Mute Audio When the audio is muted, __prod_name will not output sound through the Analog Outputs of the system or the audio output of the computer.  This mutes both the left and right sources (channels).  When the audio is muted, there will be a checkmark next to this menu item.  This command can also be run at any time by using the Ctrl+M keyboard shortcut.  This setting only affects __prod_name, and does not mute the sound for other Windows programs.
4. Audio Options This will launch the Audio Output Dialog for more detailed control over __prod_name's audio output.


Histogram Window Properties

The Histogram window properties are shown in the properties window when a Histogram window or Histogram plot is selected in the properties tree.  For more information on the properties window, see the detailed description of the properties window.  Changes made to the window properties will affect all plots within this window.

1. Name  This is the name of this Histogram window,  and it must be unique throughout __prod_name.  The window name is shown in the window's title bar, as well as in the display properties tree.
2.  Plot Positioning Buttons Clicking on the Move Plot Up button will move the selected plot left or up in the plot window.  Clicking on the Move Plot Down button will move the selected plot right or down in the plot window.
3. Plot Removal Buttons Clicking on the Remove Plot button will delete the currently selected plot from the window.  Clicking on the Remove All Plots button will delete all plots within the window.
4. Show Title Bar Sets the visibility of  title bar for the specified display window.  This option can be used to increase the screen space dedicated to showing acquired data or can be used to decrease CPU usage for large channel count systems or older computers.  Since all of the plot icons are located in the title bar, you will not be able to click on the icons when the title bar is hidden.  Since the saved screen space is minimal, it is recommended that you leave the title bar visible if possible.  All data in the window will clear when the title bar visibility is changed.

The show title bar checkbox must be in 1 of the following states:
  1. Checked :  The title bar is visible in the window.
  2. Unchecked:  The title bar is hidden from the window.