Tips & Tricks

The following list contains several tips and tricks around DataLab:

Error during update	Cannot store the updated file "(file name)". Please ensure that the directory "(directory)" is not write-protected.
	If you encounter this error message this is most probably due to the fact that you are not logged in as an administrator. When updating DataLab needs to have write access rights in certain directories which are denied by Windows if you are logged in as normal user. Solution: Either (1) login as administrator and perform the update, or (2) close DataLab and restart it by right-clicking the DataLab icon on the Windows start menu and selecting "run as administrator". Thereafter you can perform the update. When the update is finished you can work again under normal user rights.
Filling the data matrix	How can I fill the entire data matrix with a constant value?
	The simplest way to fill the data matrix with a constant value is to use the built-in math interpreter. Open the math interpreter (button ) and enter the following command line (don't forget to click "Execute" after entering the command line): ALL=value. Example: ALL=3.141 fills all cells of the matrix by the value 3.141. Another way to fill the entire matrix by a constant value is to use DLabPascal, writing the following tiny program which fills the matrix by the value 19.5: program filldstore; begin DStore.Fill(0,0,0,0,19.5); end.
Number of decimal places	If I enter a number with five decimal places in the data editor, DataLab discards the decimal places after the third one.
	Internally DataLab always uses double precision numbers which come down to 15 decimal places. In order to improve readability DataLab displays only a small number of decimal places (3 by default) in the data editor. You can easily adjust the number of displayed decimal places in the menu general operating preferences.
More than one screen	How can I move specific DataLab plots or tools to another screen?
	The MDI (multi-document interface) of DataLab keeps all windows within a bigger frame (the DataLab window). You can detach most of these windows by unchecking the "Attached Form" check box. If this check box is deactivated the window can be moved outside the DataLab frame to another screen.