Displaying a Variable in a VDA Tool Started from the Navigator

The Navigator makes it easy for you to manage variables and display them in VDA Tools.

To display a variable in a VDA Tool started from the Navigator, the variable must be placed on the variable selection list. This list is maintained internally by the VDA Tools Manager.

For instance, when you open a graphical VDA Tool from the Navigator, the VDA Tool checks the selected variable list. Any array on the current selection list will be automatically displayed in the VDA Tool.

Variables are placed on the variable selection list in the following ways:

When a variable is created by the WzImport Tool or WzPreview Tool, that variable is by default placed on the selection list.

Variables that are selected in the WzVariable Tool are placed on the selection list.

Subsetted variables and variables that are created in the File=>Export Selected Data dialog box.

note	You can see a list of the variable(s) that are currently selected by choosing Tool=>List Selected Variables from the Navigator menu bar.

The WzImport Tool places newly created variables on the selection list by default.

To display surface data, you might follow these steps:

1. Read the data into PV‑WAVE using the WzImport Tool. A new variable is created that contains the data. This variable is by default placed on the selected variable list.

2. Open the WzSurface Tool from the Navigator. The variable that was just imported is displayed in the WzSurface window. This is because, by default, WzImport adds an imported variable to the selection list.

The WzVariable Tool lets you easily add and remove variables from the variable selection list.

Assume that several variables exist on the $MAIN$ program level of PV‑WAVE. One variable contains image data and another contains 1D data that you wish to plot.

2. Select the image variable in the WzVariable list. This variable is placed on the current selection list.

3. Open the WzImage Tool from the Navigator. The selected variable is automatically displayed in the WzImage Tool.

4. Select the 1D variable in the WzVariable list. Now this variable is placed on the current selection list.

5. Open the WzPlot Tool from the Navigator. The 1D variable is automatically displayed in the WzPlot Tool.

Anytime you subset data using the Data Selection function, the subsetted variable that is created is placed on the variable selection list.

2. Select a subset of the data in the image display.

3. Select File=>Export Selected Data. The Export Selected Data dialog box appears.

4. Click OK to create a subsetted data variable.

5. From the Navigator, open the WzContour Tool.

The subsetted data is automatically displayed in the WzContour Tool. This happens because the variable that was created to hold the subsetted data was automatically placed on the variable selection list.