Graph Objects

In this topic:

Overview

Graph objects are the items displayed in a graph window. These include curves, axes, cursors and the various objects used for annotation. All graph objects possess a number of named properties all of which may be read and some may also be written. Each graph object also has a unique id which is used to identify it.

A knowledge of the inner workings of graph objects will be useful if you wish to customise some of the annotation features provided by the waveform viewer. However, the interface is at a low level with much work carried out by internal scripts. Consequently there is quite a steep learning curve to climb in order to make good use of the features available.

Object Types

The following table lists all the available object types:
Object Name Description
Axis Axes and grids
Crosshair Crosshair part of cursor
CrosshairDimension Object used to dimension cursors. Forms part of cursor. Cannot be displayed on its own
Curve Curve
CurveData Curve data object. Each curve has one or more associated curve data objects. These store the curve data. Curve history is stored in curve data objects
CurveMarker Marker used to annotate curves
FreeText Free Text annotation object. Displays unboxed text on graph
Graph Graph sheet
Grid Grid object
Histogram Histogram plot
LegendBox Box enclosing LegendText objects
LegendText Text objects used in legend boxes and linked to a displayed curve.
Measurement Measurement object used to display curve measurements in the measurement window
SharedAxis X-Axis connector object. X-Axes that are linked, that is have common limits, are linked using a SHaredAxis object
ScaterPlot Scatter plot
SmallCursor The small cursor that permanently follows the mouse cursor and tracks the nearest curve. There is only ever one of these on each Graph sheet
TextBox Box enclosing FreeText object

Properties

Properties are the most important aspect of graph objects. Each type of graph object possesses a number of properties which determine characteristics of the object. Some properties are read only and are either never altered or can only be altered indirectly. Other properties can be changed directly using the command SetGraphAnnoProperty. The labels for curves, axes and the various annotation objects are examples of properties that may be edited.

A full list of all object types and their properties is given in Objects and Their Properties .

Graph Object Identifiers - the "ID"

Each instance of a graph object is uniquely identified by an integer value known as its "ID". Valid IDs always have a value of 1 or greater. IDs are returned by a number of functions (see below) and also a number of the objects possess properties whose value is the ID of a related object.

Once the ID of an object has been obtained, its property names can be read and it property values may be read and/or modified.

The following functions return graph object IDs. Note that all functions return object IDs belonging to the currently selected graph only except for GetGraphObjects which can optionally return IDs for objects on a specified graph.
AddGraphCrossHair Add a new cursor to the currently selected graph and return its and its dimension's Ids
GetAllCurves Returns the IDs for all curves in the current graph
GetAllAxes Returns the IDs for all axes (X and Y) in current graph
GetAllXAxes Returns the IDs for all X-axes in current graph
GetAllYAxes Returns the IDs for all Y-axes in current graph
GetAxisCurves Returns IDs for all curves attached to specified axis (X or Y) in the current graph
GetCurrentGraph Returns the ID for the currently selected graph sheet
GetCursorCurve Returns information about curve attached to the main cursor including its ID
GetCurveAxis Returns ID of y-axis associated with a curve in the current graph.
GetCurveAxes Returns IDs for x and y axes associated with a curve in the current graph
GetDatumCurve Returns information about curve attached to the reference cursor including its ID
GetGraphObjects Returns all objects on a graph, or objects of a specified type
GetGraphTabs Returns ids for all graph sheets
GetGridAxes Returns ids for all axes belonging to the specified Grid
GetSelectedCurves Returns IDs of all selected curves in the current graph
GetSelectedGraphAnnotations Returns the ID for all selected graph annotation objects
GetSelectedGrid Returns ID of the currently selected Grid object in the current graph
GetSelectedXAxis Returns the ID of the selected X-axis in the current graph
GetSelectedYAxis Returns the ID of the selected Y-axis in the current graph
SelGraph Returns the id of the selected graph
GetGridCurves Returns ids of all curves in the specified Grid
CreateGraphMeasurement Creates a graph measurement object and returns its ID
FindGraphMeasurement Returns the id of a graph measurement object defined by its associated curve and its label
GetGraphObjPropValue function
CreateSharedAxisConnector Creates a SharedAxis object and returns its ID

Some of the functions in the above list are technically redundant. For example the value obtained by GetCurveAxis() can also be obtained by reading the value of the 'Y-axis' property of the curve.

Symbolic Values

Some properties used for labels may be given symbolic values. Symbolic values consist of a property name enclosed with the '%' character. When the label is actually displayed the property name is replaced with its value.

Symbolic values may also be indirect. Some properties return the id of some other associated object and the value of a property for that object may be referenced with a symbolic value. The ':' character is used to denote indirect symbolic values. For example, this method is used with curve markers. The default value for a curve marker's label is: 
%curve:label%
curve is a property of a curve marker that returns the id of the curve that it points to. label is a property of a curve that returns the label assigned to it. So curve:label returns the label of the curve that the curve marker points to.
Other curve properties can be used for this label. For example, curve measurements (as displayed below the legend in the legend panel) can also be accessed via property named "measurements". So the curve marker label: 
%curve:label% %curve:measurements%
would display the curve's name followed by its measurements.

Finally the character sequence <n> can be used to denote a new line.

Objects and Their Properties

The following lists all the properties available for all objects. Note that all objects have a 'Type' property that resolves to the object's type name. Also all objects except Graph have a 'Graph' property that returns the ID of the object's parent graph sheet.

Axis

Axis objects represent both x and y graph axes.
Name Description Read Only?

AutoLimit 		'On' or 'Off' determines whether axis limits are adjusted automatically according to attached curves No

AxisType 		'X', 'Y' or 'Dig' Yes

Curves 		String array property returns all curve IDs attached to this axis Yes

DefaultLabel 		Label property is given default value of %DefaultLabel% which resolves to the value of this property. Yes

DefaultUnit 		Unit property is given default value of %DefaultUnit% which resolves to the value of this property. Yes

Delta 		Value that determines the minor grid line spacing No

ExpandToFitLabel 		Boolean, default = 'true'. If 'true' axis size will expand to fit its label No

Grad 		Grading of axis: "Log" or "Lin". No

Graph 		ID of parent graph Yes

Grid 		ID of parent grid Yes

GUID 		Yes

ID 		ID of this object Yes

Label 		Label used to annotate axis. (Actual displayed text is \textlangle label\textrangle / \textlangle unit\textrangle). Default = %DefaultLabel% No

Max 		Maximum limit of axis No

Min 		Minimum limit of axis No

Name 		Axis name. ('Y1', 'Y2' etc.). Empty for X and Dig axes Yes

ProbeId 		Value used by fixed probes to identify axes No

SharedId 		ID of SharedAxis object. Only meaningful for x-axes and used to connect x-axes No

Type 		Type of object - always 'Axis' Yes

VertOrder 		Vertical order. Arbitrary string used to specify vertical display order Yes

Unit 		Physical units of axis. (E.g. 'V', 'A' etc.). Default = %DefaultUnit% No

Crosshair

Object used to display cursor. Each graph cursor consists of a Crosshair and two CrosshairDimensions.
Name Description Read Only?

COM1 		Common reference value. Only meaningful with X-Y plots such as Nyquist plots. Shows the value of the common reference to X and Y. This is frequency in a Nyquist plot Yes

Dimensions 		Comma delimited string providing the dimension objects attached to this cursor Yes

Graph 		ID of parent graph Yes

ID 		ID of this object Yes

Point 		1 = Main cursor. 2 = Reference cursor Yes

Type 		Type of object - always 'Crosshair' Yes

XDimension 		The ID for the CrosshairDimension object that displays the X dimension and positions Yes

YDimension 		The ID for the CrosshairDimension object that displays the Y dimension and positions Yes

Colour 		RGB colour value, or option setting that holds an RGB value. Default=GraphColourCrossHair (option value) No

Curve 		ID of attached curve No

Division 		Division index of attached curve. See page for details on multi-division vectors No

Frozen 		'On' or 'Off'. If 'On' the user will not be able to move the cursor with the mouse No

Hidden 		Boolean. Set to 'true' to hide cursor No

Label 		Cursor label displayed at base No

LineStyle 		Style of line used for crosshair. Comma delimited string of numbers representing mark-space values. E.g. '1,1' defines short evenly spaced dots, '3,1,1,1' defines a dotdash style No

Style 		Style of crosshair. Possible values: 'Crosshair' or 'Cursor'. 'Crosshair' means the object is displayed as a crosshair with a width and height that extends to cover the whole grid. 'Cursor' means that the object is a small bitmap representing a cross. No

X1 		X data value of crosshair position No

Y1 		Y data value of crosshair position. The value can be written but this can only affects nonmonotonic curves where there are multiple y crossings at a given x value. No

CrosshairDimension

Object used to display the dimensions and positions of cursors. There are two types, namely horizontal and vertical.
Name Description Read Only?
Curve1 ID of curve attached to crosshair 1 Yes

Curve2 		ID of curve attached to crosshair 2 Yes

Graph 		ID of parent graph Yes

GUID 		Yes

ID 		ID of this object Yes

Type 		Type of object - always 'CrosshairDimension' Yes

Vertical 		0 = Horizontal dimension, 1 = Vertical dimension Yes

X1 		Horizontal type only. Holds the value of the x data position of the first crosshair. Yes

X2 		Horizontal type only. Holds the value of the x data position of the second crosshair Yes

Y1 		Vertical types only. Holds the value of the y data position of the first crosshair Yes

Y2 		Vertical types only. Holds the value of the y data position of the second crosshair and is readonly Yes

XDiff 		= X2-X1 Yes

YDiff 		= Y2-Y1 Yes

Crosshair1 		ID of crosshair 1 No

Crosshair2 		ID of crosshair 2 No

Font 		Font used to display labels. Can either be the name of a font object or a font spec as returned by GetFontSpec. No

Hidden 		Boolean. If 'true', dimension object will be hidden No

Label1 		Label positioned to depict value of first crosshair. Default = %x1% for horizontal types, %y1% for vertical. No

Label2 		Label positioned to depict value of second crosshair. Default = %x2% for horizontal types, %y2% for vertical. No

Label3 		Label positioned to depict the separation between crosshairs. Default = %XDiff% for horizontal types, %YDiff% for vertical. No

Style 		Controls display of dimension labels. Possible values:
Internal Show difference only (label3) - internal position
External Show difference only (label3) - external position
Auto Show difference only (label3), position chosen automatically
P2P1 Show absolute labels (label1 and label2)
P2P1Auto Show all labels. Difference position chosen automatically
None No controls selected
No

Curve, Histograms and Scatter Plots

The following properties are common to Curves, Histograms and Scatter Plots. In the following properties table, the object is referred to as a Curve but definitions apply equally to Histograms and Scatter Plots.
Name Description Read Only?
Analysis Analysis type used to create curve's data Yes

DefaultLabel 		This is composed from Name, Suffix and GroupName to form a text string that is the default label for the curve Yes

Expression 		Expression that created this curve Yes

Graph 		ID of parent graph Yes

Grid 		ID of parent Grid Yes

GroupName 		The data group that was current when the curve was created Yes

ID 		ID of this object Yes

Limits 		The X an Y limits of the curve in the form [xmin, xmax, ymin, ymax] Yes

MeasurementIds 		String array. List of Measurement object IDs associated with this curve object Yes

Measurements 		Measurements added to a curve Yes

MeasureSpec 		String defining measurements for the curve. This is set for curves created by fixed probes. (.GRAPH statements) Yes

NumDivisions 		Number of divisions in curves data. I.e. the number of separate traces in a group of curves. Groups of curves are usually produced by Monte Carlo analyses Yes

ShortLabel 		A label composed from Name and Suffix but without group name Yes

SweepType 		For grouped curves, defines the type of sweep that created the group. Values are 'Statistical' for Monte Carlo analyses, 'Stepped' for stepped analyses or 'None' for non-grouped curves. F Yes

Type 		Type of object - 'Curve', 'Histogram' or 'ScatterPlot' Yes

UserProbeID 		Used by measurements for fixed probes (.GRAPH statements) Yes

XPhysType 		Physical type of curves x-values Yes

XAxis 		ID of x-axis attached to curve Yes

XExpression 		Expression that defines X-values Yes

XUnit 		Physical type of curve's x-data Yes

XY 		Boolean value. 'true' if curve created from X-Y data Yes

YAxis 		ID of y-axis attached to curve Yes

YPhysType 		Physical type of curves y-values Yes

YUnit 		Physical type of curve's y-data Yes

Hidden 		Boolean. If 'true' curve will not be visible. (Inverse of Visible property) No

Highlight 		Boolean. Curve is highlighted if 'true'. No

HighlightedDivisions 		Controls selective highlighting of grouped curves. Stores a list of divisions that are highlighted in form [div1, div2, ...]. E.g. [1,5,7] would highlight divisions 1 5 and 7 No

Label 		The curve's label. This is the text that appears in the legend panel. This can use a symbolic constant and in fact defaults to %DefaultLabel%. Note that when reading back a symbolic value assigned to this property, the resolved value will be returned No

Name 		The curve's base name. This is the value passed to the /name switch of the Curve/Plot command or the name of the vector plotted if no /name switch is supplied. No

ProbeInst 		Used by fixed probes (.GRAPH statement) to manage curve history No

RGBColour 		Colour of curve. Can be entered as value returned from GetColourSpec or using format #rrggbb where rr, gg and bb are two digit hex values representing the red, green and blue colour content respectively No

Selected 		Boolean - holds selected state of curve No

Sequence 		Integer value that is used to define default colour. The actual colour used may be set globally using options dialog box No

Suffix 		This is assigned when the result of a multistep analysis is plotted to give information about the step. E.g. if you stepped a resistor value the suffix would hold the name and value of the resistor at the step. No

UseSequenceColour

Visible 		If 'false', curve will be hidden, but its legend display will remain No

Curve Only

The following properties apply to Curves only, i.e they do not apply to Histograms or Scatter Plots.
Name Description Read Only?

Alpha 		Alpha blend ratio as a percentage. 0=invisible, 100=fully opaque No

CurveDatas 		String array. List of curve data objects associated with this Curve. Note that this returns all CurveData objects available, not just the ones that are visible Yes

DisplayType 		May be:
'analog' curve is regular analog trace
'decimal' bus display showing decimal values
'hex' bus display showing hexadecimal values
'binary' bus display showing binary values
No

ForceFastRender 		Boolean. If set, unconditionally inhibits use of anti-alias with pixel width greater than 1. This combination renders slowly and is automatically disabled for large curves No

LineStyle 		Controls line style. May have values as defined below
'auto' Solid for main curve. History curves are set to broken lines in order dot, dash, dot-dash
'solid' solid
'dot' dotted
'dash' dashed
'dotdash' dot-dash
No

Persistence 		Integer. History depth display. Previous curve content may be displayed up to the depth defined by this property No

ShowPoints 		If 'true' data point markers will be displayed No

CurveData

CurveData objects store the data associated with a curve. A curve can have more than one curve data object associated with it.

Name Description Read Only?

Curve 		ID of Curve associated with this CurveData object Yes

Graph 		Parent Graph ID Yes

GUID 		Yes

ID 		ID ofthis object Yes
Type Type of this object - always CurveData Yes

LineStyle
'auto' Style chosen according to position in history
'solid' solid
'dot' dotted
'dash' dashed
'dotdash' dot-dash
No

CurveMarker

An object used to title a curve or mark a feature.

Name Description Read Only?

Division 		Division index of attached curve Yes

Graph 		ID of parent graph Yes

GUID 		GUID Yes

ID 		ID of this object Yes

Type 		Type of object - always 'CurveMarker' Yes

Colour 		Background colour No

Curve 		ID of attached curve No

Font 		Font for label No

FontColour 		Text colour No

Hidden 		Boolean. If 'true' curve marker will be hidden No

Label 		Label of curve marker. May be a symbolic value. Default is %curve:label% which returns the label of the attached curve No

SnapToCurve 		'On' or 'Off'. If 'On' marker tracks attached curve i.e its y position is determined by the y value of the curve at the marker's x position. If 'Off' marker may be freely located. No

X1 		X-data value at arrowhead No

Y1 		Y-data value at arrowhead No

X2 		X position of label in view units relative to arrowhead No

Y2 		Y position of label in view units relative to arrowhead No

FreeText

Free text objects are items of text with no border or background that are not attached to any other object.
Name Description Read Only?

Date 		Date that the object was created. If the object is on a graph that has been saved to a file then subsequently restored, the date will be the date that the object was originally created. Yes

Graph 		ID of parent graph Yes

GUID 		GUID Yes

ID 		ID of this object Yes

Parent 		ID of parent object. If text is placed freely on the graph, this will be the same as the Graph property. FreeText objects. however are also used in TextBoxes in which case this returns the id for the TextBox Yes

Time 		Time that the object was created. If the object is on a graph that has been saved to a file then subsequently restored, the time will be the time that the object was originally created. Yes

Type 		Type of object - always 'FreeText' Yes

Version 		Product name and version Yes

Alignment 		String to define alignment:
'LeftTop'  
'LeftBottom'  
'LeftMiddle'  
'LeftAuto'  
'RightTop'  
'RightBottom'  
'RightMiddle'  
'RightAuto'  
'CentreTop'  
'CentreBottom'  
'CentreMiddle'  
'CentreAuto'  
'AutoTop'  
'AutoBottom'  
'AutoMiddle'  
'AutoAuto'

 
The 'Auto' alignment options align according to the position of the object in the grid. X1=0 aligns to left, X1=1 aligns to right, Y1=0 aligns to bottom, Y1=1 aligns to top.

The Centre values may use the alternative Center spelling. 		No

Font 		Font for label No

FontColour 		Text colour No

GlobalPosition 		Boolean. If true, the position defined by X1 and Y1 will be relative to the entire graph drawing area. Otherwise it is relative to the Grid specified by the Grid property No

Grid 		ID for grid used for local position No

Hidden 		Boolean. If 'true', object will be hidden No

Label 		Text displayed. Symbolic values may be used. E.g. %Time% will display the time the object was created. No

X1 		X location of object in view units. The Alignment, Grid and GlobalPosition affect the interpretation of this value No

Y1 		Y location of object in view units. The Alignment, Grid and GlobalPosition affect the interpretation of this value No

Graph

Name Description Read Only?

DefaultRef 		The name of the reference vector (x-values) for the first curve added to the graph. Typically this would be 'Time' or 'Frequency' for typical transient and AC analyses respectively. The property is used to manage shared x-axes Yes

DefaultSharedAxis 		ID of the SharedAxis object used to connect x-axes. There can be any number of SharedAxis objects but there is always a single SharedAxis object that new x-axes are connected to. This may be read from this property Yes

FirstCurve 		ID of the oldest curve on the graph Yes

Graph 		ID of this object Yes

Grids 		String array. IDs of all grids in the graph Yes

GroupTitle 		Title of the data group that was current when the graph was created Yes

GUID 		GUID Yes

ID 		ID of this object Yes

SmallCursor 		ID of the SmallCursor object Yes

SourceGroup 		The data group that was current when the graph was created Yes

Type 		Type of object - always 'Graph' Yes

AcceptNewProbes 		Boolean. If 'true', graph will accept curves created by fixed probes even if it was initially used for random probes. Usually fixed probes create a new graph sheet on the first run Yes

CursorStatusDisplay 		Sets method of displaying cursor positions and dimensions. Possible values:
Graph Display on graph using CrosshairDimension object
StatusBar Display on status bar
Both Display on graph and status bar
No

MainCursor 		ID of Crosshair object comprising the main cursor. Value = -1 if cursors are not enabled. Yes

Path 		Path of file to save to. This is the file that will be used by the "File|Save" menu. When saving a graph, this property will be set to the full path name of the file. When a graph file is loaded, this property is set to the full path of the input file. (Note that this does not apply to graphs converted from the old binary format) Yes

ProbeId 		Used to manage fixed probes No

RefCursor 		ID of Crosshair object comprising the reference cursor. Value = -1 if cursors are not enabled. Yes

TabTitle 		The text in the title of the tabbed sheet. This can be symbolic. Default is %SourceGroup% %FirstCurve:Label% No

TitleBar 		Text to be displayed in the graph window title bar when the graph's sheet is in view. This may be symbolic. Default is %SourceGroup% (%GroupTitle%) No

Grid

Grids are where curves are displayed and have at least one y-axis and one x-axis. There may be one or more grids in a graph.

Name Description Read Only?

Curves 		String array. Yes

Graph 		Parent graph ID Yes

GUID 		GUID Yes

ID 		ID of this object Yes

ProbeId 		Used to manage fixed probes Yes

SelectedYAxis 		ID of the selected y-axis Yes

Type 		Object type. Always set to 'Grid' Yes

XAxes 		String array. IDs of all x-axes attached to the grid Yes

YAxes 		String array. IDs of all y-axes attached to the grid Yes

GridType 		'Norm' (normal) or 'Dig' (digital). Digital axes are small and designed for digital traces, although they can be used for any curve No

VertOrder 		Integer. Defines vertical position of grid. For normal (non-digital) grids the grids are displayed in order bottom to top - the higher the value of VertOrder the higher up the display. The order for digital grids is the reverse of this No

LegendBox

The LegendBox is used to display labels for every curve on the graph sheet. It consists of a box that is loaded with LegendText objects - one for each curve on the graph. The LegendText objects are automatically loaded when a curve is added to the graph and automatically deleted when a curve is deleted.

Name Description Read Only?

Graph 		ID of parent graph Yes

GUID 		GUID Yes

ID 		ID Yes

Objects 		Semicolon delimited string providing the IDs for each of the LegendText objects defining text entries in the box Yes

Type 		Type of object. Always 'LegendBox' Yes

Alignment 		See Alignment property of FreeText object (FreeText) No

AutoWidth 		'On' or 'Off'. If 'On' the width and height of the box automatically adjust according to contents. Otherwise the X2 and Y2 values may be adjusted to set the box dimensions No

Colour 		Background colour No

Font 		Text font No

FontColour 		Text colour No

LegendLabel 		Text of label that is loaded into box when a curve is added to the graph. This can be symbolic in which case it references properties of the LegendText object that displays the text. The default value is %DefaultLabel% No

Hidden 		Boolean. If 'true' object will be hidden No

X1 		X position in view units No

X2 		Width of box in mm if AutoWidth set to off No

Y1 		Y position of box in view units No

Y2 		Height of box in mm if AutoWidth set to off No

LegendText

LegendText objects are used to load legend boxes and cannot be instantiated independently.

Name Description Read Only?

Curve 		ID of attached curve Yes

Date 		Date that the object was created. If the object is on a graph that has been saved to a file then subsequently restored, the date will be the date that the object was originally created. Yes

DefaultLabel 		The default value for the label. Actually equivalent to %Curve:Label%\textlangle n\textrangle%Curve:Measurements%. (\textlangle n\textrangle denotes a new line). Yes

Division 		For grouped multi-step curves there is a LegendText object for each division. The divison index may be read from this property Yes

Graph 		ID of parent graph Yes

GUID 		GUID Yes

ID 		ID of this object Yes

Parent 		ID of parent legend box Yes

Time 		Time that the object was created. If the object is on a graph that has been saved to a file then subsequently restored, the time will be the time that the object was originally created. Yes

Type 		Type of object - always 'LegendText' Yes

Version 		Product name and version Yes

Font 		No

Label 		Set to the value of the legend box's LegendLabel property when it is added to the box No

Measurement

Measurement objects are displayed in the measurement window and are created when a measurement is made on a curve. The display in the measurement window has three columns showing the label of the associated curve, the measurement name and the measurement value.

For measurements made on multi-division data generated by multi-step runs, the measurement object has child objects that display additional data relevant for the multi-step analysis.

Name Description Read Only?

Curve 		ID of associated curve Yes

DivisionLabel 		String array. If Expression evaluates to a multi-division vector, this property will hold its division labels. Typically these are the labels associated with each step in a multi-step run. For example, if a resistor is swept, each division label will be in the form 'Rxx=value' Yes

Graph 		ID of parent Graph Yes

GUID 		GUID Yes

ID 		ID of this object Yes

MultiDivLabels 		String array. Multi division labels displayed in the measurement window. This depends on the value of the MultiDivMode property. See MultiDivMode property for further details Yes

MultiDivValues 		String array. Multi division values displayed in the measurement window. This depends on the value of the MultiDivMode property. See MultiDivMode property for further details Yes

NumDivisions 		Number of divisions in the evaluated Expression Yes

RawValues 		String array. Raw result of evaluating Expression without any formatting or statistical collation Yes

Statistics 		String array. Statistics values Yes

Statistics_Names 		String array. Same size as Statistics property. Parameter names for statistics values Yes

Type 		Object type. Always set to 'Measurement' Yes

Value 		String Array. Similar to RawValues but with the Template applied Yes

Expression 		Expression to be evaluated. Typically this would refer to the data from the associated curve using the expression 'cv(%curve%)' but this is not compulsory. No

Label 		Label displayed in the Label column No

MultiDivMode 		Mode for the display of multi-division data. Multi-division data is generated by multi-step runs such as parameter sweeps and Monte Carlo runs. For such runs there are two ways to display the measurement data: multiple and statistical. In multiple mode, an individual measurement is displayed for each division in the data; divisions correspond to step in a multi-step run. In statistical mode, statistical information is calculated such as mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum.

The valid values for this property are
Curve The mode (multiple or statistical) is obtained from the curve data itself
Multiple multiple mode
Statistics statistical mode
AdvancedStatistics statistical mode - additional statistical values are included. Currently this includes Skewness and Kurtosis

This property controls the data that is actually displayed in the measurement window. 		No

Template 		Template applied to raw values to obtain the displayed values. This can be any text string including special values as shown below
%yn% Where n is any integer 1 or higher. y1 returns the y-value result of the expression. If the expression evaluates to an array, y2 returns the second element, y3 the third etc.
%xn% As %yn% but returns x values
%uy1% The units for the y-values
%ux1% The units for the x-values

No

SharedAxis

The SharedAxis object is used to connect x-axes. X-axes on the same graph are initially connected so that they share most of their properties, in particular their limits. So when one x-axis is zoomed, other connected x-axes change their zoom accordingly.

X-Axes always point to a SharedAxis object through their SharedId property. X-Axis that share the same SharedId will be connected.

Name Description Read Only?

ConnectedAxes 		String array. List of axes connected to this object Yes

Graph 		ID of parent graph object Yes

GUID 		GUID Yes

ID 		ID Yes

Type 		Type of this object. Always 'SharedAxis' Yes

SmallCursor

The SmallCursor is a cursor that follows the mouse cursor but tracks displayed curves providing an X and Y readout of the curve's data. There is only ever one SmallCursor object in each graph.

Name Description Read Only?

Curve 		ID of curve that the cursor is currently tracking Yes
Division Division index of curve that the cursor is currently tracking Yes
Graph ID of parent graph Yes
GUID GUID Yes
ID ID of this object Yes
Type Type of object. Always 'SmallCursor' Yes
X1 Current x-position Yes
Y1 Current y-position Yes
Hidden Boolean. If 'true' cursor will not be visible No

TextBox

A TextBox consists of a border with a definable background colour into which a FreeText object may be added. TextBox is also the basis of the LegendBox object.
Name Description Read Only?

Graph 		ID of parent graph Yes

GUID 		GUID Yes

ID 		ID of this object Yes

Type 		Type of object - always 'TextBox' Yes

Alignment 		See Alignment property of FreeText object (FreeText) No

Colour 		Background colour. Either the name of a colour object or a colour specification. No

Font 		Font used for text objects added to the box. In practice this only affects the LegendBox object which is based on TextBox. No

FontColour 		Colour used for text. Either the name of a colour object or a colour specification  

Grid 		ID of Grid where object is located. Position values X1 and Y1 are relative to this grid No

Hidden 		Boolean. If 'true' object will be hidden No

Label 		Text displayed in box No

X1 		X location of object in view units No
Y1 Y location of object in view units No

X2 		Physical width of box in mm Yes
Y2 Physical height of box in mm Yes

Graph Co-ordinate Systems

Three different units of measure are used to define the location and dimensions of an object on a graph sheet. These are 'View units', 'Physical units' and 'Data units'. These are explained as follows:

'Physical Units' relate to the physical size of the displayed object and have units of millimetres. Physical units are only used for dimensions of some annotation objects and are not used for location. When objects are displayed on a screen an assumption is made for the number of pixels per inch. This depends on the display driver but is typically in the range 75 - 100.

'Data Units' relate to the units of the X and Y axes. Typically an object such as curve marker is located using data units so that it always points to the same point on a curve regardless of how the graph is zoomed or scrolled.

'View Units' relate to the current viewable area of the graph. View units use a coordinate system whereby the bottom left of the grid area is co-ordinate (0,0) and the top right corner of the grid is co-ordinate (1,1). View units are used to define the location of objects that need to be at a fixed location on the graph irrespective of zoom magnification.

◄ Data Import and Export   Event Scripts ▶