The List of Spectra is the central part of the Motplot main window. It shows a list of all the spectra which have been read in from files or created by operations.
The list is a standard Motif list widget. Each spectrum appears as a number ( which is used to refer to it in all operations ) followed by a short description. This description is set when the spectrum is first created. This is either when it is read in or when an operation is carried out on another spectrum. You can set the description on the Spectrum Reading Dialog in the "Spectrum Description:" text area. If this is left blank the program will set a default description. Spectra in the list may be SELECTED by combinations of mouse and keyboard operations. Spectra which are selected will appear with their colours reversed. The numbers of selected spectra will appear in the relevant text area of any dialogs which are visible at the time of selection.
To scroll the list:
press and hold down the left mouse button over the central rectangular area of the scrollbar and drag it in the required direction
OR
click the left mouse button over one of the arrows at the ends of the scrollbars
To select a spectrum:
click the left mouse button over i
tTo make a quick default plot of a spectrum
:double click the left mouse button over it
To select several spectra:
click the left mouse button over the first spectrum and then click the left mouse button over each of the others in turn WHILE HOLDING DOWN THE CONTROL KEY ( Extended Mode )
To select a range of spectra ( Extended mode only ):
press down the left mouse button over the first spectrum and drag the pointer up or down the list before releasing the mouse button
To select several disconnected ranges of spectra ( Extended only ):
select the first range by dragging the left mouse button as above
select subsequent ranges by dragging the left mouse button with the CONTROL key held down
To Popup the popup menu:
press and hold down the right mouse button while the pointer is over the list
OR
press the F4 key while the list has the keyboard focus ( use the arrow keys to navigate the menu and the SPACE or RETURN keys to select an item )
To switch between Extended and Mutliple modes:
choose the relevant item from the ListMode submenu of the popup menu
Notes:
the default mode of selection operations is Extended Mode
double clicking on an item overrules whichever selection mode is currently in use and deselects all other items
the extended mode has complicated and tedious rules about behaviour when disconnected ranges overlap; both modes may be operated from the keyboard; the extende mode has TWO different submodes of keyboard operation -- details of all this can be found in the OSF/Motif Users' Guide and there are some hints for fiddlers in section 5 below.
The popup menu appears when the right mouse button is pressed while the pointer is over the Spectra List. The menu has these items:
Help: displays this help
Delete: deletes any selected spectra
Undelete: puts up a window which allows any spectra which have been deleted from the main list to be restored. Deleted spectra will be available throughout the session.
Examine: puts up a window containing detailed information about the first spectrum which is currently selected.
ListMode: Motif list widgets have several modes of operation. These modes use different combinations of keys and actions to select more than one item. The spectra list allows you to choose between two of these modes: Multiple and Extended. The major difference between them is that Extended allows selection of several items by dragging mouse buttons. In Multiple mode several items must be selected one at a time by clicking on them. The Extended mode has two sub-modes ( Normal and Add ); the differences between these modes are only noticeable if you use the keyboard rather than the mouse for selection. Full details of the list operation can be found in the OSF/Motif Users' Guide.
If you cannot be bothered to read the list instructions in the OSF Users' Guide then experimenting with the following combinations of mouse buttons and keyboard keys should give you further insight into the desperately complicated workings of the List widget:
In Extended mode:
Left Mouse button clicks
Left Mouse button drags
CTRL - Left Mouse button clicks
CTRL - Left Mouse button drags
Up arrow key
Down arrow key
SHIFT Up arrow key
SHIFT Down arrow key
SHIFT F8 ( switches between Normal and Add submodes )
SPACE key
In Multiple mode:Left Mouse button clicks
Up arrow key
Down arrow key
SPACE key
( Note that Normal and Add are not really submodes of Extended. They are modes of Keyboard operation which interact with the modes of List operation: Multiple, Extended, Single and Browse ( the last two not used in Motplot ))