Time Windows


Creating a Time Display

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

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



You will then get a new, empty time 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.




Time Window Overview

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

Time 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 Time Window 1 is Events.  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 time 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 time window's Freeze feature in the Time Window Display Menu.
2. File Menu This menu will expand to show some common window tasks.  See the detailed description of the time window's file menu.
3. Display Menu This menu will expand to allow you to manipulate some of the display aspects of the time window.  See the detailed description of the time 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 time window's audio menu.
5. Plot Title Bar Each time window has a single plot title bar for all plots.
6. Plot Area This area will contain the time plots for this window.  Time plots can either be in maximized (only one plot is visible ) or normal (all plots in this window are visible).  For more information on the time plot, see the time plot description .
7. Recording State When Recording Off is displayed in the Time Window, data is not being stored to disk.  This notification is displayed when the system is idle or during acquisition.  When recording begins, the notification will no longer be present. This text will also state if the displayed data is pre-recorded.
8. 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.  
9. Maximize Window Clicking this button behaves the same as it does for all Windows programs on your system.
10. 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.


Time 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.

Time Window Display Menu

1. Add Plots Clicking this menu option will allow you to add a time 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 time 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 time window.  The user may select any number of plots to be removed
3. Plot Type Selection This menu item contains a sub menu listing the plot types available. See Plot Type Selection under the Time Window Properties section for more details.
4. Spread Type Selection This menu item contains a sub menu listing the spread types available. See Spread Type Selection under the Time Window Properties section for more details.
5. Zoom All Plots This menu item contains a sub menu listing the various zoom settings. The fixed zoom values are 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, and 32x.   The zoom factor is a multiplication of the factor applied to the data being plotted, but does not change the data  processed by __prod_name.  Selecting an item from the sub menu will set the zoom factor for all the plots in the window.
6. Set Timeframe Sets the amount of time that data remains visible in the Time window.  This command has no effect when the window is displaying Flash plot types.  All data is cleared from the window when the timeframe is changed.  The timeframe of the window will appear next to the window name in the window's title bar.  The menu items sub menu allows for you to select one of the following values:  100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000.  These values are all in milliseconds.
7. Clear Window This will force all plots to clear themselves  This is usually used when using overlay mode.  In addition to this menu command, you can press the C key with the window selected to clear the display.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Overlay Mode The overlay menu option will switch the window in and out of overlay mode.  When there is a check mark next to the menu item, this means the display is currently in overlay mode.  When in overlay mode, the window will show all data in every plot.  Clearing the display or resizing the window will cause all plots to clear their displays.  In addition to this menu command, you can press the O key  with this window selected to toggle overlay on and off.
11. 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.

Once a window has been frozen, history mode will become available for the window.  In history mode, the user may navigate through approximately 30 seconds worth of data.  The historical data is the last 30 seconds of data that occurred previous to when the window was frozen.  Once a window is frozen,  history mode is activated and any current data that is being acquired will not be added to the history buffer.  When the window is unfrozen, data will once again be added to the history buffer.
12. Page Left The Time Window must be Frozen in order to use this option.  This will move back in time at 1/2 the time frame of the window every time this option is selected.
13. Page Right The Time Window must be Frozen in order to used this option.  This will move forward in time at 1/2 the time frame of the window every time this option is selected.
14. 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.
15. 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 time window properties for more information.


Time 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 __lynxsx_hardware_name acquisition Amplifiers 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.

Time Window Properties

The Time window properties are shown in the properties window when a Time window or Time 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 Time 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 Type Selection Spike plots can be displayed in the following ways:
  1. Flash:  Displays the waveform for single record.  The data shown is indicative of the data that is written to the __prod_name data files. 
  2. Scroll:  Similar to an oscilloscope, new waveform data will be shown on the right, and old data will scroll to the left.  The amount of time shown in this plot can be adjusted by changing the window timeframe.   The data shown is indicative of the data that is written to the __prod_name data files.
  3. Sweep:  A cursor will move from left to right across the screen.  New data will be shown to the immediate left of the cursor.  Old data will be cleared as the cursor moves past it.   The data shown is indicative of the data that is written to the __prod_name data files  The amount of time shown in this plot can be adjusted by changing the window timeframe.
3. Background Clicking the arrow next to the Background color will provide a list of available colors for the current Time Window background (see below). If the desired color is not listed, selecting Other  will provide the user with more custom color options (see below).  This color can be changed at any time.
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.
5. Show Grid Lines Used to set the visibility of the vertical grid lines in a Time window.  Hiding the grid lines will not hide the zero line for the time plots. All data is cleared from the window when the grid visibility is changed. Grid lines can be used to approximate the amount of time between different points of the visible time  plot waveform.  To determine the time between grid lines, take the windows time frame and divide by the number of gridlines minus 1.  This command can be used to decrease CPU usage for large channel count systems or older computers.

The show grid lines checkbox must be in 1 of the following states:
  1. Checked :  Gridlines are visible in the window.
  2. Unchecked:  Gridlines are hidden from the window.
6. Overlay Mode Sets a plot window's overlay mode.  Overlaid windows will not clear out old data before displaying new data.  This setting effects all plots in this window.

The overlay checkbox must be in 1 of the following states:
  1. Checked :  The window will not clear out any old data until either a clear command is issued, overlay is turned off, or the window is resized.
  2. Unchecked:  The window will clear out data based on the plot type.
7.  Spread Type Selection The spread type of Time windows can be changed using this selection box.  Adjusting the spread type is similar to moving the zero line on an oscilloscope.  It will adjust where the zero line of each of the waveforms is drawn in the window.  Changing the spread type can be useful when you want to see seemingly similar plots overlaid on top of each other.  All data in the window will clear when the spread type is changed.

WARNING: Changing the spread type can cause CPU overload in high channel count systems.  If you see drawing errors after changing the spread type, changing the spread type to FullSpread will alleviate some of the CPU strain.

 The possible options are:
  1. CommonZero:  All of the time plots will share the same zero line.  This line will be in the middle of the window.
  2. HalfSpread:  All time plots have their own zero line. The window is divided into 3 sections.  The top section contains 25% of the window.  The middle section contains 50% of the window and the bottom section contains 25% of the window.  The zero lines for each plot will be spread evenly throughout the middle section.  This type is designed to allow each plot to use at least 50% of the available window.  Plots will overlap when using this spread type.
  3. FullSpread:   All time plots have their own zero line.  If the plots are not zoomed in, there will be no overlapping of waveforms.
8. Window Timeframe Sets the amount of time that data remains visible in the Time window.  This command has no effect when the window is displaying Flash plot types.  All data is cleared from the window when the time frame is changed.  The time frame of the window will appear next to the window name in the window's title bar.  This value must be set between 100 and 30000 milliseconds.  As the value is increased, less detail will be visible for the waveforms, but data will be visible longer.  Decreasing the value will increase the waveform detail, while decreasing the time that data remains visible.
9. 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.
10.  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.