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Plot Configuration

The Plot Settings modal allows you to customize the appearance and behavior of your plot. These settings are saved with Trace configuration files (.trc) and can be shared between users.

Access the Plot Settings by clicking the gear icon () in the top-right corner of the plot area.

Plot Settings Modal

The Plot Settings modal showing all available configuration options

Basic Settings

Plot Title

  • Purpose: Set a custom title for your plot
  • Default: No title
  • Usage: Enter text in the "Title" field
  • Note: The title is centered at the top of the plot

Legend

  • Purpose: Show/hide the plot legend
  • Default: Enabled
  • Usage: Check/uncheck "Show Legend"
  • Note: The legend displays trace labels and their colors

Mouse Mode

  • Purpose: Control how mouse interactions work
  • Options:
    • Rect (default): Click and drag to zoom to a rectangular area
    • Pan: Click and drag to pan the plot view
  • Usage: Select from the "Mouse Mode" dropdown

Time Range Settings

Start Time & End Time

  • Purpose: Set specific time boundaries for the plot
  • Default: Current plot range
  • Usage: Use the date/time pickers to set start and end times
  • Features:
  • Calendar popup for easy date selection
  • Format: yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss
  • Automatically disables autoscroll when changed

Autoscroll Interval

  • Purpose: Control how often the plot updates during autoscroll
  • Default: 5 seconds
  • Range: 1-60 seconds
  • Usage: Adjust the "Autoscroll Interval" spinbox

Appearance Settings

Background Color

  • Purpose: Set the plot background color
  • Default: White
  • Usage: Click the color button to open a color picker
  • Note: Changes are applied immediately

Curve Palette

  • Purpose: Set the color palette for new curves added to the plot
  • Default: Default Palette
  • Usage: Click the 'Select' button to open a window to view and select palettes
  • Note:
  • Selected palette will be used to set color of new curves
  • 'Apply to current' will reapply selected palette to existing curves

Axis Tick Font Size

  • Purpose: Control the size of axis tick labels
  • Default: 12 points
  • Usage: Adjust the "Axis Tick Font Size" spinbox
  • Note: Smaller fonts show more tick marks, larger fonts show fewer

Crosshair

  • Purpose: Display a crosshair cursor on the plot
  • Default: Disabled
  • Usage: Check/uncheck "Show Crosshair"
  • Note: Yellow crosshair follows mouse movement

Grid Settings

X-Axis Gridlines

  • Purpose: Show/hide horizontal gridlines
  • Default: Disabled
  • Usage: Check/uncheck "X Axis Gridline"

Y-Axis Gridlines

  • Purpose: Show/hide vertical gridlines for all Y-axes
  • Default: Disabled
  • Usage: Check/uncheck "All Y Axis Gridlines"

Gridline Opacity

  • Purpose: Control the transparency of gridlines
  • Default: ~50% (127/255)
  • Range: 0-255 (0 = transparent, 255 = opaque)
  • Usage: Use the opacity slider
  • Note: Affects both X and Y axis gridlines

Configuration Persistence

All plot settings are automatically saved when you: - Save a Trace configuration file (.trc) - Export your current setup

Settings are restored when you: - Load a Trace configuration file - Start Trace with a saved configuration

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Ctrl+T: Toggle between light and dark themes
  • Ctrl+I: Save plot as image
  • Ctrl+E: Post to E-Log

Tips

  1. Screenshots: Configure appearance settings before taking screenshots for presentations
  2. Sharing: Save your configuration to share plot styles with colleagues
  3. Performance: Higher autoscroll intervals reduce CPU usage but may feel less responsive
  4. Accessibility: Larger font sizes and higher gridline opacity improve readability