3.2. Automatic stepping
3.2.1. Introduction to automatic stepping
The automatic stepping control (containing a picture of a Stopwatch) repeats the last step at timed intervals.
Move to the start of the time period (using the button), then move forward one step (to tell the automatic stepper what type of step to repeat). Now click on the button, and the highlights will start moving forward one minute every second. Once it has moved forward a few steps, try clicking the button, and you will see the highlight move backwards.
Now click on the automatic stepping control again to stop it, and you will experiment with configuring it. Click on the button to view the properties for the stepper control:
3.2.2. Stepping keywords
A now-familiar properties window will open, allowing you to edit the properties of the Stepper control.
The properties available are:
| Auto Step | this is the real time interval used between each automatic step, not the track time moved forward. | |
| Date Format | the format of the time value displayed on the Tote is a useful format for the majority of cases. Unfortunately it does not offer sufficient resolution for tracks recorded with very small (sub-second) time steps. This option provides a number of choices of date format, where for example mm:ss.SSS shows the current time in minutes, seconds, and milliseconds. Note the last couple of formats in the list provided (T+ ....). These provide support for displaying time as "T-Zero" time instead of absolute time. When one of these modes is selected, the Start time currently set in the Track/Time toolbox is used as T-Zero, and the time in the stepper is displayed as an offset from this. | |
| Display | I'll defer discussion of this until you get to the "Configuring Display Mode" section below (because it's particularly good) | |
| Font Size | this is the size to draw the current time text in the middle of the stepper control | |
| Highlighter | this option allows you to select whether to show the current point as a plain rectangle, to draw heading-centred range rings around the primary track, or to represent the current point on each track as a symbol | |
| StepLarge | this is the track time moved forward for each large step of the Stepper Control | |
| StepSmall | and this is the time moved forward for each small step. |
Experiment with decreasing the Interval of the stepper, pressing , switching back to the Tote, and making the stepper run automatically, you should see the highlight move through the track more quickly now.
Note that you could at this point drag out the "Edit Stepper Control" properties window to make it float, making it easier to experiment with different intervals, applying them, and seeing the speed of the stepper change before you.
Additionally experiment with changing the Highlighter used for the stepping to the one named "Range Rings" - selectable from the Step Control properties page. Apply the change and look at the plot stepping through. Whilst you may have to zoom in, you will see that a set of grey range rings are drawn around the current point - the size and colour of these rings can be edited by pressing the "Edit Highlighter" button on the Step Control properties page.
Alternatively select "Symbol Highlight". If a track has a symbol assigned to it (this is only normally applicable to vessel tracks) then the symbol is drawn at the current track point. Later, when you learn about Snail Track mode, using this symbol mode when in snail mode with zero-length tails allows a GOP-type plot to be presented.
 | You will notice the terms Highlighter and Display Mode used in this document. The combination of these two features give us a large degree of flexibility in how you step through an exercise serial. The display mode determines how the tracks are plotted, and the highlighter determines how the current point on each track is plotted. The two can be used in any combination, so experiment with them to present the information in the most legible manner. |