Chapter 3. Command Reference
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## Chapter 3. Command Reference

The active items in the menus depend on the active window in the project. If the active window is a spreadsheet, then all the items linked to table functions are enabled and the others are automatically disabled.

## The File Menu

These commands can also be done by clicking on the New Project icon from the File Toolbar

File-> New ->
  New Project (Ctrl-N)

    Creates a new QtiPlot project file. If a project is open and saved, it will be closed. If a project is open is not saved, a dialog will be open to ask if the current project has to be saved.

  New Table (Ctrl-T)

    Creates a new spreadsheet into the project. This empty table will have 30 rows and 2 columns. This number of rows and columns can be changed with the Rows command and Columns command of the Table menu.

    The properties of each column (format of numbers, width, etc) can be modified by the Column Options... command. See the table section for more details.

  New Matrix

    Creates a new Matrix into the project. The empty matrix will have 32x32 cells, these dimensions can be changed by the Set Dimensions... command

    See the matrix section for more details.

  New Note

    Creates a new note window in the project. A note is a simple text window which can be used to add comments to the current project.

  New Graph

    Creates a new empty 2D plot in the project. This default graph is just a framework in which you can add curves with the Add/Remove Curves... command.

  New Function Plot (Ctrl-F)

    Opens a dialog allowing to create a plot by specifying an analytical function. See the 2D plot section of the tutorial for a general overview of this function.

    This function can be defined in cartesian, parametric or polar coordinates, see the Add Function... command for more details.

  New Surface 3D Plot (Ctrl-Alt-Z)

    Opens a dialog allowing to create a 3D plot by specifying an analytical function. Only cartesian coordinates are availables. See the 3D plot section of the tutorial for more detail on this function.

File -> Open (Ctrl-O)

  Opens an existing QtiPlot project file (.qti). If your project has been save in a compressed format, you must select the .qti.gz file format.

  This command can also be used to open projects which have been bluit with the Origin software.

File-> Recent Projects...

  Opens a list of the most recently used QtiPlot project files. You can open one of these files by selecting it from the list. If the file doesn't exist anymore an error message will pop-out and the file will be automatically deleted from the list.

File-> Open Image File

  This command loads an image file in a QtiPlot project. This image can be resized and then inserted in another 2D plot. It is in this case similar to the Add Image command. This image can also be used to generate an intensity matrix (see the Import Image... command).

File-> Import Image...

  With this command, an image is loaded in the QtiPlot project and converted to an intensity matrix.

File-> Save Project (Ctrl-S)

  Saves the actual project. If the project hasn't been saved yet ("untitled" project), a dialog will open, allowing to save the project to a specific location.In a project file all settings and all plots are stored in ASCII format.

  If the project include large tables, it may be usefull to save the project in a compressed file format. The free zlib library is used to build files in gzip formats ( .qti.gz ).

File-> Save Project as...

  Saves the actual project under a file name different from the current one.

File -> Open Template

  Opens an existing template QtiPlot plot file (.qpt). This command will create a new empty plot with the same graphical parameters (window geometry, fonts, colors, etc).

  The first figure is the initial plot saved as a template, and the second one is the empty plot created by the Open Template.

  You just have to add curves with the Add/Remove Curves... command, but the style used to draw the curves is not kept in the template.

File -> Save as Template

  Save the active plot as a QtiPlot template file (.qpt). In this template, the graphical parameters of the plot, together with the text labels (axis, etc) are restored, but the style used to draw the curves and the scales are not saved.

File -> Export Graph

  The plot can be exported into several different image formats. You can define some parameters to customize your image file by checking the show options check box. Depending on the chosen image format, the available options are not the same.

  For bmp, pbm, jpeg, xbm, pgm, ppm image formats, the only option is the quality of the image, this parameter between 0 and 100% defines the compression ratio. The higher it is, the best the quality is but the larger the file is.

  For png and xpm, you can choose to use a transparent background.

  For eps file format, the option dialog is different. The parameters availables are: the size of the paper which is used to draw the plot, and the orientation of the paper sheet. The plot aspect ratio will be adapted to the sheet size and orientation.

  In addition, you can define the resolution. The default value is 84. If you increase this parameter, the quality of the graphic elements will be better (but the overall size of the plot will be unchanged).

  Export Graph -> Current (Ctrl-G)

    Here you have the possibility to save the active plot under different image formats.

  Export Graph -> All (Alt-X)

    Here you have the possibility to save all plots of the project under different image formats.

File-> Print (Ctrl-P)

  Prints the active plot. A print dialog is opened where you can select the printer, different paper sizes, etc.

File-> Print All Plots

  Prints all plots of the projects. A print dialog is opened where you can select the printer, different paper sizes, etc.

File -> Export ASCII

  Opens the Export ASCII dialog allowing to save the data from the active spreadsheet to an ASCII file.

File -> Import ASCII ->

  The options for the importation of ASCII datas are set by the Import dialog which is activated by the Set Import Options... command.

  Import ASCII -> Single File...

    Imports a single ASCII file into the project by creating a new spreadsheet storing the data from the file.

  Import ASCII -> Multiple Files...

    Imports several ASCII files into the project by creating a new spreadsheet for each file. The new spreadsheets are automatically arranged in a cascade style.

    You can choose to put each data file in a separate table, or join all the data files in one table. Remind that if you choose this last solution, only one column can be selected as X values.

  Set Import Options...

    Opens the Import dialog allowing to change import options like: the column separator or the number of first lines to be ignored.

File -> Quit (Ctrl-Q)

  Closes the application. You will be asked wether you want to save your last changes or not.

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