About the Variables and Geometry window

To display the Variables and Geometry window, do one of the following:

On the Windows and dialog boxes toolbar, click , or
On the View menu, click Variables & Geometry, or
Press the F7 key.

The Variables and Geometry window is used to manage all variables and geometry related objects. It displays relationships between transducers and the platform, their inputs and outputs, as well as the data flow relationships between raw acoustic and virtual variables. Multiple custom views can be designed to display your choice of objects and their relationships.

This topic has the following sections:

Using the Variables & Geometry window
Views
Colors and shapes
- Arrow colors
- Shapes

Using the Variables & Geometry window

You can arrange variables and objects on the window by selecting, dragging and dropping them as required.

Use the Rectangular selection tool to:

Select an object

Click on the object, to select it.

Select multiple objects

Use the mouse to draw a selection over desired objects.
-OR-
Use CTRL + Click to select multiple objects.

To make variable names easier to recognize, enter a short name for a variable on the Notes page of the Variable Properties dialog box.

You can also print the displayed contents of the Variables and Geometry window, to one page.

Editing

Objects and variables highlight when you point to them. Variables and lines can display a node - this indicates it can be used as an input operand for another virtual variable.

When you drag an arrow from an object, all available objects appear solid and surrounded by a halo, unavailable objects appear semi-transparent.

To change input operands :

drag (an arrow) from a node and drop the arrow onto an eligible (target) variable.
- OR-
select an input operand in the Variable Properties dialog box of the virtual variable.

Note: The drag and drop method replaces the first operand in the target variable.

Copy and Paste

Select one or more objects and use the Shortcut menu to Copy (CTRL+C) and Paste (CTRL+V) the objects into the current or another EV file. You can Copy and Paste the following objects:

Editable and virtual lines
Virtual variables (excluding GPS virtual variables)

After a Copy-Paste, the variable or the first variable in a virtual chain loses its input operands and loses its calibration inheritance. To set input operands drag an arrow from an available variable to the affected variable or use the Operands page of the Variable Properties dialog box. Then use the Calibration page to select calibration inheritance.

The following can also occur:

Calibration inheritance can be lost when the relevant lines are not included in a Copy-Paste.
Virtual variables can lose the settings for Exclude above line and Exclude below line. Reset your Exclusion Lines on the Analysis Page of the Variable Properties dialog box.
A line can lose the setting for the Line Source. Reset the Line Source on the Source page of the Line Properties dialog box.

Duplicate a Transducer

To create a copy of the Transducer, select a Transducer and on the Shortcut menu select Duplicate.

Grouping

Multiple objects in a view can be grouped together, groups can be collapsed or expanded, and objects can be added to or removed from groups using the Grouping submenu available from the Shortcut (right-click) menu.

Grouping Option	Description
Group	Creates a group from the selected objects; a color window will open for selecting a color to identify the group and group objects with. Group objects are shown inside a colored rectangle. Notes: Once objects are grouped they will respond as one to Show and Hide options on the Shortcut menu. The color of the arrow(s) going into the group represents the color of the group only and has no data type. The color of the arrow leaving the group has the data type color of the output of the last object in the chain. All variables within a selected group will respond to the Use Calibration Inheritance option on the Shortcut menu.
Collapse	Collapses the group objects and replaces them with a single group rectangle displayed in the group color, with the group name. Note: A red rectangle indicates that one or more of the objects within the group does not use calibration inheritance.
Expand	Expands the group to show all objects in the group.
Ungroup	Ungroups the objects in a selected group, or removes a selected object from within an expanded group.
Group Properties	Opens the Group Properties dialog box where you can change the name and color used for the group.

Menu items

You can perform certain tasks from the Variables and Geometry window using the following commands on the Object menu and/or Shortcut (right click) menu.

Menu item	Description
New	A submenu from which you can create a new (virtual) variable, line or transducer. The following may appear: Variable Transducer Editable line Virtual line Note: New variables inherit some settings from their operand(s) at the time that they are created. See Inheritance of properties for more information.
Delete	Delete the selected object(s) from the EV file. There is no undo for this option. Note: You cannot delete raw variables or a virtual variable that is used as an operand for another variable. Tip: If you wish to remove the object from the current view only - use the Hide command.
Delete All Virtual Variables	Delete all virtual variables (visible and unavailable) from the EV File. Note: This option is only available on the Object menu.
Rename	Renames the object. The new name changes the Short name of the object on the Notes page of the Variable Properties dialog box. Refer to Short names for objects for more information about renaming objects.
Duplicate	Creates a copy of the selected transducer. The copy is named Copy of [Transducer name] by default. Note: This menu item is only available for transducers.
Copy	Creates a copy of the selected virtual variable or line. The copy is named Copy of [Variable name] by default. Note: New variables inherit some settings from their operand(s) at the time that they are created. See Inheritance of properties for more information.
Echogram	Displays an echogram of the selected variable. This is the same as double-clicking the variable. Note: This option is only available on the Shortcut menu.
Cruise track	Displays a cruise track of the selected variable. For position variable this is the same as double-clicking the variable, for acoustic variables it will display an along-track display. Note: This option is only available on the Shortcut menu.
Graph	Displays a graph of a selected applicable variable. This is the same as double-clicking the variable. Variables that are displayed as graphs are: Roll data Heading data Lines Note: This option is only available on the Shortcut menu.
Use calibration inheritance	Changes the setting Inherit calibration settings from for selected virtual variables that are set to No inheritance. Calibration inheritance will be re-set to use the first operand in the selected virtual variable definition(s). See Inheritance of calibration settings for more information. Note: This option is only available on the Shortcut menu.
Reset Statistics	Clears ping generation statistics on selected variables. Ping generation statistics appear in the ToolTip for objects that display echograms. These statistics can be used to set the ping cache limits to optimize your processing performance. Note: If the Generations value on the ToolTip does not increase each time you open the variable, then all pings for that variable are being cached. On the Performance page of the Echoview Configuration dialog box a cache setting and cache information are available.
Layout	Automatically arranges the icons in current view of the Variables and Geometry window. Any manual changes you have previously made to the layout will be lost when you use this command.
Zoom In	Zoom in a fixed amount.
Zoom Out	Zoom out a fixed amount.
Unzoom	Unzoom.
Select All	Select all objects in the current view.
Select	Select the nominated objects in the current view.
Show	Opens the Show In View dialog box to select additional objects to show in the current view.
Hide	Hides the selected object(s) from the current view.
View	Views can be customized using the View submenu. See Views below.
Grouping	This option is available on the Shortcut menu for grouping multiple objects together in the active view. See Grouping below.
Variable Properties	Displays Variable Properties dialog box for a selected variable.
Line Properties	Displays Line Properties dialog box for a selected line.
Transducer Properties	Displays Transducer Properties dialog box for a selected transducer.
Platform Properties	Displays Platform Properties dialog box for a selected platform.

Tip: To make variable names easier to recognize, enter a short name for a variable on the Notes page of the Variable Properties dialog box.

Notes:

Raw variables that are not checked in the Raw variables section of the Filesets window are unavailable and cannot be used for creating new virtual variables or lines.
The shapes and color of each arrow and icon is determined by the type of data or object, and the View Properties settings. See Colors and shapes in the Variables and Geometry window below.

Short names for objects

Variables and virtual variables can have quite long and obscure names. Short names can improve your workflow when managing a number of variables, virtual variables and objects.

You can rename an object using one of four methods:

On the Variables and Geometry window select the object, on the Shortcut menu select Rename.
On the Variables and Geometry window, select the object and press F2.
On the Variables and Geometry window, select the object and select the object again to edit the object name. This process is different from using a double-click. See the Note below.
On the Notes page of the Variable Properties dialog box, edit Short name.

To revert to the (long) variable or object name:

Delete the Short name on the Notes page of the Variable Properties dialog box.
- OR-
Select the object, on the Shortcut menu, select Rename, delete any text.

Note: The rate at which you can apply two consecutive single clicks will be affected by the value for Double-click speed on the Button page of Mouse Properties on your computer's hardware settings.

Navigation

Pan

To pan across the Variables and Geometry window:

Click the Pan tool , click and drag.

- OR -

Press the Spacebar, click and drag.

- OR -

In Rectangular selection mode, click the mouse wheel and drag.

Note: While you are using the Pan tool but are not actively panning, you can right-click to select an object under the mouse pointer and gain access to the Shortcut menu.

Zoom

To zoom in the Variables and Geometry window:

Rotate the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.

- OR -

Use the Zoom tools on the Zoom toolbar.

Tip: To make all objects fit (visibly) in the window, click the mouse wheel. To return to the previous zoom level click the mouse wheel again. The position of the mouse pointer for the second click will center the window about that position.

Views

Multiple custom views can be created in the Variables and Geometry window to suit your display purposes. Defined views are made available by clicking the View tabs, located at the bottom of the Variables and Geometry window.

To manage and create views, use the View submenu available from the Shortcut (right-click) menu.

To rearrange the order of the View tabs, click on a View tab then click + drag that tab to a new position.

To add new objects to the view use Show on the Shortcut (right-click) menu.

View Option	Description
New	Creates a new, blank view window; a new tab will appear at the bottom of the window.
New from selected	Creates a new view with the objects that are selected.
Delete View	Deletes the current view.
Layout	Automatically rearranges the icons in the current view. Any manual changes you have previously made to the layout will be lost when you use this command. There is no undo for this option.
View Properties	Opens the View Properties dialog box where you can change the name, the data relationship displayed between objects, and the type of new objects to add to this view automatically.

Note: Pre-set views in EV files saved in Echoview 4.30 or earlier are reproduced as they were saved (with small differences), on the condition that you used the views. Views that were never used will not be replicated accurately.

Colors and shapes in the Variables and Geometry window

Arrow colors

An operand's data type or data relationship may be quickly distinguished by the color of the arrow representing that operand.

Standard relationship type

When Standard is chosen for the Relationship type setting on the View Properties dialog box, the color of the arrow between two variables represents the input variable's data type. Data type arrow colors are as follows:

Color name	Color	Data type
money green		Current velocity magnitude
olive		Color
dark gray		Boolean
teal		Roll
sky blue		Heading
lime		Distance
orange		Position
navy		Multibeam phase
silver		Multibeam magnitude
maroon		Angular position
fuchsia		Single targets or multibeam targets
dark green		Linear
purple		Unspecified dB
red		TS
blue		Sv
gold		Line

Calibration relationship type

When Calibration is chosen for the Relationship type setting on the View Properties dialog box, variables which are set to inherit their calibration settings from another variable are shown with an arrow color as follows:

Color name	Color	Relationship type
sienna		Calibration inheritance

See Inheritance of Properties for more details.

Line usage relationship type

When Line usage is chosen for the Relationship type setting on the View Properties dialog box, relationships between variables and lines are shown with arrow labels and the following arrow colors:

Color name	Color	Relationship type
blue		Exclude above line. Exclude below line.
black		Analysis line.
green		Active line.

Note: After changes to the active line, the Line usage view may need to be refreshed manually by using the View Properties dialog box again.

Arrow labels

Label	Meaning
n	where n is an integer - this arrow defines operand n.
D	Arrow comes from a distance variable.
H	Arrow comes from a heading variable.
P	Arrow comes from a position variable.
T	Arrow comes from a transducer.
A	Arrow comes from the active line.
U	Arrow comes from the Exclude above line.
L	Arrow comes from the Exclude below line.

Note: An arrow is only drawn from a transducer to the first variable in a path of operand variables that all have the same transducer selected. The transducer for any particular variable is selected on the Calibration page of the Variable Properties dialog box.

Shapes

The following shapes are used to distinguish different objects within the Variables and Geometry window:

Symbol	Object type
Geometry icons
	Platform
	Transducer
Line icons
	Sounder-detected bottom line
	Editable line
	Virtual line
Variable icons
	Raw variable (acoustic)
	Raw variable (attitude)
	Arithmetic operators
	Bitmap operators
	Conversion operators
	Convolution operators
	Data manipulation operators
	Imaging operators
	Multibeam operators
	Single target detection operators
	Movement operators
	Single target manipulation operators
Variable status
	Red outline (any variable): Calibration values manually edited or independent calibration values
	Solid border and lighter fill color (any variable): Unavailable object

Notes:

The color of the shape is specific to the operator group and the intensity of the color is specific to individual operators. This provides a set of visual clues as to the operators in use.
A red outline around a shape indicates that one or more of the calibration values have been manually edited or is an independent calibration value .
Unavailable objects are displayed with a solid border and lighter fill than their equivalent available object.

About the Variables and Geometry window

Using the Variables & Geometry window

Select an object

Select multiple objects

Editing

Copy and Paste

Duplicate a Transducer

Grouping

Menu items

Short names for objects

Navigation

Pan

Zoom

Views

Colors and shapes in the Variables and Geometry window

Arrow colors

Standard relationship type

Calibration relationship type

Line usage relationship type

Arrow labels

Shapes

See also