Release Notes -------------- Release date - 09 Sept 2011 Release Identification: ----------------------- This release contains executables for VOPlot v1.7 Release Availability: --------------------- The release is available for download on http://voi.iucaa.ernet.in/~voi/ Enhancements v1.7 ----------------- 1. ASCII parser: Better handling of "faulty data". Shows the offending rows/column entry to the user and allows the user to skip rows that are faulty and load the rest of the rows. 2. Projection plot: Multiple enhancements including: a) Projection plot can now be launched from the main launcher independent of a scatter plot. b) The user can specify the step length along Longitude and Latitude axes. c) It is now possible to enter the co-ordinates directly in Long-Lat if available. d) It is now possible to change the main title of the plot. e) It is now possible to change the colors, sizes etc of points from inside plot properties --> advanced tab. f) In case of overlays, it is now possible to insert text showing the meaning of different overlays/symbols. 3. Automatic plotting of first one/two/three columns (as relevant) upon launching a new plot window. 4. Cone search: The user has the option of using either AND/OR logic while performing multi-word searching for the catalog to be used for cone search. Results in more relevant search results. 5. Density plot now has an option for showing the co-ordinate grid. 6. 2D histogram now supports the classic "outline" histogram format. It is called "outline" and is now the default histogram type used. In this format there is no gap in the bars plotted between the adjacent bins avoiding any confusion. 7. A fully updated user guide is being released bundled with v1.7. Enhancements circa v1.6 Beta: ---------------------------- 1. Major UI revamp The VOPlot UI has undergone a major revamp making it uncluttered, simpler to use and allowing greater flexibility to the end user. Upon starting the VOPlot jar, the user is now presented with the VOPlot "launcher". This is simply a set of buttons and menus and allows the user to load his files. The user can view a list of loaded files and their associated metadata simply by clicking on the filename on the launcher. The individual plots whether 2D, 3D or histogram etc. now "pop out" of this launcher. The user can choose to start as many plots simultaneously as he/she wishes. When the user launches a 2D scatter plot (for example) all the columns of all the open files get exported to the X and Y column drop down menu on the 2D scatter plot pop up. The column names for each file are color coded for ease of identification. In addition to this, all the plots are dynamically linked to each other as well as to the launcher. Here are some subtle effects of this dynamic linking. (a) If the user loads a new file (from the launcer), the columns of the newly loaded file get automatically exported to and listed in all the X,Y,Z drop down menus of all the plot windows that are already open (no need to refresh). (b) Similar thing happens when the user closes a file from the launcher. (c) If the user selects some points on one plot, they automatically get selected on all other plots that are already open. (d) If the user creates a "filter" or a "new column" at the launcher, it similarly gets exported to all the open plot automatically. This new VOPlot UI provides a much richer plotting environment to the end user and is considerably more intuitive and easy to use. 2. Ability to plot from columns across multiple votables VOPlot has always supported loading multiple VOtables simultaneously. However, earlier it did *not* allow plotting columns from one VOtable against columns from another VOtable. The user was always restricted to plotting columns from one VOtable against each other. This restriction has now been removed. This is a higly desireable capablity and is required frequently in practice, such as when comparing two automated test runs of some experiment (such as galfit etc.) with different input paramneters resulting in two separate files which need to be compared column by column. The responsibility of ensuring one-to-one correspondence between the rows of the two tables rest with the user. In case the number of rows in the two files are unequal, VOPlot will simply give an error message to that effect. 3. Better control over annotations and labeling VOPlot now supports much better user control over annotations and labeling. While plotting multiple subsets of the data in the same plot (overlays), an automatic legend used to come up outside the main plot for describing different subset points. This legend text is now editable by the user so that he/she can put relevant text there by going to plot properties --> advanced --> legend name. Also the default position of the legend is now *inside* the plotting area (not outside it as done earlier). This saves a lot of wasted space and preserves the aspect ratio of the plot. Furthermore, the user is now able to change the position where this legend appears within the plotting area by modifying plot properties --> advanced --> legend location. 4. Ability to customize axis step lengths etc. VOPlot now supports SM style control over axis major step size (tick size). VOPlot now allows the user to set any step size for marking the major tics on X,Y,Z axis. This feature is controlled from plot properties --> simple --> Xstep/Ystep In combination with the Xrange/Yrange feature, this allows the user full control over how the major ticks and grid looks. In addition to this, VOPlot now has a radio button for use X/Y exponent inside plot properties --> simple. This allows the user to display the numbers on X/Y axis in exponential notation. 5. Recent files history VOPlot now remembers the recently loaded files history. This list can be seen (and a file from the list can be reloaded) at File --> recent files Bug Fixes --------- Some key bugs fixed include: 1. Cone search from selected point was not working if the file did not have UCD info. This has now been fixed. 2. ASCII parser: INT datatype was being detected as byte. This has now been fixed. 3. Clicking the "show table" button from the launcher now shows the selected table not the first table. 4. SAMP related bug has been fixed. 5. Right click menu now works properly (It was disabled in v1.6Beta). 6. 2D Histogram: The up-down button for changing the bin width now increments/decrements the bin width by the last significant digit displayed. Earlier it was applying a flat +/-0.1. 7. 3D histogram had a dop down menu for X, Y as well as Z axes. This was extrneous as only 2 axes are requred for plotting a 3D histogram. This has now been fixed. 8. In surface plot, the rearrangement of column drop down boxes as X, Z and Y was confusing as Z is the dependent variable Z(X,Y). This has now been fixed and the columns are listed as X,Y,Z. 9. ASCII parser: While loading a CSV/ASCII file the language that is used while prompting the user for information has been modified for greater clarity. 10. When the last VOTable is closed, it's metadata was still visible on the launcher. This has now been fixed. 11. Icons are now larger in size. Also some icons have been replaced for clarity. System Requirements: -------------------- Java Runtime Environment (1.6 or above) Product Support Information/Feedback address: --------------------------------------------- For feedback contact voindia@vo.iucaa.ernet.in.