Copyright: (c) 2000 Campbell Scientific, Inc.


View

Using View, you can:

Open a Data File (DAT, PRN, CSV)

Open Another Type of CSI File (DLD, CSI, PTI, FSL, LOG)

Change Fonts

Select Arrays of a Data File

Choose the File's Format

Graph an Array of a Data File

Print a File or Graph

Manually Assign Time and Date Stamps and Data Labels

View's options are accessed by using the pull-down menu or selecting icons.  If you move and hold the mouse over an icon for a few seconds, a brief description of that icon's function will pop up.

View has two different windows in which to look at your data: the Data Panel (text view) and the Chart Panel (graphical display of data). These windows can be resized by clicking and dragging the windows' edges.


Assigning Data Files to View

Windows will let you assign the program with which a particular file type will be opened based on that file's extension.  When a file with an assigned extension is double clicked, it will be opened with the associated program.  You may want to associate *.DAT files with the View program for quick opening of data files.

In Windows 95/NT, this association can be made by selecting View | Options | File Types from the Explorer menu.  In Windows 3.1, this association can be made by File | Associate from the File Manager menu.

Note:   Only one association can be made for each file type.  If the *.DAT file is assigned to another program, you must remove this association before the new association can be made.


File | Open

Opens the data file that's to be viewed.  Any data file type can be viewed: comma separated, printable ASCII, or binary.

A *.FSL file (final storage label file) can be assigned to the data file.  View uses information from the *.FSL file to provide label names for the Data Panel column headings and Chart Panel traces.  For more information, click on FSL files.

Note:  Depending upon your computer's hardware specifications and operating system, you may experience low memory errors when trying to open large data files with View.  It may be necessary to close other applications while running PC208W/PC200W and View or to run View independently of PC208W/PC200W.

View can be run as a stand-alone program by double-clicking the View.exe file.  This will allow you to open larger data files without memory errors.

Files with a particular extension can be configured in Windows to be opened by View automatically when double-clicked.  Refer to Assigning Data Files to View for more information.


Final Storage Label (FSL) Files

View uses information from the *.FSL file to provide label names for the Data Panel column headings and Chart Panel traces.  After choosing a data file from File | Open, View will handle the FSL association in one of the following ways:

Possibility 1

If an FSL file exists that has the same name as the data file, View automatically uses that FSL file.

Possibility 2

If no FSL file exists with the same name, a box appears that says:  "You did not specify a final storage label file.  Selecting an FSL file allows column headers and time stamps to be displayed."  The pop-up box also provides the following:

I want to select an FSL file.

I do not want an FSL file for this data file.

If you enable the first option, another file dialog box appears so you can select the FSL file.  If you choose the second option, View will open the file.

Possibility 3

If you have opened a file before, View keeps track of what option you chose for the FSL the first time it was opened, and opens it with that FSL option.  It keeps this information for the last 30 files.


File | Quick Open

Use this menu option to open a CSI file that's not a data file (e.g., *.DLD, *.CSI, *.PTI, *.FSL, *.LOG) or to open a data file without time-stamp processing.  Files opened with Quick Open cannot be graphed or displayed in the tabular format.


File | Recent Files

Lists the last nine files that have been opened.


File | Print Preview

Displays how the data file will appear when it's printed.


File | Print

Brings up a standard print dialog box.


File | Exit

Closes View.


Edit | Copy to Clipboard

Copies selected text to the clipboard.  This option is only available for files opened in the Quick Open mode.


Edit | Select All

Selects all of the text of the file.  This option is only available for files opened in the Quick Open mode.


View | Graph

Displays up to two traces on the Chart Panel.  Before selecting this menu item, you should pick an array from the Array Selection List then select up to two elements.  To select the second element, after the first element has been selected, hold the control key when you click on the second element.

You can graph two traces on the same Y-axis or graph one trace on the left axis and the other on the right.  The traces will be graphed on the same axis if View | Separate Axis is not checked (the default).

Note:  Graph options are unavailable for files opened in Quick Open mode.


View | Separate Axis

When checked, one trace is graphed on the left axis and the other on the right.

Note:  Graph options are unavailable for files opened in Quick Open mode.


View | Normal

Displays the text in ASCII format.


View | Expand Tabs

Displays the text in an adjustable-tabular format.

Note:  This option is unavailable for files opened in Quick Open mode.


View | Hex

Displays the text as hexadecimal characters.


View | Font

Allows you to change the font used for the printer and Data Panel display.

The following characteristics can be set:

Font Type (Courier, Courier New, Fixedsys, MS LineDraw, Terminal)

Font Style (regular, italic, bold, bold italic)

Size

Effects (strikeout, underline)

Color


Help | About

Lists the version of View you are using, as well as copyright information.  When contacting Campbell Scientific for support on View, the version number should be noted.


Open a Data File

To open a data file, press the [image] icon or select File | Open from the pull-down menu.  Any data file type can be viewed: comma separated, printable ASCII, or binary.

A *.FSL file (final storage label file) can be assigned to the data file.  View uses information from the *.FSL file to provide label names for the Data Panel column headings and Chart Panel traces.  For more information, click on FSL files.

Note:   Depending upon your computer's hardware specifications and operating system, you may experience low memory errors when trying to open large data files with View.  It may be necessary to close other applications while running PC208W/PC200W and View or to run View independently of PC208W/PC200W.

View can be run as a stand-alone program by double-clicking the View.exe file.  This should allow you to open larger data files without memory errors.

Files with a particular extension can be configured in Windows to be opened by View automatically when double-clicked.  Refer to Assigning Data Files to View for more information.


Open a File Other Than a Data File

To open a CSI file that is not a data file (e.g., *.DLD, *.CSI, *.PTI, *.FSL, *.LOG) or to open a data file without time-stamp processing, press the [image] icon or select File | Quick Open from the pull-down menu.  These files cannot be graphed or displayed in the tabular format.


Font

Press the [image] icon on the toolbar or select View | Font from the menu to change the font used for the printer and Data Panel display.

The following characteristics can be set:

Font Type (Courier, Courier New, Fixedsys, MS LineDraw, Terminal)

Font Style (regular, italic, bold, bold italic)

Size

Effects (strikeout, underline)

Color


Array Selection

When a data file is first opened, all arrays in that file will be displayed in the Data Panel.  You can display, graph, or print a single array by picking the array from the Array Selection list.

As the following Array Selection list shows, there are two symbols that could precede the arrays displayed in the list:

The checkmark indicates the array is in the FSL file and is found in the data file you are viewing.  The X indicates the array is in the FSL file but is not found in the data file you are viewing.  If no symbol precedes the array, the array is in the data file but is not listed in the FSL file.

For more information about FSL files, click on FSL files.


File's Format

By default, the Data Panel information is displayed in ASCII format.  Press the [image] icon on the toolbar to display the text as hexadecimal characters.  This icon is a toggle button, so if you press it again the display will return to ASCII characters.  You can also display the text as hexadecimal characters by selecting View | Hex from the pull-down menu.

A data file's text that is displayed on the Data Panel can be changed to an adjustable-tabular format by pressing the [image] icon or selecting View | Expand Tabs.  The tab icon is a toggle button.  The column widths of the adjustable-tabular display can be changed by typing a number directly into the combo box, [image], or selecting the up or down arrow to change the value.  The range for the tab width is 8 to 20 character spaces.

Note:  The tabular format is unavailable for files opened in Quick Open mode.


Graphing an Array

Regardless of whether you're using the icons or the menu, you should:

(1)	Pick an array from the Array Selection List, [image].

(2)	Select up to two elements.  To select the second element, after the first element has been selected, hold the control key when you click on the second one.

Using the Icons

To graph the traces on the same axis, press the [image] icon on the toolbar.  Press the [image] icon to graph the traces on separate axes.  The next two icons force either the Chart Panel (graph view), [image], or the Data Panel (text view), [image], to be on top.  If neither of these icons is selected, the window that was last selected is the one that's on top.  The two icons are toggle buttons.

Using the Menu

Select View | Graph.  You can choose whether to graph the traces on separate axes or on a single axis by selecting View | Separate Axis.

Notes:

Graph options are unavailable for files opened in Quick Open mode.

For information about data labels, zoom feature, printing options, and scrolling through the graph, see Chart Panel.


Chart Panel

Icons

The Chart Panel (graphical display) includes six icons:

Graphs two traces on the same Y-axis

Graphs one trace on the left axis and the other on the right

Returns a zoomed graph to normal view

Prints the graph

Forces the Chart Panel to be on top (this is a toggle button)

Forces the Data Panel to be on top (this is a toggle button)

Data Labels

Click on a point to invoke a data label for that point.

Zoom Feature

You can zoom in on a particular area of a graph by holding the left mouse button and dragging the mouse cursor from left to right over the area to be zoomed.  To return to normal view, click the [image] icon or hold the mouse button and drag the cursor from right to left.

Printing Options

Right click on the graph to bring up a menu from which you can preview the graph before printing.

Scrolling Through the Graph

You can scroll through the graph by using the scroll bar.


Printing Options

Printing Text

If you do not want to change any of the print options, press the [image] icon on the toolbar.

To change print options, select File | Print from the pull-down menu.  Print options that can be changed include margin sizes, paper orientation, and printer setups.

Select File | Print Preview  to see how the data file will appear when it's printed.  You can zoom in on a particular area of the previewed page by left clicking on the page.  To return to normal view, right click on the page, or choose the Page Width or the Full Page icon.

Printing Graphs

With the Chart Panel window opened, select the [image] icon.  You can also right click on the graph to bring up a menu from which you can preview the graph before printing.


Manually Assigning Time and Date Stamps and Data Labels

You can assign the correct time and date stamps and data labels to a data file by selecting the [image] icon on the toolbar.  When you first click on this icon, a single column appears.  The size of this window can be changed by clicking and dragging any of the window's edges.

One of the top lines of this window may read "No array selected".  Click on a text element in your data file for the array you want to assign values.  View will automatically assign elements from the array to the year, date, and time values if your file's date and time values are at the beginning of the array and are in descending order (i.e., day is before time... ) and they are not separated by any non-date or non-time elements.  The assigned date and time values will most likely be correct for files of more than a few hundred lines.

If these elements are incorrect, you can click anywhere in the Year, Day, Time, or Seconds box, and the window will expand to two columns.  In this second column, you can choose to assign no elements, an element from the data file, or a fixed value to any of the date and time values.

In this window, you can assign a *.FSL file (final storage label file) to the data file if an *.FSL file was not assigned when the data file was first opened.  A field exists in the left column to make this assignment.  View will then use information from the *.FSL file to provide label names for the Data Panel column headings and Chart Panel traces.  For more information, click on FSL files.

Note:  This option is unavailable for files opened in Quick Open mode.