The Graph Menu

Graph -> Add/Remove Curves... (Alt-C)

Opens the Add/Remove Curves... dialog, allowing easy addition or removal of curves from the active plot layer. This dialog can also be used to modify a curve which is already plotted by changing the columns which are used as X or Y values. The curve is added to the currently active layer. If there is no layer on the graph, an error message will pop-up.

Graph -> Add Error Bars... (Ctrl-B)

Opens the Add Error Bars... dialog. You can add error bars to X and/or Y values on an existing plot. Error bars are added to the currently active layer.

Graph -> Add Function... (Ctrl-Alt-F)

Opens the Add Function... dialog. This command is used to add new function curves to an existing layer. New curves are added to the currently active layer.

Graph -> Add Function 2D... (Ctrl-Alt-2)

Opens the Function 2D dialog. This command is used to add new two variable functions to an existing layer as image/contour plots.

Graph -> Rescale To Show All (Ctrl-Shift-R)

Rescales the active plot layer after a zoom operation so that all data on the graph is visible. This command does not set any special mode of its own, but unlike the Zoom out command, it does not alter any other mode that may be in effect. Nevertheless, it does delete the zoom history of the rescaled plot.

Graph -> Exchange X-Y Axes

This command is used to swap the X and Y axes of the active plot layer. It remains checked until the axes are exchanged back to their initial state by a second call of this command.

Graph -> New Legend (Ctrl-L)

Adds a new legend object to the active layer. You can have more than one legend on a plot. These legends can later be customized by double clicking on a given legend.

Graph -> New Table...

Adds a new table object to the active layer. These tables are only provided for data presentation purposes, they cannot be used as data source for plot curves like the table windows. A properties dialog also pops-up allowing to customize all aspects of the table. The table can be selected with a right mouse click on its border and moved or resized freely afterwards. A double-click on a table cell enables in-place editing of its text. Plot tables also support copy/paste of text to/from clipboard.

Graph -> Add Color Scale

Adds a new color scale legend object to the active layer. You can have more than one color scale on a plot. These color scale legends can later be customized by double clicking on a given legend, which opens the Color Scale Dialog.

Graph -> Add Equation... (Alt-Q)

This command is used to add a Tex formatted equation on a layer. When selected, the cursor changes to an edit text cursor. You must then click in the plot area to specify the position of the new Tex equation. A Tex editor will pop-up allowing you to enter the equation to be displayed and set its properties (color, frame, etc...)

Graph -> Add Text (Alt-T)

This command is used to add text items on a layer. When selected, the cursor changes to an edit text cursor. You must then click in the plot area to specify the position of the new text box. A text dialog will pop-up allowing you to type the text to be displayed and set all its properties (color, font, etc...)

Graph -> Draw Arrow (Ctrl-Alt-A)

Changes the active layer's operational mode to drawing mode. You must click on the layer canvas in order to specify the starting point for the new arrow, and then click once more to specify its ending point. You can edit the new arrow using the Arrow dialog. Switch back to the normal operating mode by clicking the "Pointer" icon in the Plot toolbar.

Graph -> Draw Line (Ctrl-Alt-L)

Changes the active layer's operational mode to drawing mode. You must click on the layer canvas in order to specify the starting point for the new line, and then click once more to specify its ending point. You can edit the new line using the line dialog. Switch back to normal operating mode by clicking the "Pointer" icon in the Plot toolbar.

Graph -> Add Rectangle (Ctrl-Alt-R)

Draws a rectangular box on the active plot layer. After selecting this command, the pointer changes to a crosshair target. Click and hold the left mouse button on the active layer to indicate the first corner of the rectangle, then drag the cursor to the opposite corner of the rectangle. Once the second point is specified, release the left mouse button to draw the rectangle. The pointer automatically changes back to normal mode.

Graph -> Add Ellipse (Ctrl-Alt-E)

Draws a elliptical shape on the active plot layer. After selecting this command, the pointer changes to a crosshair target. Click and hold the left mouse button on the active layer to indicate the first corner of the ellipse's bounding rectangle, then drag the cursor to the opposite corner of the bounding rectangle. Once the second point is specified, release the left mouse button to draw the ellipse. The pointer automatically changes back to normal mode. Circles may be drawn using this command by setting the height and width equal. (The object properties dialog can be used to set height and width to exactly the same value.)

Graph -> Add Time Stamp (Ctrl-Alt-T)

This command is used to add a special label in the active layer which contains the current date and time. The properties of this label can be customized like any other label added by the Add Text.

The date and time copied into a timestamp label is not modified later if the plot is modified, saved, etc.

Graph -> Add Image (Alt-I)

Opens a file dialog allowing you to select an image to be added to the active plot layer. Only a link to the image file will be saved into the project file and not the image itself. The new image is added to the left-top corner of the layer and can be moved with the mouse using drag-and-drop.

Graph -> View Pixel Line Profile...

This command can be used to retrieve the pixel intensities from an image in the active 2D plot layer. It opens an integer value dialog allowing to select the number of pixels to be averaged when calculating the pixel intensity. The selection of the pixel range from the image is done manually by drawing a line whose end points must be situated inside the image. When the right end point of the line is selected and the left button of the mouse is released, QtiPlot creates a new plot window displaying the intensity profile curve.

Graph -> Add Central Axis

The commands in this menu can be used in order to add central axes, horizontal or vertical, to the active plot layer. The initial position of an axis is in the center of the plot canvas, but it can be moved either by drag-and-drop with the mouse or using the arrow keys. The axes can be fully customized via their Properties dialog which can be opened with a double-click on the axis area. Central axes can be removed or hidden via their context menu. A right-click on the axis opens the context menu.

Graph -> Add Reference Line...

This command can be used in order to add horizontal or vertical straight lines to the active plot layer. It opens a dialog which allows to customize the properties of the reference line.

Z-Order Commands...

The zorder commands act upon the last few items. Even though they do not appear in the graph menu, they are in the plot toolbar and in the object drop down lists when right clicking a selected object.

Graph -> Add Layer (Alt-L)

Adds a new layer to a graph window. The command opens a dialog which allows you to select whether the new layer is to be added to the left-top corner of the plot window or to a best-guess position (based on a layer positioning algorithm in columns and rows).

Graph -> Add Empty Inset Layer

This is a convenience command that creates a new, small sized, empty layer located on top of the currently selected layer. Once this layer is created, you can further resize, move, set it's properties and add curves to it as needed. Inset layers are not linked to another layer in any way. They just happen to be located in the same place on the graph window. In fact the inset layer can be moved anywhere on the graph window and is treated like a normal layer in every way. When the inset layer is completely contained inside another layer, it will disappear under that layer when it is selected. The new inset layer has it's own layer select button in the upper left of the graph window. Clicking on this button will bring the inset back to the front, rendering it visible again.

Graph -> Add Inset Layer With Curves

This command is essentially identical to the Add Empty Inset Layer command, with the single exception that any curves contained in the currently active layer are duplicated in the new inset layer.

Graph -> Arrange Layers... (Shift-A)

Opens the Arrange layers dialog. This dialog allows you to customize the layout of the layers in the active graph window.

Graph -> Automatic Layout command

Automatically arranges all the layers in the active graph window. All layers are scaled to fit into the existing graph window. Please be aware that the relative positions of the layers are not preserved during this operation.

Layers are packed into the smallest dimensioned array possible. Rows are added until a the smallest square array is filled, at which point an additional column is added. Rows are then filled and additional rows added until the array is again square. For example, 2 layers results in a 1x2 array. 3 layers produces a 2x2 array with an empty space in the second row. 4 layers produces a full 2x2 array. Adding another layer will produce a 2x3 array, with one empty space in the second row. Additional layers result in more rows and columns being added to contain all the layers.

Graph -> Fit Layers to Window

This command adjusts the dimensions of the existing layers to fit the current window size by shrinking them in both horizontal and vertical direction. This operation should normally preserve the aspect ratio and the relative positions of the layers.

Graph -> Fit Window to Layers

This command adjusts the dimensions of the active 2D plot window in order to entirely display all its layers. The dimensions of the layers as well as their relative positions are not changed during this operation.

Graph -> Extract to Layers command

Each curve in the currently active layer is moved onto a newly created layer. The original layer is destroyed. The newly created layers are then auto arranged (see the Automatic Layout command).

Graph -> Extract to Graphs... command

Each layer in the currently active graph window is copied into its own, newly created, graph window, which has the same size as the source graph window. This command also opens the Graph Manipulation dialog, allowing users to choose what happens with the original graph window and if the new layers should be resized to fill the whole graph window.

Graph -> Merge Graph Windows... command

Opens the Graph Manipulation dialog in a mode that allows users to choose the graph windows to be merged in a new 2D plot window.

Graph -> Remove Layer (Alt-R)

Deletes the active layer and pops-up a question dialog allowing you to choose whether the remaining layers should be automatically re-arranged or not.