# IBM Visualization Data Explorer User's Guide

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# Summary of Changes in Data Explorer Version 3.1.4

Partial Table-of-Contents

- User Interface
- New Startup Behavior
- New Save Image Dialog in Image Window
- New Data Prompter
- Pages
- Annotation
- Optimizing Caching
- Changes to Get and Set modules
- New Window Management Functionality
- Hardware Rendering
- DXLink
- Changed Modules
- New Modules
- Backward Incompatibilities
- HTML Documentation
- Fixes

  ## User Interface

  ### New Startup Behavior

  With this release, when you type `dx`, a different initial panel will appear, giving you access to various parts of Data Explorer, such as the Data Prompter, the Tutorial, the Visual Program Editor, etc.

  To bypass the Startup window and go directly to the Visual Program Editor (as in previous versions of Data Explorer) either type `dx -edit` at the prompt or set your `DXARGS` environment variable to `-edit`.

  ### New Save Image Dialog in Image Window

  The Save Image dialog has been improved to make it easier for users to save images at a specific size on the printed page.

  ### New Data Prompter

  The Data Prompter has a new initial window, which allows you to specify what kind of data you have (dx format, image format, ...). You can access the Data Browser from this window to view your data before attempting to import it. If you have "general array" format data, then choose the "Grid or Scattered file" button, which will lead to the interface which was called the Data Prompter in previous versions of Data Explorer.

  Once your data has been imported, there is an option to either describe or visualize your data. If you choose the "Test Import" option, then the data will be imported and characteristics about it (such as dimensionality, number of points, ...) will be reported to you. If you choose the "Visualize Data" option, then a general purpose visual program will be run on your data. You can then inspect and modify this visual program.

  ### Pages

  In the VPE, you can now segment your visual program into "pages", which are disconnected sets of modules. Modules in one page communicate with modules in other pages using transmitters and receivers. You can name pages and control the ordering of pages. See the Edit menu of the VPE.

  ### Annotation

  You can add comments directly onto the canvas of the VPE. This option is available from the Edit menu of the VPE.

  ### Optimizing Caching

  There is now an option in the Edit menu of the VPE called Output Cacheability -> Optimize Cache. If you choose this option, Data Explorer will use a heuristic to optimally set the caching behavior of each tool in the visual program.

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