Plots and Lists

A variety of plot types can be inserted into a data display so that you can view data in different ways. The plot types are shown in the following table.

Plot Type	Description
Rectangular	Displays scalar data in a linear or logarithmic format.
Polar	Displays real and imaginary components of complex data on a polar plot.
Smith Chart	Displays real and imaginary components of complex data on a Smith chart.
Stacked	Displays a vertical stack of rectangular plots, each with the same x axis and different y axes.
List	Displays data in columnar format.

You can have more than one plot in a single window. Some plot examples:

Inserting Plots

To insert a plot, do the following:

1. Choose Insert > Plot or select a plot type from the palette.
   
   
2. Position the pointer on the display area. A ghost image of a rectangle is attached to the pointer. It indicates the position and size of the plot.
   • If you are satisfied with the size and position of the rectangle, click the mouse.
   • If you want to customize the size of the plot, position the pointer where you want the upper-left corner of the plot, then drag the mouse. When the rectangle is the desired size, release the mouse.
3. The Plot Traces & Attributes dialog box appears. Plot types are shown across the top and the selected plot type is highlighted. To change to a different plot type, click the button that corresponds to the plot type that you want.
   
4. The lower part of the dialog box contains selections for adding traces to the plot. These are described in Traces.
5. Click the Plot Options tab to set up the plot. Options include adding titles and scaling data. Changing options are discussed in the next section.
6. Click OK to dismiss the dialog box and insert the plot.

Editing Plots

The title, grid, scale and other attributes can be can changed for an existing plot. Any changes that you make will only affect the currently selected plot. To change properties for all plots added subsequently, refer to Setting Plot Preferences.

Note Plot options for the chosen plot type are displayed automatically. If the plot options do not seem correct, click the Plot Type tab, click the Plot button corresponding to the type of plot you want, then reselect the Plot Options tab.

To change the plot type:

1. Double-click the plot.
2. In the dialog box that appears, select a new plot type from the Plot Type tab.

To edit various plot characteristics:

1. Double-click the plot of interest, or choose Edit > Item Options , and select the Plot Options tab.
2. When you are through editing plot characteristics, click OK to dismiss the Plot Traces & Attributes dialog box and save the changes.

Most plots use two axes but you can add an additional axis to rectangular plots. To add an additional axis to your rectangular plot:

1. From the Plot Options tab, select an axis from the Select Axis list box and click Add Axis.
2. In the dialog box that appears, enter a name for the new axis, select the desired orientation and click OK.
   

To add a title above a plot or edit an existing title:

1. From the Plot Options tab, enter the desired title in the Title field.
2. To change the font, size or color of the title, click More and change the characteristics as desired in the dialog box that appears, and click OK.

The names of the variables that are displayed on a plot appear along the axes of a plot. The names of the independent and dependent variables are displayed on the x and y axes, respectively. You can format the text along both axes and the numbers on a single axis.

Plots can display the data from multiple independent variables. Each time a trace is added to a plot, a different color is used to draw the trace. The color of the label for that trace matches the color of the trace to help you identify the source of the data.

The figure shown next displays default axis labels. Note that if you give descriptive names to schematic items such as named connections and variables, as well as to data display equations, you may not need to change the default axis labels.


To format a plot's axis labels and numbers:

1. Select the desired axis from the Select Axis list box and type the desired label in the Axis Label field.

   Note By default, the names of the independent and dependent variables are displayed as labels along the axes of a plot. If you enter text in the Axis Label field, the variable names along the selected axis will be replaced by this text.

2. Click More (to the right of the Axis Label field) to format the label characteristics. The Axis Label dialog box appears.
3. In the Axis Label dialog box, select a Format for the numbers along the axis:
   • Auto A default format is automatically chosen, based on the type of data to be displayed along the axis.
   • Full All digits before the decimal are displayed (i.e., 1530000).
   • Scientific Numbers are displayed in scientific format (for example, 1000 is displayed as 1.00e3).
   • Engineering Numbers are displayed using engineering notation. For example, frequency values end in Hz. Additionally, numbers are displayed in powers of 10 ³ (for example, 1000 Hz is displayed as 1.0 kHz).
   • Hex Numbers are displayed in hexadecimal (base 16).
   • Octal Numbers are displayed in octal (base 8).
   • Binary Numbers are displayed in binary (base 2).
     
4. In the field to the right of the Format drop-down list, enter the desired # of Decimal Digits (for Full) or Significant Digits (for Scientific, Engineering, Hex, Octal, Binary). When Auto is the selected Format, the number of digits after the decimal is chosen automatically; any value in the # of Decimal Digits field is ignored.
5. Select the desired font from the Font Type list.
6. Select the desired font size from the Font Size list.
7. Click the Color bar to select a new text color and click OK.

   Note If you set this to a color other than black, all labels will be displayed in this color.

8. Click OK to dismiss the Axis Label dialog box.

The scale on rectangular and stacked plots and Smith charts can be set to linear or logarithmic format. The scale can also be different along each axis.

To change the scale format, do the following:

1. Select the desired axis from the Select Axis list box.
2. Select the Auto Scale option.
3. Select either Linear or Log as the Scale type.
4. Select the other axis, as appropriate, and change its scale in a similar manner.

The data display automatically scales plot axes to display the entire range of a variable on the plot and give an optimum view of the data.

• For rectangular and stacked plots, you can manually set the start and endpoints of a plot to show a limited range of data.
• On polar plots and Smith charts, you can specify the radius of the plot and the range of data for the independent variable.

  Note You can scroll through traces that have more data than what is displayed on the plot. Select the trace, then use the scroll buttons on the toolbar to scroll through the trace. For more information on scrolling, refer to Scrolling through Lists and Traces.

To manually scale a plot, do the following:

1. Select the axis that you want to scale from the Select Axis list box.
2. Deselect the Auto Scale option.
3. Enter the starting value for the selected axis in the Min field.
4. Enter the ending value for the selected axis in the Max field. For Smith plots, this is the maximum radius of the plot.
5. Enter the incremental value in the Step field (rectangular, stacked, and polar plots only). Grid lines are drawn on this axis at these intervals.
6. For polar and Smith charts only, to limit the range of data displayed, deselect Display All and enter the minimum and maximum values in the Start and Stop fields, respectively.

   Note For Smith charts only, the coordinates can be changed by selecting Impedance, Admittance, or Both from the Coordinate drop-downlist.

The type, thickness, and color of lines in a grid can be changed. On rectangular plots and stacked plots, horizontal lines and vertical lines can have different properties. The same is true for impedance and admittance lines on Smith charts.


To edit a plot's grid:

1. For rectangular and stacked plots, select an axis from the Select Axis list box. Select the X axis to format the vertical lines of the grid; select the Y axis to format horizontal lines. For stacked plots, the Y axis on each plot must be formatted individually.
2. Click Grid. If the plot is a rectangular, polar, or stacked rectangular plot, you can modify the grid attributes. For Smith charts, you can edit either the impedance or admittance lines.
3. Select a line type (solid, dot, dash, etc.) from the Type drop-down list.
4. Select a line thickness either by using the slider or by entering a value in the Points field. Thickness can range from 0 to 10 points. The larger the value, the thicker the line will be drawn.
5. Click the Color bar, select a new color, then click OK.
6. Click OK to dismiss the Grid dialog box.

You can remove the grid from a plot. To remove the grid:

1. Click Grid. The Grid dialog box is displayed.
2. Deselect the Display Grid option.
3. Click OK to dismiss the Grid dialog box.

Editing

Plot Axis Scales
The scale of a plot axis can be changed directly from a rectangular, polar, or stacked rectangular plot by using the following steps:

1. Click on the first or last number label on the axis and enter a new value (on polar plots, you can only change the outer-most number label).

   Note The value you enter in the number label depends on the unit of measure used for the axis. For example, if the x-axis uses "freq (GHz)" as the unit of measure, typing 9 in the number label would result in the label having a value of "9 GHz" rather than "9".

2. Press Return or click anywhere in the Data Display window to make the scale change take effect.

Deleting Plots

To remove a plot, do the following:

1. To delete a single plot, single-click on the plot. For multiple plots, hold the Shift key down and single-click on each plot of interest.
2. Press the Delete key or choose Edit > Delete.

   Note If you just want to disable a plot temporarily, refer to Activating or Deactivating Objects.

Setting Plot Preferences

Plot preferences set the default plot properties and determine the appearance of a plot in the display area. Preferences affect all plot types and include setting the font type, size, and color for titles and axis labels; the numeric format of axis labels; and the line type, width, and color of grids.

Plot preference changes will apply to all plots created after the changes were made and saved. To change the properties for an existing plot, refer to Editing Plots.

Data display preference settings can be saved for reuse by creating a preferences file. For more information on how to create and use such a file, refer to Setting Data Display Preferences.

To set plot preferences, use the following steps:

1. Choose Options > Preferences.
2. The Preference dialog box appears. Click the Plot tab followed by the Main tab.
3. To set the plot title attributes, do the following:
   • Select a font from the Font Type list.
   • Select a font size from the Font Size list.
   • Click the Text Color bar, select a color, then click OK.
4. The axis numbers can be formatted for plots that use more than one axis. This is done as follows:
   • Select an axis label format from the Label Format list. The choices are:
     Auto A default format is automatically chosen, based on the type of data to be displayed along the axis.
     Full All digits before the decimal are displayed (i.e., 1530000).
     Scientific Numbers are displayed in scientific format (for example, 1000 is displayed as 1.00e3).
     Engineering Numbers are displayed using engineering notation. For example, frequency values end in Hz. Additionally, numbers are displayed in powers of 10 ³ (for example, 1000 Hz is displayed as 1.0 kHz).
     Hex Numbers are displayed in hexadecimal (base 16).
     Octal Numbers are displayed in octal (base 8).
     Binary Numbers are displayed in binary (base 2).
   • To the right of the Format drop-down list, enter the desired # of Decimal Digits (for Full) or Significant Digits (for Scientific, Engineering, Hex, Octal, Binary). When Auto is the selected Format, the number of digits after the decimal is chosen automatically; any value in the # of Decimal Digits field is ignored.
5. To format axis label text, click the Label button and make the following selections from the Axis Labels dialog box:
   • Select a font from the Font Type list.
   • Select a font size from the Font Size list.
   • Click the Text Color bar, select a new color, then click OK.

     Note If you set this to a color other than black, all labels will be displayed in this color.

   • Click OK to dismiss the Axis Label dialog box.
6. To set grid preferences, click Grid and make the following selections in the Grid dialog box:
   • Select a line pattern from the Type list.
   • Select a line thickness either by using the scroll bar or by entering a value into the Points field. Thickness can range from 0 to 10 points. If 0 points is selected, a very thin line is drawn.
   • Click the Color bar, select a new color, then click OK.
   • Select a Smith chart admittance line pattern from the Type list.
   • Select a Smith chart admittance line thickness by using the scroll bar or entering a value into the Points field. Thickness can range from 0 to 10 points. If 0 points is selected, a very thin line is drawn.
   • Select a Smith chart admittance line color by clicking the Color bar, selecting a new color, then clicking OK.
   • Click OK to dismiss the Grid dialog box.
7. To set the axis scale for linear and stacked plots, click the Linear, Stack tab and select Linear or Log.
8. To set the coordinates used on Smith charts, click the Smith tab and select Impedance, Admittance, or Both from the Coordinate list.
9. Click OK to dismiss the Preference dialog box and save the changes.

Inserting Lists
To insert a list, do the following:

1. Select List from the palette or choose Insert > Plot.
   
   
2. Position the pointer on the display area. A ghost image of a rectangle is attached to the pointer. It indicates the position and size of the list.
   If you are satisfied with the size and position of the rectangle, click the mouse.
   If you want to customize the size of the list, position the pointer where you want the upper-left corner of the list, then drag the mouse. When the rectangle is the desired size, release the mouse.
3. The Plot Traces & Attributes dialog box appears. Plot types and list icon are shown across the top. If the List icon is not highlighted, select it.
   
4. Click the Plot Options tab to set up the list. Options are provided for formatting the data. Changing list options are discussed in the next section.
5. Click OK to dismiss the dialog box and insert the list.

Editing Lists

Except for titles, lists have options that are not common to the other plot types. You can change these list settings:

• Numeric format of data displayed in lists
• Text format of data, such as font type and color
• Format of the lines that outline a list
• Display of column headings
• Display of data in table format

Any changes that you make will only affect the currently selected list. To change the properties for all subsequently created lists, refer to Setting List Preferences.

To edit a list, do the following:

1. Double-click on the list.
2. The Plot Traces & Attributes dialog box appears. Click the Plot Options tab.
3. To specify the numeric format of the data, do the following:
   • Select a format for the data from the Format drop-down list. The choices are:
     Auto A default format is automatically chosen based on the type of data displayed.
     Full All digits before the decimal are displayed (for example, 1530000).
     Scientific Numbers are displayed in scientific format. For example, 1000 is displayed as 1.00e3.
     Engineering Numbers are displayed using engineering notation. For example, frequency values end in Hz. Also, numbers are displayed in powers of 10 ³ (1000 Hz is displayed as 1.0 kHz).
     Hex Numbers are displayed in hexadecimal (base 16).
     Octal Numbers are displayed in octal (base 8).
     Binary Numbers are displayed in binary (base 2).
   • To the right of the Format drop-down list, enter the desired # of Decimal Digits (for Full) or Significant Digits (for Scientific, Engineering, Hex, Octal, Binary). When Auto is the selected Format, the number of digits after the decimal is chosen automatically; any value in the # of Decimal Digits field is ignored.

     Note If columns are too narrow to display data correctly, an ellipsis (...) appears in the data. To widen the columns, select the list and drag the lower-right or lower-left handle horizontally.

4. To change the type font, size, and color of list text, do the following:
   • Click Listing Text.
   • Make the following selections from the Column Listing dialog box:
     Select a font from the Font Type list
     Select a font size from the Font Size list.
     Click Text Color, select a color, then click OK.
   • Click OK to dismiss the Column Listing dialog box
5. The type, color, and thickness of the line around the perimeter of a list can be changed by following
   these steps:
   • Click Outline.
   • Make these selections from the Outline dialog box:
     Select a line pattern from the Type list.
     Select a line thickness either by using the Thickness scroll bar or by entering a value into the Points field.
     Click Color, select a new outline color, then click OK.
   • Click OK to dismiss the Outline dialog box.
6. Column headings display the name of the variable that is the source of the data. They are displayed by default. To remove them, deselect Display Column Headings.
7. Table format is only used to display data with two independent and one dependent variable. It is chosen automatically. To disable table format, select Suppress Table Format.
8. If you use table format, you can also transpose the data, which reverses the position of the two independent variables. This is recommended if the independent variable data listed across the table has more values than the independent variable data listed down the table. Transposing would give you a longer, narrower table.

To transpose tabular data, select Transpose Data.

In the example below, the two independent variables are VCE and IBB. The measured data is IC.i. The first list is in table format, which is the default and generally the best way to display data. The second list uses table format and transposed data, note the change of position between VCE and IBB. The third list is in suppressed table format, both independents are displayed in one column.

1. Click OK to dismiss the dialog box and save the changes.

Deleting Lists

To remove a list, do the following:

1. To delete a single list, single-click the list. For multiple lists, hold the Shift key down and single-click on each list of interest.
2. Press the Delete key or choose Edit > Delete.

   Note If you just want to disable a list temporarily, refer to Activating or Deactivating Objects.

Setting List Preferences

List preferences set the default list properties and determine the appearance of a list in the display area. List preference changes will affect all lists created after the changes were made and saved. To edit the properties of an existing plot, refer to Editing Lists.

To set list preferences, follow these steps:

1. Choose Options > Preferences.
2. The Preference dialog box appears. First select the Plot tab followed by the List tab.
3. To specify the numeric format of the data, do the following:
   • Select a format for the data from the Format drop-down list. The choices are:
     Auto A default format is automatically chosen based on the type of data displayed.
     Full All digits before the decimal are displayed (i.e., 1530000).
     Scientific Numbers are displayed in scientific format (for example, 1000 is displayed as 1.00e3).
     Engineering Numbers are displayed using engineering notation. For example, frequency values end in Hz. Also, numbers are displayed in powers of 10 ³ (for example, 1000 Hz is displayed as 1.0 kHz).
     Hex Numbers are displayed in hexadecimal (base 16).
     Octal Numbers are displayed in octal (base 8).
     Binary Numbers are displayed in binary (base 2).
   • To the right of the Format drop-down list, enter the desired # of Decimal Digits (for Full) or Significant Digits (for Scientific, Engineering, Hex, Octal, Binary). When Auto is the selected Format, the number of digits after the decimal is chosen automatically; any value in the # of Decimal Digits field is ignored.

     Note If columns are too narrow to display data correctly, an ellipsis (...) appears in the data. To widen the columns, select the list and drag the lower-right or lower-left handle horizontally.

4. To change the type font, size, and color of list text, do the following:
   • Click Listing Text.
   • Make the following selections from the Column Listing dialog box:
     Select a font from the Font Type list
     Select a font size from the Font Size list.
     Click Text Color, select a color, then click OK.
   • Click OK to dismiss the Column Listing dialog box
5. The type, color, and thickness of the line around the perimeter of a list can be changed by following these steps:
   • Click Outline.
   • Make these selections from the Outline dialog box:
     Select a line pattern from the Type list.
     Select a line thickness either by using the Thickness scroll bar or by entering a value into the Points field.
     Click Color, select a new outline color, then click OK.
   • Click OK to dismiss the Outline dialog box.
6. Column headings display the name of the variable that is the source of the data. They are displayed by default. To remove them, deselect Display Column Headings.
7. Table format is only used to display data with two independent and one dependent variable. It is chosen automatically. To disable table format, select Suppress Table Format.
8. If you use table format, you can also transpose the data, which reverses the position of the two independent variables. To transpose tabular data, select Transpose Data.
9. Select a complex data format from the Complex Data List. The choices are:
   Real/Imaginary Real and imaginary values.
   Mag/Degrees Magnitude and angle in degrees.
   dB/Degrees The dB value and angle in degrees.
   Mag/Radians The magnitude and angle in radians.
   dB/Radians The dB value in radians.
10. Click OK to dismiss the Preference dialog box and save the settings.

Using Legends

Legends are provided in Data Display to help you quickly identify specific traces in a plot. Often times, sub-trace labels will appear placed on top of each other making it difficult, if not impossible, to identify values assigned to a particular sub-trace. Legends can also help to identify a traces associated with specific expressions.

Legends are especially helpful in ADS tuning sessions where it is important to keep track of the various traces associated with specific tuning parameters. For more information on ADS tuning, refer to Tuning, Optimization, and Statistical Design.

Inserting a Legend

There are two methods available for inserting a legend. The first method is the pre-select method and enables you to add legends to more than one plot at a time. The second method, or post-select method only allows you to add one legend to a single plot.

To insert a legend using the pre-select method,

1. Click the plot that you want to attach a legend to.
2. Choose Insert > Plot Legend. The legend object always appears to the right of the plot. You can then move the legend to any desired location.
   Examples of Different Trace Formats shows an example of a plot that uses different trace formats displayed in a legend.

Examples of Different Trace Formats

To insert a legend using the post-select method,

1. Choose Insert > Plot Legend.
2. Click the plot that you want to attach a legend to. The legend object always appears to the right of the plot. You can then move the legend to any desired location.

Deleting a Legend

Removing an existing legend is easy.

1. Simply click the legend that you want to remove to activate the legend.
2. Press the Delete key. The legend is removed.

Changing Legend Fonts and Font Size

To change the font and/or font size used in your legend,

1. Right-click the legend you want to change.
2. Select Text from the pop-up menu.
3. Select a new Font or Font size from the available options.
   You can perform the same actions by choosing the Edit > Text pull-down menu item.

Changing Legend Formats

There are two types of legend formats available for changing the legend display format, the Indented legend format and the Normal legend format.

• Indented legend format is used to reduce the width of the legend by collapsing common columns into a single width header. Indented legend format is the default for legends that have duplicate adjacent data in a column and can help when you have long header or equation names.
• Normal legend format is used when columns in the legend do not have duplicate adjacent data.
  See the figure Examples of Indented and Normal Legend Formats for examples of both types of legend formats.

To select the Normal legend format,

1. Click the legend you want to change.
2. Choose Edit > Legend > Format > Normal. The legend format is changed to Normal.
3. To return to the Indented legend format, simply choose Edit > Legend > Format > Indented.
   The plot pop-up menu item also includes legend format capability under the Insert Legend menu item. You can also access this capability from the Legend pop-up menu.
   
   

Examples of Indented and Normal Legend Formats