FAQ

A list of Frequently Asked Questions and not so frequently asked questions together with their answers.

<note tip>Please note: This list of questions and answers is still rather short. And there is definitely more to come. So if you have any question that appears to be of interest for a broader audience, don't hesitate to let me know so that I can add both, question and answer, to this list.</note>

The toolbox is still in an early development state, and therefore it is not the time to make it available for a broader public. If you're interested, drop the author of the toolbox an email.

There is a number of different functions that are differently (and not completely consistently) named throughout the toolbox, namely:

• Combine
• Average (AVG)
• Accumulate (ACC)

So, what's the difference between these three, and what does the option “Average multiple scans” of the “Load panel” mean, and how does that compare to the three functions listed above?

First of all in short to the latter, the “Average multiple scans” option of the “Load panel”: This does, as the name already suggests, average multiple scans that may reside in one file. If you don't check that option while loading a file containing more than one scan, these multiple scans appear as multiple datasets. To add them afterwards (i.e., after you loaded the data), use the “Accumulate (ACC)” function.

And now to the three functions listed above in a bit more detail:

Combine

Combine several traces or even 2D datasets to a (larger) 2D dataset.

Used mainly in combination with data that are stored primarily in separate files for each (time) trace.

Average (AVG)

Average in one dimension over an area of a 2D dataset.

Often used to improve the signal-to-noise-ratio.

Accumulate (ACC)

Add several (two or more) datasets together.

Needs the accumulated datasets to be of the same or at least compatible dimensions.