Contents 

Mira Pro x64 User's Guide

 Flip FITS Images

If unchecked, FITS images are displayed in the conventional way with row number increasing upward.

If checked, FITS images are displayed in the unconventional way with row number increasing downward.

 Transfer function log Y Axis

Plots the logarithm of frequency on the Y axis of the histogram in the Transfer Function Pane dialog. Check this item to enhance the appearance of low frequencies when the histogram sample includes a small number of contaminating high pixels such as stars.

 Enable mouse wheel zoom in pan control

Check this box to allow the mouse wheel to zoom the image while the mouse pointer is moving over the Panning box in the Image Bar.

 List non-existent images

With this item checked, Mira announces every image in a File List that could not be found. Typically, this unnecessarily wastes time, so leave it unchecked.

 Add Metadata at File Open

Apply metadata changes when the image file is opened. The metadata settings are configured using Add Metadata.

 Add Metadata at File Save

Apply metadata changes when the image file is saved to a FITS format file. The metadata settings are configured using Add Metadata.

 Enable Pane ImageBar

Check this box to enable the new Image Bar docking pane. Uncheck the box to return to the old Image Toolbar. A changed setting takes effect when the next Image Window is opened.

 Open File List as Image Set

Sets the option for externally opening a File List as an Image Set when the file list is opened "externally" from these actions:

The file is double-clicked in Windows Explorer.

The icon is dropped onto Mira.

The File List is opened from the Recently User files list This property affects ONLY to these operations.

 Auto-save Pane Layout

Check this box to automatically save the window pane layout to be saved when the window is closed. This setting applies to panes of all view windows that use docking panes. However, panes that list measurements are not persistent, and hence are unaffected by this option. See Docking Panes.

 Auto-close Main Message Pane

This controls the state of the Main Message Pane at startup. If checked, the Main Message Pane is automatically closed when Mira starts. If unchecked, the Main Message Pane adopts its state when Mira last closed.

 Open file tabs toward the left

If checked, tabs for new files are opened at the left end of the tab row on the Multi-Tab Interface. If unchecked, tabs are opened at the right end of the tab row.

 Open animation panes pinned

Check this option to open the Animation Bar closed and pinned to the window border as an icon tab. If unchecked, the Animation Bar is opened fully, exposing its controls, when an Image Set is loaded.

 Open docking panes on hover

Check this box to instruct tabified docking panes to open when the mouse hovers over the tab. Otherwise, you must click the tab to open the pane.

 Auto-close command dialogs

Controls whether global command dialogs automatically close after you click [Process]. Modeless dialogs are dialog windows that let you work outside them while they are open

 Use Save Path as Open Path

Copies the last saved path into the default Open path. Usually, you would leave this item checked.

 Default line is stepped line

Check this box to plot line graphs as a stepped line. Otherwise, line graphs are drawn using a normal jagged line. See Plot Windows.

 Hold 1-D plot draw on resize

Check this box to delay redrawing a Plot Window while being resized. For most plots this is desirable. However, you may make a plot that has so many points in so many series that Windows cannot keep up with re-drawing it during a plot Window resize. In that case you can get back your user interface by checking this item. With the Delay option enabled, Mira holds the redrawing operation until after you have finished adjusting the size of the window.

 Hold 3-D plot draw on resize

Check this box to delay redrawing a 3-D Plot Window while being resized. This helps prevent loss of system performance when you resize or move a window containing a large or complicated 3-D plot.

 Prompt before closing Grid Windows

Check this box to force Mira to prompt you to confirm that you want to close a Report Window containing table data. The prompt also gives you a chance to save the grid contents to a file.

 Prompt before closing Plot Windows

Check this box to force Mira to prompt you to confirm that you want to close a Plot Window.

 Prompt before closing Chart Windows

Check this box to force Mira to prompt you to confirm that you want to close a Chart Window.

 Prompt before closing 3-D Plot Windows

Check this box to force Mira to prompt you to confirm that you want to close a 3-D Plot window.

 Enable Hint Windows

Check this box to show a Hint Window for certain interactive commands such as Crop by Rectangle or Align on Object.

 Use Online Topic Help

Mira Topic Help uses a special version of the html Mira Pro x64 User's Guide (see Getting Mira Help) that permits individual topics to be displayed.

• Check this box to use the online source.

• Uncheck this box to use the source on your computer.

 Use Online User's Guide

This checkbox selects the source of the Mira User's Guide:

• Check this box to use the HTML format online User's Guide.

• Uncheck it to use the compiled Windows CHM format User's Guide on your computer.

 Use Online Script User's Guide

This checkbox selects the source of the Mira Script User's Guide:

• Check this box to use the HTML format online Script User's Guide.

• Uncheck it to use the compiled Windows CHM format User's Guide on your computer.

Image Information Format

This list box lets you set the default format for image information that is displayed by clicking on an Image Bar. Usually you would set this to FITS Format so that intensity images show information in the FITS Header dialog. RGB images have no FITS format support, so information about RGB image is always shown in the Image Information Editor dialog anyway.

Expanding Tooltip Offset

Sets the vertical offset, in screen pixels, of the expanding Tooltip. The expanding Tooltip has a small triangle that permits you to view more information by clicking on the tip text. If you have trouble moving from the control onto the text without crossing another control in between (which closes the text), reduce the offset to move the pop-up tip text upward toward the control. After clicking Apply or Save, you will need to re-open a particular window to see the change take effect.

Default max cell width

Limits the initial width of grid cells when they may contain very long character strings. For example, if the image name is very long (say, 70 characters), the grid would normally autoscale the image name column to hold all 70 characters at the expense of other grid columns. This parameter affects only the initial maximum width of a column, and the width may be adjusted after the grid is displayed. A typical value for this parameter is around 200 pixels. See Grid Controls.

Max New Windows

Sets the maximum number of Image Windows to be opened from a single File List if not opened as an Image Set. Use this option to prevent runaway accidental window opening for File Lists containing many images.

Cascading Windows

These options control the offset of new document windows when they are opened. Use this to control the use of screen space. These settings apply to the following window types: Image, Plot, Text Editor, Script Editor.

Offset

The position offset between windows. This is the distance right and below the previously opened window, measured in screen pixels. In the window shown above, this is set to 12 screen pixels. The Windows default is 24 pixels.

Cycle

Sets the number of offsets used before the next window opens at the top left corner. In the picture shown above, this is set to 8 cycles, meaning that the cascading positions of new windows repeats every 8 windows.