Knowledge Base

Sort Track Plots

Aim

Track plots are displayed in the form of a matrix. You can sort rows and columns according to one or more independent variables.

Example: Subjects of both sexes were assigned to two different treatment levels (drug or saline). You want to visualize tracks according to Subject sex (on the rows) and Treatment (on the columns).

By default, plot headers do not include the name of an independent variable and the variable's value for that row/column. To show the variables' name, right-click a header and select Show Name. The values of the variables and the resulting sorting order are not removed. To hide the variables' name, right-click the header and deselect Show Name.

Sort the Track Plots by a New Variable

Do one of the following:

• Click the Show/Hide button on the toolbar, and select Layout. In the Layout window, select Arrange by headers. Under Available, click the variable you want to use. Next, click one of the buttons next to On Columns or On Rows, depending on whether you want to sort columns or rows by that variable.
• Right-click the header of a column or a row, depending on where you want to place the new variable. Next, select Insert. In the Select Independent Variables to Insert window, from the Independent Variable Name list, select the variable you want to use, then click OK.

Note: The variable list does not include the variables already present in the plot headers.

Remove a Sorting Variable

Do one of the following:

• Click the Show/Hide button on the toolbar and select Layout. Click the variable name under On Columns or On Rows, and click the deselect button next to it.
• Right-click a header for that variable and select Delete.

If you remove all variables from one side of the matrix, the headers will be empty. All tracks are plotted on one row or column.

Sort the Plots in Ascending or Descending Order

By default, track plots are sorted in ascending order of the corresponding variables (numeric or alphabetic).

• To sort variable values in descending order, right-click a header for that variable and select Sort Descending.
• To sort variable values in ascending order, right-click a header for that variable and select Sort Ascending.

You cannot change the plot order from the Layout window.

Re-Arrange Multiple Sorting Levels

When two or more variables are inserted or moved to the same side of the matrix, they form a multi-level structure. In the example below, plots are first sorted by Subject sex (top level), and then by Treatment (bottom level).

To re-arrange sorting levels, do one of the following:

• Click the Show/Hide button on the toolbar and select Layout. Click the variable you want to move. To move the variable one level up, click the Up button. To move the variable one level down, click the Down button.
• Right-click a track plot header for a variable. To move a variable one level up, select Move up. To move a variable one level down, select Move down. Or click a header for that variable, and drag it to a lower or upper level.

In the example below, the variable Treatment has been moved above Subject sex. As a result, plots are first sorted by Treatment, then by Subject sex.

Swap Variables from Columns to Rows and Vice Versa

You can re-arrange your plots by moving the variables shown in the rows to columns and vice versa. Do one of the following:

• Click the variable name under On Columns or On Rows, and click the Place Horizontal or Place Vertical button.
• Right-click a row/column header for that variable and select Place Horizontal or Place Vertical, or click a row/column header and drag it to a new position.

View and Play Back Tracks

Zoom the Track Plots In and Out

The Zoom buttons are located on the toolbar.

• To zoom in, click the Zoom in button or press Ctrl+.
• To zoom out, click the Zoom out button or press Ctrl+,
• To fit all track plots on the screen, click the Fit all button.

To zoom in/out to predefined percentages, from the Show/Hide menu, select Zoom level, and choose one of the values available (6% to 800%).

Customize the Length of Tracks

See Customize the Elements and Length of the Tracks.

Play Back the Tracks

Click the buttons in the Playback Control window. See Playback Control, Acquisition and Visualization.

View the Tracks in Multi-Arena Setups

In trials with multiple arenas, all tracks are played back starting from the first sample. If the tracks started at different times in different arenas, the samples visualized at a given time refer to different real times in those arenas.

To preserve the time difference between arenas, choose Integrated Visualization.

In a multi-arena setup, data recording may start at different times in different arenas. When tracks are plotted together, their starting times are aligned. This means that samples visualized simultaneously for the two arenas may refer to two different moments in the real time line.

Export Track Plots

Export a Single Track Plot

1. Click the plot you want to export, so that its border becomes highlighted in red.
2. On the toolbar, click the Export image icon.
3. Under Export, choose Selected plot.
4. Select the image resolution in pixels.
5. Click Export. In the Export Image window, enter the name and location of your image file, choose the image format and click Save.

Export Multiple Plots as Separate Files

Each plot is exported as a single image file.

1. Hold the Ctrl key down and click the plots you want to export. If you do not make a selection, all plots will be exported.
2. On the toolbar, click the Export image icon.
3. Under Export, choose To separate image files.
4. Select the image resolution in pixels, and click Export.

Export Multiple Plots as One File

The matrix grid is exported as a single image file.

1. Select the plots you want to export. If you do not make a selection, all plots will be exported.
2. On the toolbar, click the Export image icon.
3. Under Export, choose To one image file.
4. Select the image resolution in pixels, and click Export.