The editor

The editor shows the attributes of an object in a hierarchical, comprehensive way. Attributes include names, the color of a graph, size and scale of the plot, the number of points of a sample and, very important, the parameters of functions, distributions and selection methods. The seed for the random generator is also an attribute of objects that include random processes.

The editor shows the attributes in two columns. The left column shows the name of an attribute and the right column shows its respective value. If the value can be manipulated it is printed in bold. Clicking on an attribute opens a little editor in its place. For boolean attributes this is a button that can toggle its state. Other attributes can be selected from a list or entered into a text field, depending on the type. If the attribute has a default value this value is available by clicking on a small button to the right of the editor.

Some attributes represent actions. Actions include copying or deleting the object, taking a sample from a process or starting a selection method. Clicking on an action attribute will start the action. If the action involves a random process, the seed attribute is important. If the seed is zero, which is the default, the random generator will be fed with the computer time. Otherwise it will be fed with the actual seed. An action that includes a random process will always give the same results if fed with the same seed.

Objects that are visible on one of the plots have a graph attribute that defines its color, style and visibility. Any of the many color names that are defined in the file rgb.txt on all Linux/Unix systems is a valid input. Numerical input of the format #rrggbb is also accepted.

Objects can even have other objects as attributes. When a sample is taken from a process, the process and the distribution around the process are its attributes. The object attributes of a model are the sample that it is trained on and the method that defines the number of parameters. Such object attributes can usually be selected from a pull-down menu. Once selected, clicking on the object attribute will expand it and its own attributes become visible. An object and its object attributes can be browsed much like a file tree on the common windowing systems.