DEVise JavaScreen Help

v5.10.0

General

Toolbar

Keyboard shortcuts

Version history


General

The DEVise (Data Exploration and Visualization) JavaScreen is a Java applet that allows users to interactively explore complex data sets. The JavaScreen applet connects to a DEVise server, which renders most images the user sees. This allows large data sets to be visualized without transmitting the full data set to the client applet.

Note that a full explanation of DEVise is beyond the scope of this help document. This document will focus on the areas useful to the average user of the DEVise JavaScreen.

Views

The view is the fundamental component of DEVise. A view is an area of the screen within which symbols are displayed, with each symbol corresponding to a record in the underlying data. One key property of a view is the axis ranges (which are in effect even if axes are not displayed in the view). Data outside the current axis ranges is not displayed. (Note that three-dimensional views are somewhat different in this respect.)

One of the most important features of views is that, in most cases, you can change the axis ranges by dragging with the mouse or by other actions. (See the "toolbar" and "keyboard shortcuts" sections below for specific information on how this is done.) Some views have their axis ranges "locked", to prevent changes that would render the visualization less usable. In some visualizations, several views have their axis ranges "linked", so that zooming in or out in one view will also zoom correspondingly in other views.

DEVise Cursors

The DEVise Cursor is a rectangular "box" within a view. The box can be moved (and in many cases, resized) by dragging it with the mouse. When you do this, "behind the scenes" connections will change another part of the visualization. In some cases, a DEVise cursor is used to select a region that is magnified in another view (this is probably the most obvious case). However, there are other uses of DEVise cursors, such as selecting which of a number of data sets to display.

A cursor can also be moved by clicking with the mouse on the place to which the center of the cursor should be moved. (This works even if the cursor is not within the view because the view's axis ranges were changed.)

Most DEVise visualizations are designed to be explored mainly by moving and resizing the DEVise cursors.


Toolbar

The Toolbar (located at the left edge of the JavaScreen) allows you to select from a number of different modes. These modes change the behavior of the JavaScreen as described below. In general, in order to perform a given action you have to select the appropriate toolbar mode, and then click or drag in the view that is to be affected. When you enter a given toolbar mode, the mouse cursor changes to reflect the current mode.

Note that some views may not allow all toolbar actions. In such cases, the mouse cursor will change to a no-op cursor. Also, at this time, the toolbar only has an effect on two-dimensional views.


Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are used by pressing the key while the mouse cursor is in the appropriate view. You do not have to select the view before pressing the key.

General Shortcuts

Axis Range Shortcuts

2D Mouse Actions

In normal toolbar mode only.

3D Mouse Actions, Jmol view

Note that a Jmol view is one that shows both atoms and bonds.

3D Mouse Actions, non-Jmol view

Other 3D Shortcuts, non-Jmol view

Symbol Display Shortcuts

2D views only.


Version history

Version 5.10.0

Version 5.9.4

Version 5.9.3

Version 5.9.2

Version 5.9.1

JavaScreen 5.9.0

JavaScreen 5.8.2.1

JavaScreen 5.8.2

JavaScreen 5.8.1

JavaScreen 5.8.0

JavaScreen 5.7.2

JavaScreen 5.7.1

(With DEVise 1.9.0)

JavaScreen 5.7.0

(With DEVise 1.9.0.)

JavaScreen 5.6.1

JavaScreen 5.6.0

(With DEVise 1.8.0.)

(Entries below here also included in 5.7.0.)

JavaScreen 5.5.2

(With DEVise 1.7.19.)

JavaScreen 5.5.1

(With DEVise 1.7.18?)

JavaScreen 5.5.0

JavaScreen 5.4.2

JavaScreen 5.4.0

JavaScreen 5.3.0

(With DEVise 1.7.15?)

JavaScreen 5.2.2


If you have any trouble using this software, please contact devise-sup@cs.wisc.edu

Last updated 2008-03-05.