How to make curves appear less jagged

I recommend to save the graph instead as some vector graphics format => sharp at any zoom level, less size and easily editable after the fact. There are already so many publications out there with bloated or horribly compressed figures. Most likely you want to go for PDF, but SVG or EMF will do as well. Depends a bit on what the requirements of the journal are. Also, copypasting a graph directly from Igor into Word will paste as vector graphics into the document (at least on windows, don't know about mac).

Copy and paste of a graph will use the settings from the Export Graphics dialog the last time you used the dialog. That's Edit->Export Graphics. So if you bring up the dialog and select a vector format, that is what you will get for copy and paste subsequently.

Oh I didn't know such a dialog existed. You learn something new every day. To be honest, I would expect such settings in the Misc. Settings dialog and rather think Export Graphics is a function to ... export graphics, i.e., save them somewhere in a specific format (but then you also have Save Graphics). Good thing that the default seems to be EMF, so Office software stays happy.

The clue to the nature of Export Graphics vs Save Graphics would be the fact that Export is in the Edit menu and Save is in the File menu. But that's kind of splitting hairs, isn't it? Coming up with nicely descriptive but short names for menu items can be challenging!

I guess we could debate the relative merits of having Copy do what you did last, or having it do what you specified in a preference. The biggest argument now is that this is the way it's always been done, and changing it will cause trouble for those who are used to it. Making it visible to folks who don't know about it is a problem. You've been using Igor for quite a while, so the fact you didn't know is a sign of something wrong. Then the question is, should we change the design, or do something to make the current design easier to discover?

I did't intend to start a debate about this feature. :) Actually, I discover many things all the time even after using Igor for 8 years now. Maybe the fact that I was not aware of this function shows that the default is just fine. Also, I almost never browse to the Edit menu (at least these keyboard shortcuts I can remember most of the time). I don't know if changing this now will spawn angry support emails, but personally I *would* expect such a setting either in 'Misc.' or mirrored in 'Layout', 'Table' and 'Graph' (or wherever else it makes sense). There the name could even be 'Export Settings ...' since its kind of clear what is exported. For me its fine the way it is now, but good to know that this setting exists.

johnweeks wrote:

You've been using Igor for quite a while, so the fact you didn't know is a sign of something wrong.

johnweeks wrote:

Then the question is, should we change the design, or do something to make the current design easier to discover

I wonder if a convenient mechanism might be through the bottom ribbon (not sure that's the best name for it, but see attached). I can't recall whether this ribbon existed before Igor 8. It is already very useful because it shows built-in and user-defined function templates. When the user is interacting with the GUI (and thus not typing, so no template would need to be shown), Igor could put messages about the last thing that has been done.

One of Igor's most appealing qualities (compared to other GUI-based analysis packages) is how transparent many of its innerworkings are -- chiefly because so many GUI interfaces print what they do to the command line as they do it.

But not all of them do -- Export Graphics is just one example. Maybe making more use of this ribbon can help make Igor even more transparent.

Attachment: example of what the bottom ribbon could say to inform users what just happened and how they can change the behavior.

gsb wrote:

 

johnweeks wrote:

You've been using Igor for quite a while, so the fact you didn't know is a sign of something wrong.

Every so often over the past many years of using Igor, I also find myself hard-pressed to remember how/where to control this particular behavior.

I have to agree with @gsb. Even though I have used Igor since version 2 or 3, I still find myself forgetting exactly what I should do to do something that I know that I knew how to do some time ago. Some time ago could be as long as a few years or as short as last month.

The manual, integrated help, and tutorials are exceptional in all regards. I have some thoughts that what is missing is the equivalent of an "Igor Pro for Dummies" guidebook. Better said without the negative connotation: "Mastering Igor Pro: A Project-by-Project Guide".

Ha! I guess this thought gives me a hobby to put on my after-retirement event horizon (which is still quite a ways away in any case).

That's actually a good idea. I'll look into it.

Done for Igor 9, whenever it is available.