Customizing EXPGUI and Associated Programs
The EXPGUI GSAS graphical user interface can be modified in many
ways quite easily.
This document describes how the GUI works and how to modify the menus without
significant reprogramming.
EXPGUI
The main GUI is created by file expgui, which in turn uses the following files
sequentially:
- readexp.tcl
- gsascmds.tcl
- gsasmenu.tcl
Two additional files are read if they are found:
The first three files,
(readexp.tcl, gsascmds.tcl, gsasmenu.tcl)
must be located in the same directory where the expgui file is found.
The localconfig file also is read from this directory, if it exists.
The final file, .gsas_config, is read from the user's login directory (UNIX) or C:\ (Windows).
The localconfig and .gsas_config are intended to
contain system-wide and user-level default values for parameters
that are described in this document. Most routines have
a "Save Options" command that writes some of the current parameters to
file .gsas_config. Note that information in .gsas_config
overrides that in localconfig.
No error occurs if either of these files are not found.
The readexp.tcl and gsascmds.tcl files contain
tcl procedures that are
used for more than one application, so it is convenient to place them
in separate files. They are only of interest to someone trying to debug
or add new functionality to expgui.
The gsasmenu.tcl file defines the contents of the
menu bar, the contents of the
button bar and definitions for each command. The contents of this file
are designed to be modified and extended by users, either by editing the file,
or by overridding definitions in the localconfig or
.gsas_config files.
The important variables defined in the gsasmenu.tcl file are:
- expgui(menunames)
-
This list defines the menu bar headings other than File, Options & Help
- expgui_menulist
-
Each array element, e.g. expgui_menulist(file) and expgui_menulist(powder),
defines commands to be added to a menu heading. Each command will appear
as an array element in expgui_cmdlist.
- expgui_cmdlist
-
Each array element, e.g. expgui_cmdlist(Save) or expgui_cmdlist(expnam)
contains two items. The first defines a tcl procedure to be executed
when the command is invoked, or "-" if no command will be invoked and
the second contains help information describing what the command does.
Note that when menu item is selected the variable cmd is set to the
name of the command, so
expgui_cmdlist(powpref) {{runGSASwEXP $cmd} {Powder data preparation}}
means that "runGSASwEXP powpref" will be invoked when powpref is invoked.
. For example, when powpref is selected, the tcl command
"runGSASwEXP $cmd" is invoked, where variable cmd is set to "powpref".
- expgui(buttonlist)
-
This list defines the commands that will appear on the button bar where
each item that appears on the button bar must have a matching pair of entries
in expgui_cmdlist.
Thus if the command
set expgui(buttonlist) {expnam expedt genles ortep fourier forsrh forplot lstview}
is placed in the localconfig or .gsas_config files this will
redefine the contents of the button bar.
In addition to the variables defined in the previous file, expgui, uses
a small number of array for other configuration options. They are:
- expgui(scriptdir)
-
This determines where files such as readexp.tcl, etc.
are located. This defaults to the location where expgui is located so
it rarely needs to be changed.
- expgui(gsasdir)
-
This contains the location of the GSAS directory, if it is not the
parent director where expgui is found.
This determines where a number of GSAS data files will be located. If expedt
crashes when you try to add new atoms, this is probably wrong.
- expgui(gsasexe)
-
This determines where the GSAS executable files are located.
You might want to change this is you keep multiple versions of GSAS
around or if you keep the GSAS files in a different location than
the default or want to keep the tcl files somewhere other than
in a subdirectory of the GSAS files.
- expgui(coordfont)
-
Sets the font used for the coordinates scroll box
- expgui(histfont)
-
Sets the font used for the histogram scroll box
- liveplot(hst)
-
Sets the default histogram used for liveplot
- liveplot(legend)
-
Sets the default value for display of the legend in liveplot
The following variables are written to .gsas_config when
"Save Options" is used. These variables are all set from the GUI and therefore
do not need to be edited manually.
- expgui(archive)
-
This defines the default state for the archive flag,
where 0 is off and 1 is on. When archive is on, a copy of the .EXP file
is saved before a new version of the file is saved and before EXPEDT is run.
- expgui(asorttype)
-
This determines the atom sort mode.
- expgui(hsorttype)
-
This determines the histogram sort mode.
- expgui(filesort)
-
This determines the file sorting mode for the expnam command.
- env(GSASBACKSPACE)
-
Used only for UNIX: This determines if the default definition
for the backspace key is overridden; some UNIX systems need this so that
expedt and other terminal-oriented programs work correctly and
other systems do not. You can toggle this option using the "sets an environment variable needed by the "Override Backspace" option on the file menu.
LSTVIEW
The localconfig and .gsas_config files are read, if present.
The following options are available for customization in these files:
- txtvw(menulength)
-
This limits the number of entries that can
exist in a menu. For example, the default is 25, so when more than 25 cycles
are found in a .LST file, only the last 25 are listed in the
"Go To"/cycle submenu.
- txtvw(maxchars)
-
This limits the maximum number of
characters that will be read from an existing .LST file to speed
the start of the program. The default is ~1Mb
for UNIX systems and ~200K for Windows.
The following variable is written to .gsas_config when
"Save Options" is used. These variable is set from the GUI and therefore
does not need to be edited manually.
- txtvw(followcycle)
-
This sets the initial value for the
"Auto Advance" button in the "Go To" menu. When this is true,
the program will show the last cycle in the file. As new cycles are
added, the "view" is advanced.
One additional variable is present that I don't suggest using at present:
- plotvars: I am in the process of developing code that tracks
and plots shifts and R values as a function cycle number. Setting plotvars to 1
allows this code to be tested.
LIVEPLOT
The localconfig and .gsas_config files are read, if present.
The following options are available for customization in these files:
- peakinfo(colorn)
-
These variables define the default colors for
reflections in phase "n"
The following variables are written to .gsas_config when
"Save Options" is used. These variables are all set from the GUI and therefore
do not need to be edited manually.
- graph(printout)
-
This is set to 1 if PostScript files
will be printed and 0 if they will be written to disk (for Windows all
files should be written to disk).
- graph(outname)
-
This is the default for the file name used
when PostScript files will be written to disk.
- graph(outcmd)
-
This is the default for the command used
to print PostScript files (Unix only).
- graph(legend)
-
Sets the default value for display of the legend in liveplot and widplt.
Combining CMPR and EXPGUI.
If you have CMPR
installed on your computer, you can use superimpose on the GSAS results
the peaks for an arbitrary unit cell. If desired, space group extinctions
can even be shown.
This is pretty neat! To enable this feature, you must have a version
of CMPR downloaded after 4 May 1998
(see the CMPR installation instructions.)
For UNIX, create a link from in the expgui
directory to file cellgen.tcl in the CMPR directory. For example:
ln -s /usr/local/cmpr/cellgen.tcl /usr/local/gsas/expgui/cellgen.tcl
For Windows, copy all the CMPR .tcl and .exe files into the expgui directory.
Combining LOGIC and EXPGUI.
If you have LOGIC
installed on your computer, you can superimpose peaks
for a entry from the ICDD/JCPDS database on a pattern in LIVEPLOT.
This is also pretty neat!
To enable this feature, you must have
a version of LOGIC downloaded after 4 May 1998
(see the LOGIC installation instructions.)
For UNIX, create a link from in the GSAS GUI
directory to file icddcmd.tcl in the LOGIC directory. For example:
ln -s /usr/local/powdersuite/icddcmd.tcl /usr/local/gsas/tcl/icddcmd.tcl
For Windows, copy all the LOGIC files into the expgui directory.
WIDPLT
The widplt script is used to display the FWHM for one or more histograms
from a .EXP file.
At this point it only works for CW data.
It is often convenient to add for reference the expected
instrumental curves as options to the menu. This can be done by creating a
file called widplot_name. For example, renaming the
example_widplt_BT1 file supplied with the distribution to
widplt_BT1 will cause the FWHM curves for the NIST BT-1 instrument
to be added to the menu of defined FWHM values.
Creating such a file is easy. To add a entry define the following
five array elements using a single, unique element name and then append that
element name to variable datalist.
Define
set UVWP(Ge15) {398.5 -343.2 163.0 0}
set XY(Ge15) {0 0}
set wave(Ge15) 2.0775
set lblarr(Ge15) "BT-1 Ge(311) 15'"
set ttrange(Ge15) "5 160"
lappend datalist Ge15
Array element UVWP(item) contains the (Gaussian) GU, GV, GW and GP values,
while XY(item) contains the (Lorentzian) LX and LY terms. Array element
wave(item) contains a wavelength, array element lblarr(item) contains
the text to be shown on the "Plot Contents" menu and ttrange(item)
defines the range the function is valid.
The following variables are written to .gsas_config when
"Save Options" is used. These variables are all set from the GUI and therefore
do not need to be edited manually.
- graph(printout)
-
This is set to 1 if PostScript files
will be printed and 0 if they will be written to disk (for Windows all
files should be written to disk).
- graph(outname)
-
This is the default for the file name used
when PostScript files will be written to disk.
- graph(outcmd)
-
This is the default for the command used
to print PostScript files (Unix only).
- graph(legend)
-
Sets the default value for display of the legend in liveplot and widplt.
- graph(plotunits)
-
Sets the units used for displaying the data. Values are "d", "q", "",
for d-space, Q and 2-theta, respectively.
- graph(equivwave)
-
Sets the wavelength used for displaying data, if blank, no conversion is
done and data are shown in their original wavelength.
GSAS is written by: Allen C. Larson and Robert B. Von Dreele MS-H805,
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545. Problems, questions
or kudos concerning GSAS should be sent to Robert B. Von Dreele at vondreele@lanl.gov
The GUI is written by Brian H. Toby of the NIST Center for Neutron Research,
Brian.Toby@NIST.GOV.
GSAS is Copyright, 1984-1997, The Regents of the University of California.
The GSAS software was produced under a U.S. Government contract (W-7405-ENG-36)
by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which is operated by the University
of California for the U.S. Department of Energy. The U.S. Government is
licensed to use, reproduce, and distribute this software. Permission is
granted to the public to copy and use this software without charge, provided
that this notice and any statement of authorship are reproduced on all
copies. Neither the Government nor the University makes any warranty, express
or implied, or assumes any liability or responsibility for the use of this
software.
The GUI is not subject to copyright. Have fun.
Brian Toby (Brian.Toby@NIST.GOV)
$Revision: 42 $ $Date: 2009-12-04 22:59:24 +0000 (Fri, 04 Dec 2009) $