# Working with Plots and Windows

This chapter details the concepts behind plots and windows, and provides information on viewing and manipulating the layout of plots and windows in &kst;. The following diagram illustrates the relationships between windows, plots, and plottable data objects.

&kst; Window, Plot, and Curve relationships

As can be seen from the above diagram, each window in &kst; can contain zero or more plots, and each plot can contain zero or more plottable data objects.

## The Plot Dialog

The plot dialog provides a central location for managing plots. To access it, select Edit Plot... from the Plots menu. At the top of the dialog box you should see two drop-down lists:

Top of Plot Dialog Top of Plot Dialog

To modify a plot, select the window that contains the plot from the left drop-down list, and select the plot itself from the right drop-down list. New windows can be created by clicking the button in the middle.

At the bottom of the plot dialog are four buttons. Delete deletes the currently selected plot, Apply as New applies the current plot settings to a new plot, Apply Edits applies the plot settings to the currently selected plot, and Close closes the plot dialog without applying or saving any settings.

The plot settings available on each tab of the plot dialog are described below.

### Content

Below is a screenshot of the Content tab.

Plot Dialog Content Tab Plot Dialog Content Tab

As the name implies, the settings on this tab specify the content of the plot. The following are brief explanations of the settings.

Unique plot name

- The unique plot name is the identifier for the plot. There cannot be duplicate plot names.

Displayed objects and Available objects

- Displayed objects lists the plottable data objects that should be plotted in the plot. Available objects lists all the current plottable data objects in &kst; that are not in the Displayed objects list. To move an item from one list to the other, first highlight the desired item, and click the appropriate arrow button in between the two lists (the left arrow to move a item from Available objects to Displayed objects, and the right arrow to move a item from Displayed objects to Available objects). Alternatively, dragging and dropping the items works as well.

Foreground and background colors

- Select the foreground and background colors to use for this plot using the standard &kde; color chooser. The upper left box indicates the foreground colour, while the lower right box indicates the background colour. To edit a colour, double-click on the desired box, and a standard colour chooser dialog will appear. Click to swap the foreground and background colours. If you wish to quickly switch to a white background and black foreground, click Note that the foreground color only affects the axes lines and axes labels, and is independent of any colors used to plot data objects.

Re-grid and Columns

- Check the Re-grid option to rearrange all plots in the selected window in a grid pattern with the specified number of columns.

### Axes

Below is a screenshot of the Axes tab.

Plot Dialog Axes Tab Plot Dialog Axes Tab

The settings for the plot axes are specified on this tab. The axis settings are split into two identical sections—an x axis section and a y axis section.

Auto scale

- Select this option to let &kst; automatically choose a scale for this axis based on the highest and lowest values for this axis found in the plotted objects.

Auto up

- This option behaves similarly to Auto Scale, but the upper axis limit will only increase, and the lower axis limit will only decrease.

Spike Insensitive Auto scale

- Select this option to let &kst; automatically choose a scale for this axis that is based on the values found in the plotted objects. In general, spikes, or sudden short increases or decreases in the value, will be ignored when determining the scale.

Mean-centered

- Select this option to center the axis around the mean of the values found in the plot (x values are used to calculate the mean for the x axis, and y values are used to calculate the mean for the y axis). Specify the length of the axis in the Range text box.

Fixed

- Manually specify lower and upper limits for the axis. Enter the limits in the textboxes to the right of Range.

Logarithmic

- Enable this checkbox if you wish to use a logarithmic scale for the axis.

Major tick density, Minor ticks, and Auto minor

- Change the density value for the major ticks on this axis by using the Major tick density field. The number of major ticks on the axis will be approximately equal to the density value, with slight variations depending on the plot size and zoom level. Select the number of minor ticks to show in between major ticks using the Minor ticks field. If Auto minor is checked, the number of minor ticks is automatically determined based on zoom level.

In addition to axis ticks, grid lines can be shown on plots as well. Grid lines are drawn as thin dotted lines using the specified colors.

Show major

- Select X major to show vertical grid lines corresponding to the x axis major tick marks. Select Y major to show horizontal grid lines corresponding to the y axis major tick marks. The color of both types of major lines can be specified by clicking the button next to Color.

Show minor

- Select X minor to show vertical grid lines corresponding to the x axis minor tick marks. Select Y minor to show horizontal grid lines corresponding to the y axis minor tick marks. The color of both types of minor lines can be specified by clicking the button next to Color.

### Labels

Below is a screenshot of the Labels tab.

Plot Dialog Labels Tab Plot Dialog Labels Tab

Settings for the plot labels can be specified on this tab. Brief descriptions of the settings are provided below.

Current scalar list

- A list of the current scalars defined in &kst;. This list is primarily used to quickly insert values in the label texts. Choosing an item from this list will insert the item at the current text cursor position.

Top label

- The label located at the top of the plot. Select a font size and enter the text for the label using the controls in this row.

Y axis

- The label located vertically next to the y axis of the plot. Select a font size and enter the text for the label using the controls in this row.

X axis

- The label located vertically next to the x axis of the plot. Select a font size and enter the text for the label using the controls in this row.

Numbers, X angle and Y angle

- The numbers used to label both the x axis and the y axis of the plot. The size and angles of the numbers can be specified. Positive angles rotate the text clockwise, while negative angles rotate the text counter-clockwise.

Font family

- The font used for all labels of the plot. Select an available font using the drop-down list.

Also Apply Font and Angle Settings To

- Select the plots to which the specified label settings (except Label Text) should be applied.

  If All other plots or All other plots in this window is selected, previous label settings for the affected plots will be lost.

Auto Label

- Click this button to automatically generate label texts for all labels on the plot. The text for Top label will be a list of paths to the data files used in the plot. The text for Y axis will be a list of the dependent variable descriptions (e.g. Number in Bin for a histogram). The text for X axis will be the name of the vector used as the independent variable.

Labels (preview)

- The preview image at the bottom of the Labels tab provides previews of all four labels at 100% zoom.

### Legend

Below is a screenshot of the Legend tab.

Plot Dialog Legend Tab Plot Dialog Legend Tab

Legend settings for the plot can be specified on this tab; most of these settings concern the appearance of the legend. The legend itself is optional.

Show legend

- This option enables or disables the legend for the plot. If you wish to use a legend, you must select this checkbox.

Display in legend box

- Select this option to display a border around the legend. Selecting this option also allows the background of the legend to be set using the color chooser located on this tab.

Alignment

- The horizontal (left and right) alignment of the items in the legend. The available settings in the drop-down list are Right, Center, and Left.

Font family

- The font to use for the legend text. Select a font from the drop-down list.

Font size

- The size of the legend text. Note that the size is not specified in points, but is relative to a default size of 0.

Colors

- This widget can be used to specify the colour of the legend text. The upper left box indicates the foreground colour, while the lower right box indicates the background colour (applicable only if Display in legend box is checked). To edit a colour, double-click on the desired box, and a standard colour chooser dialog will appear. Click to swap the foreground and background colours. If you wish to quickly return to the default colours, click

Also Apply Settings To

- Select the plots to which the specified legend settings should be applied.

  If All other plots or All other plots in this window is selected, previous legend settings for the affected plots will be lost.

Legend (preview)

- The image at the bottom of this tab provides a preview of the legend text at 100% zoom. Among other things, the preview can be useful in determining appropriate font sizes.

### Markers

Below is a screenshot of the Markers tab.

Plot Dialog Markers Tab Plot Dialog Markers Tab

Plot markers provide an easy means of flagging areas of interest on a plot. The Markers tab provides full access to plot marker settings and options. Navigation functions for plot markers are described in the Scroll Menu section.

To quickly create plot markers on a plot, place the mouse cursor over the plot and press the Insert key. A vertical dashed line should appear indicating the position of the plot marker.

New and Add

- Use the New text field to manually enter a plot marker value. Values can be entered in floating point or scientific notation. Values in scientific notation must be entered in the form `mEx` or `mex`, where `m` is the mantissa and `x` is the exponent. For example, one way to enter the value 15000 in scientific notation is by typing `1.5e4`.

  Click the Add button to create a new plot marker with the specified value. You will be warned if duplicate plot markers already exist, or if the entered value is not valid. Note that plot marker additions or removals made from the Markers tab are not applied unless the plot dialog settings are applied.

Defined plot markers, Remove, and Remove All

- The list of existing plot markers for this plot are listed under Defined plot markers. To remove plot markers, highlight the desired markers in the list and click the Remove button. Multiple markers can be selected for removal by clicking and dragging within the list, or by holding down the Shift or Ctrl key and clicking on items in the list. To remove all plot markers for this plot, click the Remove All button. Note that plot marker additions or removals made from the Markers tab are not applied unless the plot dialog settings are applied.

Automatic Marker Generation

- In addition to individually defining plot markers, curves, equations, power spectra, and histograms can be used to automatically generate plot markers as well. To use one of these data objects for plot marker generation, check the Use data object as marker source checkbox and select an item from the drop down list. Then select the criteria to use for creating plot markers. Selecting Rising edge causes plot markers to be created when the y value of the selected data object changes from zero to non-zero. Selecting Falling edge causes plot markers to be created when the y value of the selected data object changes from non-zero to zero. Selecting Both causes plot markers to be created on both rising edges and falling edges of the data object. In all cases, the x value of the point in the data object with the non-zero y value is used to create the new plot marker.

  If the selected data object is subsequently updated, additional plot markers will be created if necessary. However, plot markers will never be removed as a consequence of data object changes, so manually created plot markers will never be affected.

## The Plot Context Menu

When working with plots, right-clicking on any plot will bring up a context menu that provides commonly used functions. The following list provides a brief overview of the menu items, often referring to other sections of this document that describe the functions in more detail.

Delete

- Deletes the plot.

Edit...

- Brings up the Plot Dialog, with this plot selected. See the Plot Dialog section for information on the settings.

Maximize

- Expands the plot so that it takes up the entire area of the window. Uncheck this option to return the plot to its previous size.

Pause

- Pauses automatic update of live data. This menu item duplicates the functionality of Pause from the Range menu. See Working with Live Data for more information.

Zoom (submenu)

- The Zoom submenu is described in the section entitled The Zoom Menu.

Scroll (submenu)

- This menu is described in the section entitled The Scroll Menu.

Edit (submenu)

- This submenu displays a list of objects available for editing. Clicking on an object name from the submenu displays the Edit dialog for the object. Details on this dialog are available in the Curves.

Fit (submenu)

- This submenu displays a list of curves, histograms, power spectra, and equations that can be fit. Selecting a name from the submenu displays the Fit Function dialog. This dialog is similar to the plugins dialog, but displays only those plugins that perform fits. The input vectors are selected based on the data object. In addition, curve appearance properties can be changed, as the Fit function creates vectors, and curves based on the vectors.

Filter (submenu)

- This submenu displays a list of data objects that can be filtered. Selecting a name from the submenu displays the Filter Function dialog. This dialog is similar to the plugins dialog, but displays only those plugins that perform filtering. The input vector to be filtered is selected based on the curve. In addition, curve appearance properties can be changed, as the Filter function creates vectors, and curves based on the vectors.

Remove (submenu)

- This submenu displays a list of curves currently in the plot. Clicking on a curve name from the submenu removes the curve from the plot (the curve itself, however, is not removed as a data object).

## The Label Editor

The label editor allows custom labels to be placed in arbitrary locations in &kst; plot windows, in addition to the fixed labels created as part of plots. To use the label editor, select Label Mode from the Plots menu. The mouse mode will change to label editor mode. To exit label editor mode, select another mouse mode (such as XY Mouse Zoom). The following sections describe the functions available when in label editor mode.

### Creating New Labels

To create a new label using the label editor, click anywhere within the x and y axes of a plot where there is not already an existing label. The label editor dialog should appear:

The following are explanations of the dialog box elements.

Scalars

- A list of scalars currently defined in &kst;. Selecting an item from the dropdown list inserts the value of the item at the current cursor position in Label text.

Label text

- The text displayed by the label. You may enter text manually in this dialog and in combination with scalars selected from the Scalars dropdown list if you wish.

Font

- The font to use for the label text. Select a font from the dropdown list.

Size

- The size of the label text. 0 is the default value.

Rotation

- The number of degrees to rotate the label. Positive values rotate the label clockwise, while negative values rotate the label counter-clockwise.

Alignment

- The horizontal alignment of the label. Select one of Left, Center, or Right.

Color

- Select the color to use for the label text. Clicking the button displays the standard &kde; color chooser. Selecting Use plot color uses the foreground color specified for the plot.

Once you are satisfied with the label settings, click Apply to apply the label settings without closing the label editor dialog. Click OK to apply the label settings and close the dialog. Alternatively, you can click Close to close the label editor dialog without applying any label settings.

### Editing and Deleting Existing Labels

To edit an existing label, click on the label in the plot. The label editor dialog should be displayed. You can delete the label from the label editor dialog by clicking the Delete button.

### Moving Labels

To move an existing label in label editor mode, simply drag the label to the desired location, anywhere within the plot.

## Data Mode

Data mode allows precise viewing of the data points use in a plotted data object. To toggle data mode, select Data Mode from the Plots menu. Now, when the cursor is moved over a plot, a coloured dot will indicate the closest data point to the cursor, as shown in the screenshot below. The status bar will display the coordinates of the data point (in terms of the x and y vectors used to plot the data object) in status bar at the lower right corner of the &kst; window. The status bar will also display the x, y, and z coordinates of any visible image. If images overlap, only the coordinates of the topmost image will be displayed. Note that all zooming functions are still available while in data mode.

Top of Plot Dialog Top of Plot Dialog

If the status bar is not visible, make sure Show Statusbar is checked in the Status menu.

## Zooming and Scrolling

Zooming and scrolling in plots is easy and intuitive with &kst;. The following sections explain the different zooming and scrolling modes.

### Mouse Zoom Modes

To access the different zoom modes, choose one of XY Mouse Zoom, X Mouse Zoom, or Y Mouse Zoom from the Plots menu. The different modes are described below.

#### XY Mouse Zoom

In XY Mouse Zoom mode, you can zoom into a specific rectangular area of the plot by simply clicking and dragging to draw a rectangle where desired. The x and y axes of the plot will change to reflect the new scale. This mode is often useful for quickly looking at an interesting area of the plot without having to specify exact axis scales.

#### X Mouse Zoom

In X Mouse Zoom mode, the y axis is fixed. Zooming in is performed by clicking and dragging a rectangular area; however, the upper and lower limits of the rectangle will always be equal to the current upper and lower limits of the y axis. This mode is often useful for looking at a certain time range, if the x axis happens to represent a time vector.

You can quickly switch to X Mouse Zoom mode by holding down Ctrl. The mouse cursor will change to indicate the new mode. Releasing Ctrl will return you to the previous mouse zoom mode.

#### Y Mouse Zoom

In Y Mouse Zoom mode, the x axis is fixed. Zooming in is performed by clicking and dragging a rectangular area; however, the left and right limits of the rectangle will always be equal to the current left and right limits of the x axis. This mode is often useful for zooming in on data that is concentrated around a horizontal line.

You can quickly switch to Y Mouse Zoom mode by holding down Shift. The mouse cursor will change to indicate the new mode. Releasing Shift will return you to the previous mouse zoom mode.

### The Zoom Menu

The Zoom menu can be accessed by right-clicking on a plot and selecting the Zoom submenu from the context menu. A list of zoom actions and their corresponding keyboard shortcuts will be displayed. These actions are described below.

Zoom Action | Keyboard Shortcut | Description
Zoom Maximum | M | Sets both the x axis and the y axis scales so that all data points are displayed. This is equivalent to the AutoScale setting of the Plot Dialog.
Zoom Max Spike Insensitive | S | Sets both the x axis and the y axis scales so that most data points are displayed. Spikes, or sudden increases or decreases in x or y values, are excluded from the plot display.
Zoom Previous | R | Returns to the most recent zoom setting used.
Y-Zoom Mean-centered | A | Sets the Y axis so that the mean of the y values in the plot is centered vertically. The actual zoom level is not changed.
X-Zoom Maximum | Ctrl M | Sets the x axis scale such that the x values for all data points are between the minimum and maximum of the x axis. The y axis scale is unaltered.
X-Zoom Out | Shift Right | For a non-logarithmic x axis, increases the length of the x axis by a factor of approximately 0.5, without changing the midpoint of the x axis. The y axis scale is unaltered.
X-Zoom In | Shift Left | For a non-logarithmic x axis, decreases the length of the x axis by a factor of approximately 0.5, without changing the midpoint of the x axis. The y axis scale is unaltered.
Toggle Log X Axis | G | Enables or disables using a logarithmic scale for the x axis.
Y-Zoom Maximum | Shift M | Sets the y axis scale such that the y values for all data points are between the minimum and maximum of the y axis. The x axis scale is unaltered.
Y-Zoom Out | Shift Up | For a non-logarithmic y axis, increases the length of the y axis by a factor of approximately 0.5, without changing the midpoint of the y axis. The x axis scale is unaltered.
Y-Zoom In | Shift Down | For a non-logarithmic y axis, decreases the length of the y axis by a factor of approximately 0.5, without changing the midpoint of the y axis. The x axis scale is unaltered.
Toggle Log Y Axis | L | Enables or disables using a logarithmic scale for the y axis.

Many of the zoom actions are best used in conjunction with the various mouse zoom modes.

### Match Axis

To quickly change the axes of a plot to match those of another plot, right-click on the plot and select a different plot name from the Match Axis... menu. Both the x and y axes scales of the current plot will change to match those of the selected plot. Note that this does not permanently tie the axes scales together; changing the zoom on either plot will unmatch the axes scales again. To tie the axes scales of two or more plots together, use the Tied Zoom feature.

### The Scroll Menu

Functions for scrolling a plot are available by right-clicking a plot and selecting the Scroll submenu from the context menu. Most scrolling functions and their keyboard shortcuts should be self-explanatory. To quickly jump to a plot marker, select Next Plot Marker (to jump right) or Previous Plot Marker (to jump left). For more information on plot markers, see the Markers section.

Assuming non-logarithmic axis scales are used, each function scrolls the plot in the indicated direction by 0.1 of the current length of the x axis (when scrolling left or right), or 0.25 of the current length of the y axis (when scrolling up or down).

You can also scroll left or right in a plot by using the mouse wheel (if available).

To quickly go forwards or backwards along the x axis, select Back 1 Screen or Advance 1 Screen from the Range menu. The keyboard shortcuts, Ctrl Left and Ctrl Right respectively, can be used as well.

### Tied Zoom

When looking at two or more related plots (for example, two curves on separate plots both dependent on the same time vector), it can sometimes be useful to zoom or scroll the plots simultaneously. This is possible using &kst;'s tied zoom feature. To activate tied zoom, click the small square at the top-right corner of the plots you wish to tie together. The squares will change colour to indicate the plots are tied, as shown below.

Top of Plot Dialog Top of Plot Dialog

Zooming and scrolling actions performed on one plot in a group of tied plots will be performed on on all the plots in the group. To remove a plot from the tied group, simply click on the small square at the top-right corner of the plot again. The square will become transparent to indicate that the plot is not tied.

To quickly tie or untie all plots (including plots in other windows), select Tied Zoom from the Plots menu, or the corresponding icon on the &kst; toolbar.

### Working with Live Data

&kst; features special zooming and scrolling functions designed to make it easy to work with live data, or data that is being updated while &kst; is running. These features are designed to be used in conjunction with the regular zooming and scrolling functions.

#### Updating Plots Automatically

To have a plot automatically update as data is being added to a data file, choose Read From End from the Range menu. The plot will automatically scroll to the right periodically, to display new data points. The update interval can be changed by selecting Configure Kst... from the Settings menu. Specify the update interval in the Plot Update Timer field.

#### Pausing Plot Updates

To pause automatic updating of plots, select Pause from the Range menu. You can still perform zooming and scrolling functions while the updating is paused. Selecting Read From End from the Range menu will resume automatic updating.

#### Changing Data Sample Ranges

To quickly change sample range settings associated with vectors, select Change Data Sample Ranges from the Range menu. Select one or more vectors, change the desired settings for the vectors, and click Apply to save the settings. These settings are a subset of those found in the Edit Vectors dialog.

## Manipulating Plot Layout

Plots in a &kst; window are arranged in layers. Each plot is positioned on one layer, and each layer contains one plot. Thus, plots can overlap, with plots in higher layers taking precedence in visibility over those in lower ones. To change the layout of plots in &kst;, layout mode must be activated. Layout mode can be toggled by selecting Layout Mode from the Plots menu.

### Layout Mode Context Menu

While layout mode is activated, right-clicking on any plot displays a modified context menu. The selections available in this menu are listed below.

Delete

- Deletes the plot.

Raise

- Raises the plot one layer up.

Lower

- Lowers the plot one layer down.

Raise to Top

- Raises the plot to the top-most layer, guaranteeing it will be visible.

Lower to Bottom

- Lowers the plot to the bottom-most layer.

Rename...

- Selecting this item displays a dialog box that allows the unique name of the plot to be changed.

Move To

- Selecting a window name from this submenu moves the plot to the window with the corresponding name.

Cleanup Layout

- Arranges the plots in the current window in a tile type pattern, with no overlap between plots. This action applies to all plots in the current window.

### Moving and Resizing Plots

Moving and resizing plots in layout mode is analogous to moving and resizing regular windows. To move a plot, simply click anywhere on the desired plot and drag the plot. An outline of the plot will appear, indicating where the plot will be placed. You can drag plots anywhere within the current window. To resize a plot, move the mouse cursor to any edge or corner of the plot. The cursor will change to indicate that the plot can be resized. Click and drag the outline of the plot until the plot is the desired shape and size.

### Selecting Multiple Plots and Grouping Plots

Two or more plots can be selected together in layout mode. To select the plots, hold down the Shift key and either sequentially click on each plot you wish to select, or drag to draw a dotted rectangle around a group of plots. The selected plots will be indicated by a gray border around each plot:

Multiple Selected Plots Multiple Selected Plots

Multiple selected plots can be moved simultaneously by dragging any single plot that is part of the selection (note that resizing any plot in the selection removes the selection). In addition, the layout mode context menu contains three additional items when multiple plots are selected. These items are described below.

Make Same

- Resizes all the selected plots in the chosen dimension(s) to match the dimension(s) of the plot from which the context menu was invoked. For example, right-clicking on a plot in the group and selecting Width from the Make Same submenu will match the width of all the plots in the group to the width of the first plot. If Size is chosen, both the width and height of each plot in the selection will change.

Align

- Aligns all plots in the selection to the plot directly underneath the context menu. Select from Left, Right, Top, or Bottom.

Pack (submenu)

- The Pack submenu contains two functions. Pack Horizontally divides the entire width of the plot group evenly between the individual plot widths, while Pack Vertically divides the entire height of the plot group evenly between the individual plot heights. Packing plots usually results in a staggered or checkered pattern. To align the plots in a grid, use the Cleanup Layout function of the layout mode context menu.

Group Objects

- Groups all the selected plots together. A group of plots is indicated by a blue outline around the entire group. The layout of the plots within a group cannot be altered, but a group of plots can be resized or moved as a whole in the same way the layout of a single plot can be changed. Grouped plots remain grouped even when layout mode is exited, so the Maximize or Delete functions of the plot context menu can be used on an entire group.

  To ungroup a group of plots, simply right-click on the group and select Ungroup.

## Working with Windows

&kst; has a flexible window layout that makes use of Kmdi. Organizing plots on different windows allows for efficient viewing and manipulating of plots.

### MDI Modes

There is a choice of four different MDI (Multi-Document Interface) modes available. To select a mode, choose one of the menu items from the MDI Mode... submenu of the Window menu. The selected MDI mode will take effect immediately. The sections below provide more information on each mode.

#### Top Level Mode

Top level mode is the mode traditionally used by other &kde; applications. In this mode, the parent window (the window containing all the main menus, toolbars, and status bars) is a separate window from the plot windows. The plot windows, while still functionally tied to the main window, appear as separate windows on the desktop.

To quickly switch between plot windows in top level mode, you can click the buttons on the parent window, as shown below.

Switching windows in top level mode Switching windows in top level mode

#### Childframe Mode

In childframe mode, all the plot windows appear inside the main &kst; window and can be individually resized. Each plot window contains buttons for minimizing, maximizing, closing, and docking themselves. The main &kst; window also contains functions for arranging the plot windows. The following lists the functionality of the buttons located in the top right corner of each plot window:

- Undocks the plot window. An undocked window is not contained within the main &kst; window, but is located directly on the desktop.

  You can also undock or dock a window by selecting its name from the Dock/Undock submenu of the Window menu. This is also the only way to dock an undocked window.

- Minimizes the plot window. Since the plot window is contained within the main &kst; window, clicking this button will minimize the window to a titlebar within the &kst; window.

- Maximizes the plot window. The plot window will take up the entirety of the main &kst; window.

- Closes the plot window.

To quickly switch between plot windows in childframe mode, you can click the buttons on the parent window, as shown below.

Switching windows in top level mode Switching windows in top level mode

To easily organize the plot windows within the main &kst; window, you can choose one of the tiling functions from the Tile... submenu of the Window menu. These functions are described below.

Cascade Windows

- Cascades the windows starting from the top left corner, maintaining the original window sizes.

Cascade Windows

- Cascades the windows starting from the top left corner, but resizes each window so that the bottom right corner of each window reaches the bottom right of the main &kst; window.

Expand Vertically

- Resizes each window to its maximum height. The widths of the windows are not changed.

Expand Horizontally

- Resizes each window to its maximum width. The heights of the windows are not changed.

Tile Non-overlapped

- Arranges the windows in a tile pattern, with no windows overlapping and each window being as close to a square as possible.

Tile Overlapped

- Arranges the windows in three or four stacks, depending on the number of windows and the main &kst; window size.

Tile Vertically

- Arranges the windows in a tile pattern, with each window having maximum height and no windows overlapping.

#### Tab Page Mode

Tab page mode arranges each plot window on a separate tab within the main &kst; window. In this mode, the plot windows are not independently resizeable or moveable—they conform to the size and shape of the main &kst; window.

To switch between plot windows in tab page mode, you can click on the tabs corresponding to each window, as shown below.

Switching windows in tab page mode Switching windows in tab page mode

#### IDEAl Mode

IDEAl mode seems to be identical to tab page mode.

### Creating and Deleting Windows

New windows in &kst; can be created in a number of ways. To create a new, empty, window, select New Window from the File menu. You will be prompted for a unique name for the new window. You can also create a new window while creating a new plottable data object. See Placement for the specific details.

To delete an existing window, simply select Close from the Window menu. To delete all current windows in &kst;, select Close All from the Window menu. By default, &kst; prompts for confirmation before closing any window. This behaviour can be changed by selecting Configure Kst... from the Settings menu and clicking on Prompt before closing windows.

When a window is deleted, all plots within that window are deleted as well. However, data objects, such as curves, are not deleted.

### Moving Plots Between Windows

To move a plot from one window to another, you can use the Move To function of the layout mode context menu.