Plotting

# Contents

- Overview
- User Interface
- Event Tables
- Tips/FAQ
- Bugs

# Overview

The QSAS Time Editor is designed to allow the use to specify time intervals for data selection, analysis, and plotting. Time intervals are held in a separate segment of the QSAS Working List on the Main Window. Additionally, all drop sites expecting a time interval will accept a time series object.

The Time Editor allows the user to manipulate time, including easily setting individual time fields, durations, and advancing time in steps. Mastery of the Time Editor, and of the use of Time Intervals on the Working List leads to efficient control over plugin fields, plot ranges, and the like.

# User Interface

Pushing an Edit button associated with a time interval, double clicking a Time Interval on the Working List, or creating a new time interval from the Edit->New Object menu on the Working List will bring up the generic QSAS Object Editor with an embedded Time Editor, as shown:

- QSAS uses ISO Time Strings (e.g., "1984-10-28 08:54:37.500"). They can be edited either by typing in new values for the fields, either using the Up and Down Arrow keys.
- Durations are specified as any combination of "d h m s" (day, hour, minute, seconds) fields, e.g., "2d 4h 23m 1.25s" or "4.5h" (or even "4.5h 10m")
- At any time, only the two last selected fields are active (start and end by default). To select a new field, just get click it or get the cursor on it using your tab key. For example, if you wish to select a 2 days time interval centred on "2001-02-03", click the "Centre" editor, type in this date, then click the "Duration" editor and type in "2d". The "Start" and "End" fields will be filled in automatically if your entries are valid.
- Dragging and dropping a time interval or a time sequence object on the editor auto-fills the editor with the values of the dropped object (boundaries defined by the first and last items, for time sequences). Dropping one of these objects on a time slot (start, centre or end), allows to change the value (using the start, end or centre time of the dropped object, using a pop-up menu).
- The Name of the time interval can be specified/changed at the top of the GUI. Then Save Edits will Rename the object, while Save as... will leave the original on the working list and create a new one with the specified name.
- Dismiss exits the Time Interval editor without making any changes performed after the last Save.
- Usually, Time Intervals do not require Attributes, but the Object Editor includes the standard Attribute Browser/editor should the user wish to add, say, a comment field.

# Event Tables

Event tables are series of time intervals. These objects are stored in the same section of the Working List as Time Intervals. To edit an event table, double-click its name on the Working List or choose the Edit Object options from the Edit menu when an event table is selected.

The Time Interval editor UI and Event Table editor UI only differ by a slider, that allows to select the time intervals of the event table to edit.

# Tips/FAQ

- Selecting "Duration" and then editing "Start", "Centre" or "End" allows to translate a time interval.
- Selecting "Centre" and then editing "Start", "End" or "Duration" allows to shrink or grow a time interval.

# Bugs

None known

Last up-dated: November 2008