docbook/kst/intro-chapter.docbook

0001 <chapter id="introduction">
0002 <title>Introduction</title>
0003
0004 <sect1 id="whatiskst">
0005 <title>What is &kst;?</title>
0006 <para>
0007 &kst; is a data plotting and viewing program.  Some of the features include:
0008 <itemizedlist>
0009 <listitem><para>Robust plotting of live "streaming" data.</para></listitem>
0010 <listitem><para>Powerful keyboard and mouse plot manipulation.</para></listitem>
0011 <listitem><para>Plugin support.</para></listitem>
0012 <listitem><para>Large selection of built-in plotting and data manipulation functions,
0013 such as histograms, equations, and power spectra.</para></listitem>
0014 <listitem><para>Color mapping and contour mapping capabilities for three-dimensional data.</para></listitem>
0015 <listitem><para>Built-in filtering and curve fitting capabilities.</para></listitem>
0016 <listitem><para>Convenient command-line interface.</para></listitem>
0017 <listitem><para>Powerful graphical user interface.</para></listitem>
0018 <listitem><para>Python bindings for scripting.</para></listitem>
0019
0020 </itemizedlist>
0021 </para>
0022 </sect1>
0023
0024 <sect1 id="gettingstarted">
0025 <title>Getting Started</title>
0026
0027 <para>
0028 There are two main methods of quickly obtaining plots in &kst;.  The &kst; command-line
0029 interface provides quick access to the main &kst; features, while the graphical data wizard
0030 enables intuitive fine tuning of plot and data settings.
0031 </para>
0032 <para>
0033 We first need a data file.  Copy and paste this simple 40-line set of data into a text file,
0034 and save it as <filename>simpledata.dat</filename>:
0035 </para>
0036 <screen>
0037 -20 100
0038 -19 90.25
0039 -18 81
0040 -17 72.25
0041 -16 64
0042 -15 56.25
0043 -14 49
0044 -13 42.25
0045 -12 36
0046 -11 30.25
0047 -10 25
0048 -9 20.25
0049 -8 16
0050 -7 12.25
0051 -6 9
0052 -5 6.25
0053 -4 4
0054 -3 2.25
0055 -2 1
0056 -1 0.25
0057 0 0
0058 1 0.25
0059 2 1
0060 3 2.25
0061 4 4
0062 5 6.25
0063 6 9
0064 7 12.25
0065 8 16
0066 9 20.25
0067 10 25
0068 11 30.25
0069 12 36
0070 13 42.25
0071 14 49
0072 15 56.25
0073 16 64
0074 17 72.25
0075 18 81
0076 19 90.25
0077 20 100
0078 </screen>
0079
0080 <para>
0081 <filename>simpledata.dat</filename> is an example of an ASCII data file, one of the many file types
0082 &kst; is capable of reading. For further details on file types, see the chapter on
0083 <link linkend="datasources">datasources</link>.  To produce a simple plot using
0084  the first column (or <quote>field</quote>)
0085 of this file an x vector, and the second column as a y vector, enter the following:
0086 </para>
0087 <para>
0088 <userinput><command>kst2 simpledata.dat  -x 1 -y 2</command></userinput>
0089 </para>
0090 <para>
0091 &kst; should start with the plot displayed:
0092 </para>
0093 <screenshot>
0094 <screeninfo>Simpledata plot</screeninfo>
0095 <mediaobject>
0096 <imageobject>
0097 <imagedata fileref="Screenshot-kst-simpledata.png" format="PNG" />
0098 </imageobject>
0099 <textobject>
0100 <phrase>Simpledata plot</phrase>
0101 </textobject>
0102 </mediaobject>
0103 </screenshot>
0104
0105 <para>
0106 Numerous other command-line options are available&mdash;using the command-line only, plots of data
0107 can be printed directly to files, and simple data manipulation such as creation of
0108 power spectra can be performed as well.
0109 </para>
0110
0111
0112 <para>
0113 If &kst; is started without any command-line options, an unfilled kst window is shown.  From there, a common
0114 first step is to create plots from the Data Wizard (click the <guimenuitem>Data Wizard...</guimenuitem> toolbar button
0115 or press 'w').
0116 The data wizard walks through the specification of a data file, selection of fields, and selection of plot options.
0117 </para>
0118
0119 <para>
0120 Any plot displayed in &kst; can be manipulated.  For example, dragging a rectangle anywhere within a plot
0121 will zoom in to that section of the plot.  Holding &Ctrl; or &Shift; while
0122 dragging will zoom in on the x or y axis only, respectively, and tapping the arrow keys scrolls a plot.
0123 </para>
0124
0125
0126
0127 </sect1>
0128
0129 </chapter>
0130
0131
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