Category
Function
Associates one or more attributes with a specified object.
Syntax
output = Options(input, attribute, value, ...);
Inputs
| Name | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| input | object | none | object whose attributes are to be set |
| attribute | string | no default | attribute to be added |
| value | value or string or object | no default | value of the attribute |
| ... |
|
| additional attribute-value pair(s) |
Outputs
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| output | object | the object with attributes added |
Functional Details
This module associates attributes with an object.
(Attributes can be extracted from an object with the Attribute module.)
Attributes are used by some modules to determine the behavior of a
particular input object. For example, you can add attributes to objects
to tell the Plot module how to draw markers on particular lines (see
Table 8 and
Plot).
While there is a set of attributes which Data Explorer modules understand, you
can also add your own attributes to objects, to be interpreted by
user-written modules.
You can remove an already present attribute by setting its value to null.
input | names the object to which one or more attributes are to be added. |
attribute | names the attribute to be added. |
value | specifies the value of the attribute |
... | One or more additional pairs of parameters, each specifying an attribute and a value to be associated with input. |
A single Options module can specify a maximum of 21 attribute-object pairs. In the user interface, the default number of enabled tab-pairs is two. (Tabs can be added to the module icon and removed with the appropriate ...Input Tab options in the Edit pull-down menu of the VPE.)
Table 8. Attributes
which have predefined meanings in Data Explorer
| Attribute name | Attribute values | Relevant module |
|---|---|---|
| label | any user-supplied label | Plot |
| scatter | 1 or 0 | Plot |
| mark | "circle", "diamond", "dot", "square", "star", "triangle", "x" | Plot |
| mark every | positive integer | Plot |
| mark scale | positive scalar | Plot |
| fuzz | integer | Display, Render, Image |
| ambient | positive scalar | Display, Render, Image |
| diffuse | positive scalar | Display, Render, Image |
| specular | positive scalar | Display, Render, Image |
| shininess | positive integer | Display, Render, Image |
| shade | 0 or 1 | Display, Render, Image |
| opacity multiplier | positive scalar | Display, Render, Image (for volume rendering) |
| color multiplier | positive scalar | Display, Render, Image (for volume rendering) |
| texture | a texture map | Display, Image |
| antialias | "lines" | Display, Image |
| line width | positive integer | Display, Image |
| direct color map | 0 or 1 | Display |
| cache | 0 or 1 | Display, Image |
| rendering mode | software or hardware | Display, Image |
| rendering approximation | "none", "box", "dots", or "wireframe" | Display, Image |
| render every | positive integer | Display, Image |
| pickable | 0 or 1 | Pick |
| marked component | string | Mark, Unmark |
Attributes may also be added to arrays to add information which may be needed to interpret an array as a Data Explorer component. For example, you can add a "ref" attribute with a value of "positions" to an integer list which you intend to be used as a connections component in a field. This use of Options should be done only with a solid understanding of the Data Explorer data model. See "Standard Attributes" in IBM Visualization Data Explorer User's Guide.
Components
The output object is the same as the input object except for the added attributes. All input components are propagated to the output.
Example Visual Programs
PlotTwoLines.net FatLines.net
See Also
Attribute, AutoAxes, Display, Plot, Render
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