GUI and Python Side by Side¶

ERLabPy has two main types of workflows:

Python code-based workflows in scripts and notebooks.
GUI workflows in ImageTool, the ImageTool manager, and other interactive tools.

The bridge between the two is built into the package. GUI actions either map directly to public Python APIs or can even generate reproducible code that is ready to paste back into a notebook. This design allows you to fluidly move between the GUI and code, using each where it is most effective.

Use the GUI to discover selections and parameters, then move the final steps back into code for reproducibility and batch processing.

Operation map¶

Analysis task	GUI entry point	Python/API equivalent
Open a DataArray in ImageTool	ImageTool entry points	`xarray.DataArray.qshow()`, `erlab.interactive.imagetool.itool()`, `%itool data`
Browse a data directory	Data Explorer	`erlab.io.load()`, `erlab.io.set_loader()`, `erlab.io.set_data_dir()`
Open or replace data in the manager	Manager opening and replacement paths	`data.qshow(manager=True)` and `eri.itool(data, manager=True)`, see Notebook integration for notebook-manager synchronization options.
Select a point or range from multidimensional data	Edit → Select Data… or the right-click context menu of each plot	`xarray.DataArray.qsel()`, `xarray.DataArray.sel()`, and `xarray.DataArray.isel()`
Aggregate over dimensions	Aggregation dialog	`xarray.DataArray.qsel.mean()`, `min()`, `max()`, and `sum()`
Interpolate along a dimension	Interpolation dialog	`xarray.DataArray.interp()`
Coarsen data	Coarsen dialog	`xarray.DataArray.coarsen()` followed by a reducer such as `.mean()` or `.sum()`
Thin data	Thin dialog	`xarray.DataArray.thin()`
Crop data	Crop dialogs	`xarray.DataArray.sel()`, `xarray.DataArray.isel()`
Rotate or symmetrize	Transform dialogs including Edit → Rotate and Edit → Symmetrize	`erlab.analysis.transform.rotate()`, `erlab.analysis.transform.symmetrize()`, `erlab.analysis.transform.symmetrize_nfold()`
Edit or add coordinates	Edit → Edit Coordinates in ImageTool data controls	`xarray.DataArray.assign_coords()`, such as `data.assign_coords(y=scale * data.y + offset)`, `data.assign_coords(temperature=20.0)`, or `data.assign_coords(label=("x", labels))`
Edit or add attributes	Edit → Edit Attributes in ImageTool data controls	`xarray.DataArray.assign_attrs()`, such as `data.assign_attrs(sample_temp=20.0, note="checked")`
Swap dimensions	Coordinate editing dialog	`xarray.DataArray.swap_dims()`
Normalize interactively	ImageTool normalization dialog	Expressions like `data / data.mean(...)`
Combine manager ImageTools	Concatenate in the ImageTool manager	`xarray.concat()`
Slice along an ROI path	ROI context menu	`erlab.analysis.interpolate.slice_along_path()`
Mask with an ROI	ROI context menu	`erlab.analysis.mask.mask_with_polygon()`
Momentum conversion	ktool (Can be launched from the View menu)	`xarray.DataArray.kspace.convert()`
Interactive fitting	ftool, goldtool, and restool (Can be launched from the Plot context menu)	`xarray.DataArray.xlm.modelfit()` and scripted fitting workflows in `erlab.analysis.gold`
Pull data back out of the manager	Manager notebook bridge	`erlab.interactive.imagetool.manager.fetch()`, `%watch`, `%store`