Dataset Properties

Still up and awake? O.k., then let's deal with the last dialog we have not touched yet. As you remember, we have already encountered the "Datasets" dialog in tutorial 1. So we skip it here and turn directly to the dataset "Properties" dialog. Here, you can set all the properties concerning the lines and symbols which represent a certain data trace.

Let us begin with the "Line" frame. The "Connect" dropdown list lets you choose the way in which your data are connected. As we have chosen the "line + symbol" representation of our data (see tutorial 1, Figure 3-4), the default connection is "Straight". Because our dataset consists of only a few data, this doesn't look very elegant. So we choose "Spline" as the connection method instead.

The line type (see "Type" dropdown list: solid, dot, dash-dot etc.) is not changed. The linewidth, 1.0 by default, is set to 1.5. As the line color, we choose the red color from the "Color" dropdown list.

In the "Symbol" frame, we choose a circle "o" as our favorite symbol from the "Shape" dropdown list. The style is set to "Filled" ("Style" dropdown list).Via the "Size" spinbutton, we choose a value of 10 for the symbol size. Last, the fill color as well as the border color for the symbol are set to red ("Color" and "Border" dropdown list). To make the effects visible, we click the "Apply" button.

Done! To round off the result of our formatting efforts, we add a header to the graph of "MyFirstPlot". To do so, click the button in the toolbar. Then after having moved the mouse pointer slightly above the upper left corner of the graph, click on the graph page. A dialog opens asking "Enter text here" (Figure 3-20).

Let us type in "My First SciGraphica Plot" and set the font size to 22 point. Maybe you want to choose some text color other than black? After having input the text, click the "OK" button. As you see, the text is placed just where you clicked the plot page. The position is not the way you like it? Just drag it - oops! Before trying to drag the text to the intended position, be sure that you first click the button. The buttons in the toolbar act like radio buttons and remain active as long as you do not select something else. Oh - you have already tried to drag with the button active and now have this ugly "Enter text here" label on your plot? Just click the button, then click the label so that it is highlighted, then hit the "delete" key on your keyboard.

Maybe the result of all the formatting is not the way you like it. But now that you are a SciGraphica formatting expert, you are invited to go through all that stuff once more and do it your way...

Hopefully we will meet again at tutorial No. 3 which will show you how to import ASCII data and how to set up multilayer graphs.