dx-doc 1:4.4.4-7 / usr / share / doc / dx / help / dxall160

#!F-adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal--18*
#!N 
#!CSeaGreen #!N  #!Rinitdb Initial Dialog Box 
#!N #!EC #!N #!N To start the Data Prompter, type: #!CForestGreen 
#!N #!N  #!F-adobe-courier-bold-r-normal--18*   #!N dx -prompter #!EF #!N #!N #!EC or 
choose  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Import Data #!EF from the Data Explorer Startup window. 
The initial dialog box appears (see  #!Ldp115,dxall160 f Figure 15  #!EL  ). #!Cbrown #!N  #!F-adobe-times-medium-r-normal--18*   
 #!Rdp115 #!N #!N Graphics omitted from Online Documentation. Please see the 
manual. #!N Figure 15. Initial Data Prompter window #!EF #!N #!EC 
#!N #!N At the top of the Data Prompter initial dialog 
is a text field into which you can enter the data 
file to be imported. If you press the  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   ... #!EF 
button to the right of the field, a list of directories 
is presented. This list of directories is taken from your DXDATA 
environment variable, if set (see  #!Lenvvar,dxall684 h Environment Variables  #!EL  in IBM Visualization Data Explorer 
User's Guide). Then a file selection dialog is presented, initialized to 
the directory chosen from the  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   ... #!EF button. You can 
also access the file selection dialog directly by choosing  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Select 
Data File #!EF from the  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   File #!EF menu. #!N #!N 
The dialog also allows you to specify the type of data 
file you wish to import. The choices are: #!N #!I0 #!N 
 #!F-adobe-times-medium-r-normal--18*   #!N #!N #!I30 #!N o Data Explorer file #!N #!I30 
#!N o CDF format #!N #!I30 #!N o netCDF format file 
#!N #!I30 #!N o HDF format #!N #!I30 #!N o Image 
file #!N #!I30 #!N o Grid or Scattered file #!N #!I30 
#!N o Spreadsheet format #!N #!I0 #!N #!EF #!N For the 
Data Explorer, CDF, netCDF, and HDF formats, all you need to 
do is make the selection of the format and specify the 
file name at the top of the dialog. Each of these 
formats is supported directly by Data Explorer and no further description 
by you is necessary. Then you can choose to browse the 
data file, have Data Explorer test the import of the data 
file and print some characteristics of it, or have Data Explorer 
visualize the data automatically using a general purpose visual program. #!N 
#!N If you choose  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Image file #!EF , the dialog 
will expand, allowing you to choose the type of image format, 
and you can then have Data Explorer automatically read and display 
your image file. #!N #!N If you choose  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Spreadsheet format 
#!EF , the dialog will expand, allowing you to specify whether 
to import the data as a table or a matrix. Spreadsheet 
data consists of columns of related data, typically non-spatial. If imported 
as a table, then the data will be treated as a 
single Field of data, with each column placed in the field 
as a named component. Each component will contain scalar or string 
data. If imported as a matrix, then it is implicitly assumed 
to be a two-dimensional grid, with the rows and columns specifying 
the two dimensions. In this case the data in each column 
must be of the same type (i.e. you cannot have mixed 
strings and numbers). The  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Spreadsheet format #!EF option also allows 
you to specify a column delimiter. For example, to specify tab-separated 
columns, specify "\t" as the delimiter. See  #!Limpspsh,dxall872 h ImportSpreadsheet  #!EL  in IBM Visualization 
Data Explorer User's Reference for more information. #!N #!N If you 
choose  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Grid or Scattered File (General Array Format) #!EF , 
which allows you to import a wide variety of data formats, 
you will need to tell Data Explorer more about the file. 
If you choose this option, the dialog box that appears allows 
you to identify for the Data Prompter five important characteristics of 
the data you want to import: #!N #!I0 #!N  #!F-adobe-times-medium-r-normal--18*   #!N 
#!N #!I30 #!N o Grid type #!N #!I30 #!N o Number 
of variables #!N #!I30 #!N o Positions in data file #!N 
#!I30 #!N o Single time step #!N #!I30 #!N o Data 
organization. #!N #!I0 #!N #!EF #!N #!N #!N #!I0 #!N #!N 
#!I0 #!N  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Grid type #!EF #!I50 #!N Four grid-selection buttons 
display patterns representing different types of data. Reading from left to 
right, they are: #!N #!I0 #!N  #!F-adobe-times-medium-r-normal--18*   #!N #!N #!I30 #!N 
o  #!F-adobe-times-medium-i-normal--18*   Regular grid #!EF : the data-point positions can be 
specified by origin-and-delta pairs (one pair for each dimension). #!N #!I30 
#!N o  #!F-adobe-times-medium-i-normal--18*   Partly regular grid #!EF : one or more 
of the dimensions cannot be described by a simple origin-delta pair. 
#!N #!I30 #!N o  #!F-adobe-times-medium-i-normal--18*   Warped regular grid #!EF : each 
position must be explicitly specified, but there is still a grid 
structure to the connections between data points. #!N #!I30 #!N o 
 #!F-adobe-times-medium-i-normal--18*   Scattered data #!EF : there are no connections between data 
points. #!N #!I0 #!N #!EF #!N #!N #!I0 #!N  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Number 
of variables #!EF #!I50 #!N The stepper button allows you to 
specify the number of variables in the data file to be 
imported. For example, if the file contains data values for temperature 
and velocity (and for nothing else), the stepper button should be 
set to 2. (The default is 1, and the allowed range 
is 1-100.) #!N #!I0 #!N  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Positions in data file #!EF 
#!I50 #!N This option is available only with the selection of 
warped regular grid or scattered points. It is not meant for 
files that "describe" data positions by reference to origin-delta pairs. For 
example, if the data are organized as: #!CForestGreen #!N #!N  #!F-adobe-courier-bold-r-normal--18*   
#!N x1, y1, data1 #!N x2, y2, data2 #!N . . 
. #!EF #!N #!N #!EC #!N #!N the toggle should be 
activated. #!N #!N Selecting the regular or partly regular grid automatically 
deactivates the toggle: the label is grayed out, and the button 
cannot be activated. #!N #!N Selecting the third button (warped grid) 
automatically activates the toggle, and a stepper button appears for setting 
the number of dimensions (e.g., set the stepper to 3 for 
x,y,z points). Once the warped grid is selected, however, the toggle 
cannot be reset (i.e., the position specifications are assumed to be 
in the file). #!N #!N Selecting the fourth button (scattered points) 
does not activate the toggle, but it allows you to do 
so, and to deactivate it even after setting the number of 
dimensions. #!N #!I0 #!N  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Single time step #!EF #!I50 #!N 
This toggle button allows you to specify whether your data consists 
of a single time step or not. By default, the toggle 
is activated. #!N #!I0 #!N  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Data organization #!EF #!I50 #!N 
The data organization can be characterized as block or spreadsheet. For 
example, given a regular grid containing two variables (say temperature and 
pressure), block style lists one set of values first, followed by 
the other: #!CForestGreen #!N #!N  #!F-adobe-courier-bold-r-normal--18*   #!N t [1], t[2], ..., 
t[n], p[1], p[2], ..., p[n] #!EF #!N #!N #!EC #!N #!N 
Spreadsheet style alternates the two (one pair per line): #!CForestGreen #!N 
#!N  #!F-adobe-courier-bold-r-normal--18*   #!N t [1], p[1] #!N t [2], p[2] #!N 
... #!N t [n], p[n] #!EF #!N #!N #!EC #!I0 #!N 
#!N #!N #!N Once you have specified the five characteristics in 
the initial dialog box, click on  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Data Prompter #!EF . 
The simplified Data Prompter that appears is "customized," containing only those 
options appropriate to the data you have described in the dialog 
box (see  #!Lsimpdp,dxall161 h Simplified Data Prompter  #!EL  ). #!N #!N For Future Reference: Once you 
have opened and modified either the simplified or full data prompter, 
if you then close the simplified or full window, you should 
not use the  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Describe Data #!EF button to reopen the 
window, as the  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Describe Data #!EF button opens a brand 
new window. Instead, use  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Open General Array Importer #!EF from 
the  #!F-adobe-times-bold-r-normal--18*   Options #!EF menu of the initial dialog. #!N #!N 
#!N  #!F-adobe-times-medium-i-normal--18*   Next Topic #!EF #!N #!N  #!Lsimpdp,dxall161 h Simplified Data Prompter  #!EL  #!N  #!F-adobe-times-medium-i-normal--18*   #!N