#!F-adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal--18* #!N #!CSeaGreen #!N #!Rannot Annotation #!N #!EC #!N #!N It is imperative that good visualizations contain sufficient annotation for a viewer to derive appropriate information from the imagery. A colored height field or streamline set with no supporting labeling can make perfectly beautiful, utterly meaningless computer graphics. #!N #!N Annotating a scene can be done in several ways using Data Explorer modules. You can, for example, provide a ColorBar with numeric values automatically labeled next to the related colors, show Text or Caption information to provide textual descriptions of objects, or turn on AutoAxes to show neatly labeled and numbered axes around the perimeter of your data space. #!N #!N Using the Format module, it is possible to create "clocks" or other "meters." Format creates a formatted string of text suitable for Caption or Text modules to display. Format takes a "template" and text strings and/or numbers as #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18* value #!EF inputs and assembles an informative text string as output. For example, inputting the minimum value of your data to the first #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18* value #!EF input (the second input tab) of a Format module, you could create a Caption that reads: #!CForestGreen #!N #!N #!F-adobe-courier-bold-r-normal--18* #!N Minimum temperature = 0.0 deg. #!EF #!N #!N #!EC To do this, the "template" inside the Format module would read: #!CForestGreen #!N #!N #!F-adobe-courier-bold-r-normal--18* #!N Minimum temperature = %1.1f deg. #!EF #!N #!N #!EC #!N #!N In this template, the "%1.1f" serves as a place holder for the first value (which must be floating point) provided to Format; consequently, the minimum value argument is substituted into the string when the visual program is executed. The "1.1" means that the floating-point number should display at least one number to the left of the decimal point but should round off to only one decimal place to the right of the decimal. By tying the data Field to Statistics (Transformation category), you can easily extract the minimum value of the data; use this as the second input to Format. If you later input a different data set with a different minimum, Caption will automatically change to reflect the new minimum value. #!N #!N One trick for showing text together with numbers that are changing is to use a "fixed width" font instead of a "variable" or "proportional" font. Variable text looks better when making Captions that do not include changing values, but fixed width text maintains the same width regardless of the numeric characters currently being displayed. Try both ways and you will see that the variable text has an annoying shrinking-expanding effect as your clock or time step meter changes value. To get the fixed text clock to behave correctly, you must use a Format template like "%03.2f" that allows for enough numbers to the left of the decimal point. In this example, we have predetermined that we will never create a number greater than 999.99 (note that if we #!F-adobe-times-medium-i-normal--18* do #!EF go over 1000, the text will expand to show the whole number, causing the Caption string to expand: the very thing we are trying to avoid!). The "%03.2f" format makes floating-point numbers with 3 numerals before the decimal, including left side zero padding, and 2 numerals after the decimal. #!N #!N #!N #!F-adobe-times-medium-i-normal--18* Next Topic #!EF #!N #!N #!Lcolmap,dxall600 h Color Mapping #!EL #!N #!F-adobe-times-medium-i-normal--18* #!N
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