-- SarahBonestell - 24 Jun 2020

InstantPlot Instructions

What is InstantPlot?

InstantPlot is a custom software that lets the user view data from both SAXS and WAXS detectors. InstantPlot software is an ongoing development and is not currently publicly available. Please contact Louisa Smieska for access to InstantPlot. To learn about InstantPlot features, go to InstantPlotFeatures.

Instructions

• You will need to install Python and PyFAI. Visit the HowToInstallPython page for a guide. Make sure both your operating system and Python software are up-to-date.
• To install PyFAI, type "conda install pyfai -c conda-forge" into the terminal.
• Click here for instructions on how to create .poni files from raw data.
• To download example .poni and calibration .tiff files, use this .zip file: 2020-1-InstantPlot-Setup.zip
• Instructions for launching GUI:

1. The default path for the calibration files needs to be changed to a location on your computer. In the "SAXSWAXS-viewer" folder downloaded from GitHub, open the file "config.txt". In the area titled "# default calibration files (with paths)", replace the "C:" files with corresponding paths to your PIL .poni files. For example, the corresponding paths to the files in the "2020-1-InstantPlot-Setup.zip" folder would be PIL6_Lab6.poni in filepath 0, PIL5_AgBe.poni in filepath 1, and PIL9_Lab6.poni in filepath 2. Save the file.
   
2. InstantPlot can be loaded through both Anaconda Spyder and your computer's terminal.
   - To load InstantPlot using Spyder, launch Spyder through Anaconda Navigator, click on "Open File" and nagivate to and open "InstantPlot_v2.py". Click the "run" button in the upper-left area of the application to run the program.
   - To load InstantPlot using your computer's terminal, open the terminal and navigate to the folder containing "InstantPlot_v2.py". Start InstantPlot by typing "python InstantPlot_v2.py" and pressing enter.
3. Once InstantPlot is open, make sure the .poni PIL file paths from your computer are in the corresponding locations in the "Calibration, Background" tab. Click "Load PONI files" and then click "Update Plot" towards the bottom right of the application.
   -To change .poni files, click on the PIL6/9/5 buttons and select a different .poni file. Click "Load PONI files" when finished.
   
   
4. In the lower left area of the application, click on "Select Path" and navigate to the folder where your data is located. For example, the folder titled "2020-1-InstantPlot-Setup" from the .zip file example would be selected to view the data from that folder. Click "Update/Refresh Path". To have a path already set when the application is opened, open the file "config.txt" from the "SAXSWAXS-viewer" folder from step 1 and enter the desired file path in the "default_data_path" line.
   
   
5. The images from the calibration files should appear in the window to on the left side of the application.