Timeline
Evaluation time
The display of time-dependent values, e,g. in the Device diagnosis, is based on the evaluation time.
The evaluation time is marked by the blue down-arrow in the timeline. You can move the evaluation time using the mouse, double-click the timeline at the desired position to set it accordingly or open the context menu to jump to specific locations, such as bookmarks.
Operating modes
TNCdiag works in two different operating modes:
Live operation | TNCdiag continually adjusts the evaluation time to match the measuring time. Time-dependent data is displayed with its current value. |
Keep position | TNCdiag does not change the evaluation time. Time-dependent data is displayed with the value of its evaluation time. This means that the values will not change. |
Click the upper icon to the left to toggle operating modes. The icon shows the current operating mode:
Icon | Current operating mode | Changes to |
---|---|---|
Live operation | Keep position | |
Keep position | Live operation |
If you change the evaluation time during live operation, TNCdiag will automatically switch to the "Keep position" operating mode.
Events
Logged events are represented by small circles in the timeline. Their color informs you of the type of event:
Error event | |
Information event | |
Debugger event |
The position in the timeline corresponds to the time at which the event occurred.
Due to the low resolution of the screen, one pixel on the screen corresponds to an entire time interval. All events lying within this time interval are displayed one below the other. TNCdiag displays the oldest event on top and the most recent one at the bottom.
If the mouse pointer hovers above an event, TNCdiag will display a tooltip with detailed information on that event.
You can select the event by clicking it with the left mouse button. The selected event is marked by a thick blue circle. The same event will also be selected on the Messages tab in the event list. Please note, however, that this does not change the evaluation time.
Displayed time interval
TNCdiag will by default display the entire measurement time interval in the timeline. By clicking the icon on the right-hand side, you can zoom in to incrementally resize the displayed interval. By clicking the icon, you can zoom out again.
Alternatively, press the Ctrl key and rotate the mouse wheel or, on a touchscreen, use the usual two-finger gestures to zoom in and out.
Each time you are zooming, TNCdiag tries to keep the most important position in the visible interval. Here, the following order applies:
- Evaluation time
- Reference position
- Bookmarks
- Selected event
- Event
The value displayed between the and icons shows the time interval of the displayed range. By right-clicking this display, you open a context menu where you can select the desired time interval directly. TNCdiag ticks the currently selected interval.
If TNCdiag does not display the entire measurement time interval, you can move the depicted area by pressing the left mouse button and simultaneously turning the mouse wheel (additionally press the Shift key to scroll section by section). On a touchscreen, use swipe gestures to do so. Below the timeline, a blue bar indicates how long the displayed interval is in relation to the entire measurement time interval and which part is shown.
During live operation, TNCdiag ensures that the evaluation time always remains visible, independently of the displayed time interval.
Navigating the timeline
Click the or icons to jump to the previous or next event in the timeline. Similarly, use the or icons to jump to the previous or next error. This navigation always starts from the evaluation time.
By right-clicking at any position, you open a context menu that contains various targets you can jump to, e.g. the next or previous bookmark, the reference position, etc. The starting point is the cursor position where you open the context menu.
The content of the context menu depends on whether you open it from the time scale or the event area.
Reference position
Using the context menu, you can set the reference position to any position on the timeline. This position will be marked by an anchor symbol . You can then simply move the reference position with the mouse.
There is only one reference position. If the reference position had been set before, it will be moved by setting the reference position again.
The reference position is used to mark the reference time. This is helpful if you want to display relative times. Using relative times, it is very easy to determine a time difference with respect to a certain point in time. You can toggle the relative time display by right-clicking the time scale to open the context menu and then selecting the Show reference time command.
In TNCdiag, the reference position is also displayed on the Messages tab of the event list. Relative times are shown in the Reference time column.
Bookmarks
Using the context menu, you can set a bookmark at any desired location. You can set any number of bookmarks.
A bookmark is indicated by the following symbol: . TNCdiag uses a different, unique number for each bookmark.
You can move the position of a bookmark with the mouse.
TNCdiag provides a dedicated management window for bookmarks. Here you can store comments for bookmarks that will then be displayed as tooltips.
In TNCdiag, the bookmarks are also displayed in the first column of the event list on the Messages tab.
Event filters
With the icon, you can toggle the display of information events. Error events are displayed at all times.
In addition, the display is affected by the device or drive selected in the Device tree. Only events related to that node or its child elements will be displayed on the timeline. This way, it is simple to configure the display in such a way that only the relevant events are shown.
Temporally synchronize the view window
Both the main view and the secondary view have a timeline. You can control both timelines independently of each other. This means that, in particular, the evaluation time and thus the operating mode (Live or Keep position), the displayed time interval, the reference position, or the displayed events might differ. Only the bookmarks are the same in both views.
This way, it is possible to compare diagnostic data from different points in time.
If, however, you want to compare the diagnostic data of different devices or drives acquired at a specific point in time, it would be helpful if both timelines were in sync. This very functionality is provided in TNCdiag by the Time evaluation > Temporally synchronize view window or via the icon in the View toolbar.
TNCdiag will then align the zoom factors, the displayed time intervals, the evaluation times, and the reference positions. The starting point is the view that has the input focus.
If both views are displayed simultaneously, TNCdiag will omit the time scale in the timeline of the secondary view.