7.2. Using the Spectra page
Let's look at the controls on the Spectra tab. These controls are divided into several sections. First let's look at the entire page. Each of the subsequent sections will zoom in on the functionality of a section of the user interface.
The bottom part of the user interface provides a filterable list of the spectra currently defined:
The headings of the list box make the list fairly self explanatory. There are, however several things you can do to control what you see:
Below the spectrum list are several controls that allow you to control the set of spectra that are displayed:
The button reloads the set of spectra listed. This can be necesary if a script or definition file changes spectrum definitions.
The Spectrum Mask text entry allows you to specify a filter on the set of spectra displayed. All glob characters can be used in the filter. See man 7 glob for information about glob wildcards. The filter is applied dynamically as it is modified.
You can stretch or shrink the widths of the columns by dragging the groove at the beginning or end of a column heading left or right as needed.
The display can be sorted in decreasing or increasing order by any column.
Note that the Name column (at least initially) as a white arrow in a black box at the right side of the title. This indicates the list is sorted by name increasing as you go downward. If you click that arrow, the sort order reverses and the arrow flips direction to inicated this.
If you click a column, the display is sorted by that column and the arrow again indicates the sort direction.
Double clicking a spectrum from the list loads that spectrum into the spectrum definition and manipulation part of the UI, which we will describe next:
In the figure above, items not related to spectrum definition and manipulation have been smudged out. We will look at those controls later.
Using this section of the user interface you can:
Create a new spectrum or replace an existing one ( button).
Delete an existing spectrum
Duplicate an existing spectrum definitioubn.
Create spectrum that is defined the same as an existing one.
Perform, potentially dangerous, operations on all spectra.
Creating a new spectrum. Briefly to create a new spectrum you select the type of spectrum from the spectrum type box, Fill in the spectrum definition (name and parameters) and click the button. You can also specify a data type by checking something other than Long (32 bits) but with modern computers there's seldom any reason to use smaller data types.
Parameters are selected using the pulldown menubuttons (the second one will be enabled if the spectrum type, e.g. 2D, requries) the parameter tree is presented as a menu/submenu tree. If any menu is too long scroll buttons are provided as well to allow you to scroll the visible set of menu items.
If a selected parameter is a tree parameter, it will have recommended limits and binning. If not, or if you want to change these values, type them in.
Once the spetrum definition has been filled in, click to create the new spectrum. The new spectrum is, if it matches the filter, added to the spectrum list without the need for an
As we'll see the checkbutton allows you to create several spectra simultaneously.
Replacing an existing spectrum. Replacing an existing spectrum is identical to creating a new one except that the spectrum name is the name of a previously existing spectrum. You can also double click an existing spectrum in spectrum list and change its definition, since double clicking a spectrum loads its spectrum definition.
Prior to replacing existing spectra you'll have a chance to confirm this operation.
Deleting a spectrum. To delete a spectrum, Double click it to load it into the spectrum definition. Click the button. Warning - you are not prompted to confirm this destructive operation.
Duplicating a spectrum. You can duplicate a spectrum by loading its definition (Double click the spectrum in the spectrum list). Once you've loaded the spectrum you want to duplicate, click . The new spectrum will be given a name like the old spectrum name followed by _ and a unique number.
The very useful checkbutton. Many experiments have detector systems that have several nearly identical channels. These channels can be represented naturally as tree parameter arrays. The array checkbutton allows you to create a set of spectra (1D) from a tree parameter array.
Simply enter a base name for the spectrum and choose one of the array elements as the parameter. Be sure the checkbutton is selected. When you click , one spetrum will be made for each element of the array. The name of each spectrum will be the basename followed by a . followed by the parameter index.
The button. The button clears the channels of the spectrum that is loaded. You can clear a single spectrum by double clicking it in the spectrum list and the clicking .
The very innocuous looking but dangerous checkbutton. The button extends the scope of several operations to all currently defined spectra. This can be very useful or very dangerous depending on the operation performed:
All spectra are cleared.
Very dangerous!! All spectra are deleted.
All spectra are duplicated.
Let's now look at the section of the Spectra tab below:
This bit of the GUI allows you to save and restore the current analysis definitions/settings.
The button saves the current settings to file. It operates like the menu command if you checked all categories. Therefore the button only prompts for a file to which the settings will be written.
Similarly the button prompts for a file to load (like the menu command). If the checkbutton is checked, previous definitions are not deleted prior to reading the file.
The checkbutton controls the writing of a failsafe.tcl file. If checked, the GUI saves the current definitions after each modification to the analysis definitions.
Finally let's look at the section of the page that controls the application of gates:
The dropdown menubutton () allows you to select a gate. The name of the gate is loaded into the text entry box. The applies the gate to the currently selected spectrum. The removes that application (applies a True gate to the spectrum). Note that both and are modified by the state of the check button.