Dynamic Desktops

A Dynamic Desktop lets you set criteria for the chart windows you want to display, choose the chart types and other settings, and save that information to streamline future analysis.

When you open a Dynamic Desktop, it opens chart windows for whatever data meets the criteria that you set when creating the Dynamic Desktop. This means that the number of chart windows may change, depending on what data is found when you open the desktop.

You can create a Dynamic Desktop to chart SPC data stored in GainSeeker, DMS data stored in GainSeeker, or external data that is retrieved by a Python script.

This Dynamic Desktop will draw charts for all SPC standards that have been running on Machine 1400 in the last 24 hours.

 

 

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Creating a Dynamic Desktop

To begin creating a Dynamic Desktop, click the Desktop menu and then choose Create Dynamic Desktop. This displays the Create Dynamic Desktop window:

To view on-screen Help for any field, hover your mouse over the field. The Create Dynamic Desktop window will use the yellow area to display information about using that field.

In the example shown above, hovering the mouse over the Retrieval Source area displays information in the yellow area about retrieval sources.

Set the Retrieval Source

In the Retrieval Source area, choose the source of data being charted:

Set the Type of Data

In the Type of Data area, choose one of the following:

Set the Retrieval Settings

This area displays different settings based on the Retrieval Source and Type of Data you selected.

for GainSeeker data

Date period

Limits the data retrieved for analysis, based on the Date/Time stamps of the data records.

For information on choosing date periods, see Setting the Date Periods.

Filter

Limits the data retrieved for analysis, based on filter criteria you specify.

This is where you can filter for specific traceability values, such as a Line or Machine.

For more information, see Working with Filters.

Maximum count for retrieval
(SPC only)

Limits the number of data records to retrieve for each SPC standard.

If the number of data records that meet the Date period and Filter criteria is greater than this limit (n), GainSeeker will only analyze the n most recent records.

To remove this limit, set this to 0.

Part Numbers contain
(SPC and DMS Part Number/Process only)

 

Part Number Descriptions contain
(SPC only)

 

Processes contain (DMS only)

Limits the retrieved data records to those where the Part Number, Part Number Description, and/or Process contains the text you specify here.

 

For values that begin with or end specific text, you can use the * character at the beginning or end as a wildcard for the rest of the value. (For example, 147* will find names that start with 147 such as 14799 and 1470, but not 0147 because it does not start with 147.)

For values that simply contain this text anywhere in the name, no wildcard character is needed. (For example, 147 will find 14799, 1470, 0147, and 13151472 because these all contain 147.)

 

To see which standards and/or processes currently match all of these criteria - Date Period and Filter, as well as Part Numbers contain, Part Number Descriptions contain, and/or Processes contain - you can click the Display Part Number/Process List button.

If these criteria result in the retrieval of a large number of data records, this check may be slow to run.

Timer Interval

Sets a time interval to periodically refresh the charts on this desktop with the latest data and updated statistics.

To avoid refreshing these charts automatically, set this to 0:00:00.

Refreshing any chart on a Dynamic Desktop will only re-retrieve the data for the standards and/or processes that were initially retrieved for that chart window when you opened the Dynamic Desktop.
To retrieve data for new standards and/or processes that may have started to collect data after you opened this Dynamic Desktop, see Refreshing the charts for a Dynamic Desktop for additional methods.

for Python script

Select a script from the list, or click the Add/Edit External Data Scripts button to create a new script or edit an existing script.

For more information about using Python scripts to analyze External Data, see Accessing External Data from a Python script.

Setting the Chart Layout

Choose whether the chart windows generated by this Dynamic Desktop should be Maximized, Tiled, or Cascading.

Selecting Charts and Settings

After setting all of the options on the Create Dynamic Desktop window, click OK.

This displays a window with tabs for Charts and Settings - equivalent to the choices available for SPC Charts and DMS Charts.

For more information on using these tabs, see:

Saving the Dynamic Desktop

After selecting options on the Charts and Settings tabs, click OK.

This displays the Save Desktop window, where you can enter a name for your new Dynamic Desktop and optionally add it to priority lists.

If you only want to view this information without storing it as a Dynamic Desktop, you can click Open without Saving.

Otherwise, click OK to save your new Dynamic Desktop.

Opening a Dynamic Desktop

See Opening a Desktop.

Refreshing the charts for a Dynamic Desktop

After opening a Dynamic Desktop, any refresh timer (either set automatically by the Timer Interval desktop setting or set manually from the Window menu) that refreshes a chart on a Dynamic Desktop will only re-retrieve the data for the standards and/or processes that were already retrieved on that chart window.

To retrieve data for new standards and/or processes that may have started to collect data after you opened this Dynamic Desktop, there are several options: