4.2 The middle left widget part: The Control Panel

4.2.1 Time slider and label

The top and bottom time slider are set to the selected time range for the plot. The associated text windows show the selected times and are also editable, for exact zoom selection. The user may select a sub-time range by either adjusting the sliders with the mouse, or by entering a start and stop zoom time manually. Checking is provided to make sure that the zoom start time is always less than the zoom stop time.

The new times will be shown in the associated text windows.

Note that this group of widgets is inactive so long as you have not drawn a plot. You need to define an overall time range first with the next group of widgets, and draw the plot before you can zoom into it.

4.2.2 Time skip

The ``Previous'' and ``Next'' buttons allow the user to step through the same time interval easily. Delta time is always set to the difference between the current start and end times. This is not an entry field.

4.2.3 Manual time entry

There are three different ways of selecting a time range: By start and end time, by orbit and by date. The first entry type is the most general, and the last two reflect the way data is normally stored in files (one file per day or per orbit). The three entry methods are toggled by push buttons, and each entry method has it's own widget which appears to the left of the buttons.

Entry by time

When entry by time is chosen the left side of this widget group changes to two text entry fields for start and end time. This can then be entered in a variety of format combinations of day, year, month, day of year and time. The supported formats are accessible via the help button; a wrong entry will bring up a message window with the permitted formats.

Entry by orbit

When entry by orbit is chosen the left side of this widget group changes to an text entry field, a satellite button and a List Orbit button.

The user can enter an orbit number in the show orbit text window, press return and the start and end times for that orbit are automatically read and shown in the above slider and text output widgets. The List Orbit button calls up a separate window which reads the file containing all the orbit information, which shows all orbits and their corresponding times and allows the user to click on a desired orbit. One of the options in this widget is to re-read the orbits info file. This causes all the files containing the ephemeris information for that satellite to be reread, and a new orbit info file is written. In this way the system can expand if more orbits become available.

This functionality is only supplied for CRRES and POLAR at the present time, but will be extended to other satellites. PaPCo is NOT distributed with the orbitinfo files needed for this functionality, as they are considered to be part of the CRRES and POLAR modules. So this functionality will not be available if those modules are not loaded.

Note that here we use the orbit only to set a start and end time: you can then use these times with ANY modules that you've added. Obviously this makes most sense with the corresponding modules only! PaPCo does no checking here. For CRRES the orbit times given are perigee to perigee, for POLAR apogee to apogee.

The way this functionality has been added to PaPCo has been generalized such that it is relatively easy to include ``new'' missions. This still requires changes to PaPCo core, and is thus considered advanced PaPCo. A guide to doing this is given in Section 6.8.

Entry by day

When entry by day is chosen the left side of this widget group changes to a text entry field for the day. The user enters only the date information and the full time range for that day gets selected.

The batch button

PaPCo includes the capability of processing plots by batches: This means that for the currently defined plot product (user defined combination of panels) a series of output plots at different times can be produced.

The batch output option is accessible via the PRINT button (see below) and will normally read a file with a list of times for which plots are to be produced.

Using the batch button here allows the user to automatically make such a file. Pressing this button adds the current time range to a default file called interactive.papco_batch in the papco_users_XX\papco_products\batch directory. If the file does not exist, it is created; if it does, it is appended.

The idea here is that the user can put together a set of plots of a given product which all belong to a certain group, e.g. all those data times that have boundary crossings, or substorms, etc., interactively. This group of plots can then be processed as a batch to produce hardcopy. For co-workers in the same field that both have PaPCo and want to work on the same topic all that needs to be exchanged is the data product and the associated batch file.

4.2.4 Graphics output format choice

The next group of buttons selects the output format between landscape or portrait. This affects the printed output for the next print operation and the appearance of the PaPCo Draw Window for the next Draw Window created.

Currently PaPCo produces printed output in A4 and letter format only. Choosing US or Europe in the defaults widget (3.1) sets the output format.

4.2.5 Mouse Action

The Mouse Action button accesses a sub-menu of all current mouse types built into PaPCo. The information label next to it shows the current mode.

Added to this list are any User Slices that you have configured PaPCo with. User Slices are described in more detail in Section 6.9.

If a module supports the selected mouse action clicking in the corresponding plot panel will perform that action, if not, nothing will happen. Check the module's panel editor help, it should tell you which slices it supports.

4.2.6 Print Action

The Print Action button accesses a sub-menu of the various printer actions that will then be performed when the ``Print'' button in bottom widget part is pressed. The submenu has several choices:

$\rightarrow$ standard printer

Sends output to the standard default printer

$\rightarrow$ standard file

Sends output to the standard default file

$\rightarrow$ select printer / file

Brings up the printer widget (see Figure 4.2) to select a specific printer / filename / output format for the next print job.

select standard output

Brings up the printer widget (see Figure 4.2) in a different mode which allows you to select the default printer, default output format, default file name template. These defaults are ``remembered'' and stored when you exit PaPCo.] This widget comes up immediately upon selection - you don't need to press ``PRINT'' first.

batch $\rightarrow$ screen preview

Calls up the batch file select widget and then processes through the batch file with output going to the draw window.

batch $\rightarrow$ data output

Calls up the batch file select widget and then processes through the batch file with output going to screen but also to file for those panels that support the output functionality.

batch $\rightarrow$ default file

Calls up the batch file select widget and then processes through the batch file with output going to the currently selected default output file template.

  

Figure 4.2: PaPCo Printer Widget

   
4.2.6.1 The printer widget

The printer widget (see Figure 4.2) is a multi-purpose widget which allows you to either select a print output destination or to set print/output defaults.

When you choose the option $\rightarrow$ select printer / file this widget is in the ``direct graphics output mode''. If you have configured printers using the papco_printer_config.dat file (see Section 3.2) then a list of your printers should appear. This list becomes active when you choose ``Output to printer''.

When you choose ``Output to File'' the remained of the widget becomes active. here you can choose between postscript or gif output (the files will have extension .ps or .gif), whether to use the file template or be asked for a filename. You can set the output directory for the graphics output files and choose a filename template

The file names are configurable and include ``place holders'' which are substituted with the current time range or orbit number, whichever way the user selects. In this way one can guarantee unique output file names:

``$''

stands for the product name (the name of the product save file)

``%''

stands for orbit number

``<''

stands for the start time

``>''

stands for the start time

Any other alphanumeric characters can be used in combination. VMS users: Avoid using ``.'' in filenames!

When this widget is called with the option select standard output it start up in the ``set defaults mode''. All the options described above apply, but whatever you choose becomes the default for printing to file/printer. It is these defaults that will get used when you use the $\rightarrow$ standard file and $\rightarrow$ standard printer options.

The currently set default printer and default filenames are displayed in the label widgets just above the Action Buttons.