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The Tools Menu

 

 

There are several tools that can be used to maximize your productivity while using JMP.  JMP Tools are particularly useful when working in reports and Journals.  This post discusses how each JMP tool can be used in reports and journals; however, if you are new to JMP, a good place to start is understanding how the Selection Tool works in Reports and Journals and using the default Arrow Tool and Lasso Tool for selecting points on graphs.

 

Tools can be found under the Tools menu or toolbar.  Each tool has a shortcut key on the keyboard that can be found within the parenthesis when you hover over the tool in the toolbar.  You can also find these shortcuts and quick descriptions of the JMP Tools in the Quick Reference Guide under the Help menu.

 

 

Using Tools in JMP Reports

 

Selection – Copy/Paste

In a JMP report, the Selection Tool can be used to copy and paste report elements into a JMP Journal or other files such as PowerPoint presentations or Word documents. Entire sections of reports can be copied by selecting an outline box title or you can select individual components by holding down the control key.  When pasting into files outside of JMP, the report items that have been selected and copied will be pasted as one image.  When pasting, use the Paste Special feature and paste the image as an enhanced metafile to get the best image quality.

 

Grabber – Move columns in tables

The Grabber Tool will allow you to move columns in tables within your report.  Most tables in JMP reports can also be customized by choosing which columns are displayed.  In some cases, there are additional columns that can be added to the table.  To do this, right click on the table and go to the Columns option.

 

Grabber – Rescale axes

The Grabber tool can also be used for rescaling axes on graphs. JMP will automatically activate a Grabber tool when you hover over the axis (be sure to hover over the values and tick marks and not the axis label).  As you move the grabber tool towards the minimum value on the axis, the Grabber tool will change directions and point to the minimum value.  At this point, you can grab the axis and change the minimum value.  Likewise, when you move the Grabber tool towards the maximum value the Grabber will change directions and you can grab and rescale maximum value. 

 

With the Grabber tool back in the center of an axis you can do two things: 1) zoom in and out on the axis and 2) slide the minimum and maximum value while keeping the same range.  To zoom in and out, start with the Grabber tool in the center of the axis.  Clicking and dragging the tool into the graph will zoom in on the axis.  Clicking and dragging the tool away from the axis will zoom out on the axis.  To slide the minimum and maximum, again start with the Grabber tool in the center of the axis.  Click and slide towards the minimum value on the axis to simultaneously decrease the minimum and maximum at the same rate.  Sliding towards the maximum value will simultaneously increase the minimum and maximum values.

 

So far, we have used the Grabber Tool when JMP has automatically change the default Arrow tool to the Grabber tool when hovering over the axes of a graph, but the Grabber tool can do one additional thing.  If you select the Grabber tool from the menu or toolbar, you can use the Grabber within the graph to simultaneously change the minimum and maximum values of both the X and Y axes.

Remember, if you ever get to the point where you have changed the axis setting too much, there is a reset button.  You can always right click on an axis and click revert axis settings.

 

Magnifier – Resize axes

The Magnifier tool can be used within the graph to zoom in both the X and Y axis simultaneously. Holding down the control key will zoom out on the graph.  To restore the graph (revert both X and Y axis settings) double click the Magnifier tool.

 

Arrow – Select points in graphs

There are several ways to select points within a graph. Aside from taking advantage of the dynamic linkage with the data table and other graphs, there are three tools that can be used to select individual data points on a graph – the default Arrow tool, Lasso tool, and Brush tool.  The default Arrow tool can be used to draw a rectangle and any points within that rectangle will be selected. Multiple points can be selected by holding down the control key while selecting individual points.

 

Lasso – Select points in graphs

The Lasso tool is my favorite for selecting multiple points on a graph because it is flexible yet precise. The Lasso will allow you to draw any shape, even a figure eight, and any points within the shape will be selected.  Give it a try!

 

Brush – Select points in graphs

I rarely use the Brush tool, but it is another point selection tool in your toolbox.  While holding down the shift key, you can click and drag the Brush tool over points to select.  The size of the brush can be changed by holding down the alt key and drawing a rectangle for the paint bush size.  The size of the paint brush will be reflected the next time the Brush tool is used to select points.

 

Crosshairs – Estimate X,Y of a point

Another one of my favorite tools is the Crosshairs tool, which is used to estimate the X and Y values of an individual point on a graph. Clicking on the point will bring up temporary reference lines and corresponding values for both the X and Y axis.  The area around the point will also be zoomed to allow you to sight in the point with greater precision.

 

Scroll – Scroll through large reports

The Scroller is another one that I really don't use that often, but it's good if you have wide and/or long reports and gives the ability to quickly and more precisely scroll around on those reports.

 

Help – Open JMP documentation

Use the Help tool to open JMP documentation on any component of the JMP report. 

 

 

Using Tools in JMP Journals

 

JMP Journals can be a great way to save and organize your work, but they can be a little tricky to organize when you first start using them. There are a couple ways Tools can be used to organize your Journals.

 

Arrow – Add content

To add content, use the default Arrow tool and right click in the blank space at the bottom of the Journal.  This will bring up an option to add outline boxes, text, file references and scripts, among other things.  One of the options is to add all open files to the Journal.  This is a great option if you are in the middle of doing work with multiple open tables and even more open reports.  The Add All Open Files option will add scripts to reopen the files and all associated reports that are currently open.  This way you only need to save the Journal and quickly get back to where you were in your workflow when you return.

 

Content from JMP reports can be copied and pasted into Journals. Recall that you can use the Selection tool within the JMP report to select the components to be copied.  You can also send the entire report to a Journal by clicking control and j on your keyboard within the JMP report window.

 

Selection – Organize your Journal

Content can only be added to the Journal at the bottom and often you will want to move content to a different location.  To move the content, first select it using the Selection tool and then drag it to another location in the Journal.  While you are dragging the item, a blue line will indicate various places where the item can be dropped.

 

Annotate, Line, Polygon and Simple Shape

This set of tools can be used to add additional content to your Journal.  The Annotate tool will add a text box on top of content in the Journal.  Right clicking on the text box will allow you to edit your text box such as line color, background color and font.  The Line tool will add lines that can be changed to an arrow by adding the option when right clicking the line.  The color and thickness of the line can be changed in the right click menu.  The Simple Shape tool will add a rectangle.  The right click options will allow you to change the rectangle to a circle and some of the same options discussed with other shapes.  The Polygon tool will add a polygon shape.  Clicking the shape will add another side to the polygon and double clicking will release the Polygon tool. 

 

Help – Open JMP documentation

The Help tool also works within the Journal.  You can use the Help tool to open JMP documentation on any component of content from a JMP report. 

Comments
Vball247

Wow, did not know about Grabber Tool in the columns of a report table. You can use this in Process Screening report,for example, to move some groups of columns around.