ESL-Displays - Post Run Analysis

The ESL-Displays program is a tool to allow you to analyse recorded display files. Typically the display files will be "prepare" files either generated from the ESL PREPARE statement or recorded when running a simulation with the ESL-SEC program.

Starting ESL-Displays

You normally start ESL-Displays from ESL-Studio as follows:

• Use the Simulate > Post Run Analysis... menu item to launch the ESL-Displays program directly from ESL-Studio. The ESL-Displays window will open without any display files loaded or plots defined.

You may also initiate the ESL-Displays independently from ESL-Studio by invoking the program directly:

• You can start ESL-Displays by invoking ESL-Displays from an operating system menu, such as the Start Menu, or a short-cut (for example pinned to the Desktop). It will then open the ESL-Displays window, again, without without any display files loaded or plots defined.

• You can start ESL-Displays by invoking the executable, esl_displays.exe (esl_displays Linux), installed with ESL-Pro or ESL-Lite in the esl bin directory of the installation, directly from a file browser application such as Windows Explorer (e.g. by double clicking). It will then open without display files or plots.

• You may also open it via a file browser application by double clicking on a previously saved ESL-Displays specification file (with extension .dis). ESL-Displays will then open with the display files loaded, and any plots that may have been defined.
  Note: For Linux you would need to have explicitly set up the .dis file-type to open with ESL-Displays program (esl_displays).

• You can also invoke ESL-Displays by command from a command prompt (terminal) window. Normally ESL-Displays is installed on the "PATH" directory, so you just need to enter esl_displays. Otherwise enter the full path to the executable. See below for a description of the ESL-Displays command line options.

Loading Displays

The main ESL-Displays screen allows you to specify and display plots with data taken from a set of loaded display files.

You use the "Load" button on the main ESL-Displays screen to load a recorded display file, and add it to set of them. Loaded display file names appear in the Display Files panel.

Note: In addition to full "prepare" files, ESL-Displays allows you to load "tabulate" display files, however these typically do not retain the accuracy of prepare files.

When a display file is selected in the Display Files panel, its contents are displayed in the Variables panel from where a plot selection may be made. Some information, including the number of runs for which the display file data corresponds appears below the Display Files and Variables panels.

Pressing the "Info" button shows more detailed information from a selected display file, including any title/subtitle set in the display file.

The "Export" button allows you to export a display file, typically to convert it to another format such as a Comma Separated Values (CSV) format which may be imported into other applications such as spreadsheets.

Specifying Plots

Several plots may be specified and the variables to be displayed in each selected from the variables from any of the loaded display files. This allows the comparison of results from different ESL-Studio sessions, or with experimental data converted to display file format.

The plot's independent variable (used for the X-axis), which is typically T (for time), determines the primary display file for the plot. Variables that come from that display file will have values directly corresponding to the values for the independent variable for each run in that display file.

When a variable from a different display file is to be incorporated into the plot, this will lead to an extra "superimposed run" to be plotted. The superimposed run requires its own independent variable from the same display file as the new variable. This will generally correspond to the same name as in the primary display file, typically "T" (for time again). When the variable is first added, this must be set in the Details dialog, where subsequently it may be viewed and changed.

Note: ESL-Displays plot Contents area shows the display file a variable comes from by a number, the number of the display files loaded into ESL-Display, followed by a ">" before the variable name. Thus "2>T" is the variable called T from the 2nd display file and may be the plot's independent variable, "2>X" is a variable from the same display file, "3>Y" is a variable taken from a different display file and "3>T" might be the superimposed run's independent variable.

Note: In fact it may be more complicated as the name may be preceded by an ESL module name in (round) brackets (parentheses), may include an annotation (after a ":") and may include a run value or range in curly (or "squiggly") brackets (braces).

It is important that the range of values for the independent variable to be used in the superimposed run be appropriate and consistent with the range in the primary display file for the plot's independent variable as they will be mapped to the plot's x-axis. Also, the range of values for all dependent variables (whether from the primary display file or in superimposed runs) should not differ by too much as they all are to be plotted on the y-axis.

The "Details" button invokes a Variable Details dialog which allows you to select the runs for a variable to be plotted against the runs of the independent variable. For variables that are not in the primary display file (for which a superimposed run will be plotted), it allows you to change the superimposed run's independent variable from its own display file. This dialog also allows you to set or change an annotation for the variable. This dialog can also be invoked by double-clicking a variable name.

The "Properties" button invokes a Properties dialog to allow you set up features for the the plot, including title, axis properties and how the data points will be plotted.

The "Plot" button opens the plot window, and plots the data as specified for current plot.

The "Save Data" button allows you to export the data that you have specified for the current plot to a display file or other format (such as CSV).

Specification files

You can save a specification file (with .dis extension) that holds the set of display files you have loaded and the set of plot definitions you have set up from the File > Save Specification menu item. The corresponding File > Load Specification menu item allows you to easily load or change the display files and plot definitions.

Options/Preferences

ESL-Displays has the following option that may be changed via the File > Options/Preferences menu item:

• Use external plotting program

Use external plotting program

By default ESL-Displays uses an internal plotting dialog. If you select this option, ESL-Displays will use the standard plotting program used in ESL simulations.

Note: It is possible to change the actual plotting program by setting the ESL_PLOTTING environment variable.

Note: When an external plotting program is used ESL-Displays does not save the position and size (geometry) of the plot windows.

ESL-Displays Command Line Options

If ESL-Displays is invoked by command, the following options are supported:

esl_displays [ -fixed ] [ <source-file> ]

Notes: The option may be abbreviated to just the first letter. The option is case-insensitive. A pair of dashes (--) may be used instead of the single dash (-). A forward slash (/) may be used instead of the dash (-) under Windows.

• source-file: A source file may be either an ESL "prepare" file (.dsp) or an ESL-Displays specification file (.dis).

  If an ESL-Displays specification file (.dis) is given, the complete specification (when the file was saved) is setup.

• -fixed: If this option is given, ESL-Displays will not allow changing the specification file path.