Origin 2017 SR1 Features/Improvements

Top Key Feature/Improvement List

  • Support Chinese GUI
  • Improved color lists and palettes. Easier way to set default color scheme for different plot types
  • Improved rendering of raster images inserted into graphs
  • Rescale Axes and Colormap Controls during Batch Plotting
  • Hotkeys to rotate, skew, resize 3D graphs
  • New Plot Types added: 100% Stacked Area, 3D Stacked Wall, 3D 100% Stacked Wall, Floating column/bar with Connection Line
  • Color transparency for text label background
  • Get new update to Apps simply by right clicking the App for users with valid maintenance
  • Origin Central Auto Update: New examples will be added and your Origin Central will receive these update automatically. 

User Interface

Origin start to support Chinese GUI from 2017 SR1.


Ease of Use

JIRASummaryDetails

ORG-15774

Show Object Manager by defaultMany user may not know we have a tool to easily manipulate plots, layers in graph. It's docked on top of Apps Gallery on the right side of Origin workspace.

ORG-16061

Make it easy to Add User Parameter row or move contents to it

User may not know they can they can  right click on column label row header to add user parameters. 

In Origin 2017 SR1,

  1. Double click on Long Name, Units or Comments (row header) will open Move to User Parameter dialog. User can specify User Defined Parameter name and contents will be moved there.
  2. Double click on User-defined parameter rows will open Rename dialog so user can rename it.
  3. Right click a row header and choose Add User Parameters will open a dialog for user to specify name. In the past, it will create a UserDefined row and user needs to right click to rename.

ORG-15690

 Add hot keys to easily do rotation and resize in 3D graphs instead of using control buttons with layer frame selected

Click anywhere inside layer frame to select the layer. Then

1. "tab" to switch among the operation buttons (the last fix position button is not operation type) .
2. "x" to fix in x direction (rotate, resize, skew)
3. "y" to fix in y direction (rotate, resize, skew)
4. "z" to fix in z direction (rotate, resize)
5. "q" to fix in screen rotate.
6. "w" to fix in all 3 directions resize or rotate.
7. "shift+z" to fix in xy resize; "shift+y" to fix in xz resize; "shift+x" to fix in yz resize.

ORG-15714

Add a built-in Graph theme All Axes OnUser can use it to easily turn all axes on in 2D Cartesian coordinate graphs.

ORG-15775

Graph: Add Function Graph... is renamed as Add Function Plot...So user understands this is to add function plot in current graph window.

ORG-14889

Plot: Double Y: Double Y Column menu addedUser can directly select two Y columns and plot as Double Y column plots.

ORG-14989

Help: Programming submenus are brought back

  • LabTalk
  • Origin C
  • X-Functions
  • etc

We hide them in Origin 2017 SR0 but user felt it's hard to find only LabTalk Helps, etc.

So we bring the submenus back.

ORG-15711

Help: Live Support Chat... menu is addedUser can choose to get help from Tech support online

ORG-15711

Help: Contact Support... menu is updated

User will bring to our webpage with many info. prefilled to submit the contact support form easier.

ORG-15970

More Import data types are added to File: Import collapsible menu by default

CSV, Matlab, OPJ, Image to Matrix show by default under File: Import menu.

ORG-15516

App Gallery Improvements.
  1. Easier way to get updates of an APP.
    A red dot on an App indicates a new version is available. Right click to update

  2. Send Feedback context menu.

ORG-15743

Improvements on Origin Central
  1. Version of current Origin Central dialog shows in bottom-left corner of Origin Central dialog.
  2. If new graph and analysis samples are available, when openning Origin Central dialog, a prompt is given to user to get the updates. Choose Yes will download new samples and update the Origin Central dialog to a newer version.
  3. Show big Origin Blog and User Forum icons in Learning Center tab.

ORG-15997

Show Preview to the right of Image Analysis dialogs

Before Origin 2017 SR1, the image preview for many XFs related to image processing is at the bottom of the dialog. This makes it awkward to use:

  • The dialog opens with controls hidden by image
  • When user starts stretching the dialog part, image gets smaller
  • When both are adjusted, the dialog plus preview can be really tall, and may cause issues on some monitors

Graphing


JIRASummaryDetails

ORG-14468

Added system variable @DPPM=1 to disable Plot Popup Menu

Choose Tools: System Variables.

Enter DPPM and set it to 1 to turn off the Plot Popup menu.

Then the plot menu will be in old way

ORG-15297

New Plot Types added:

100% Stacked Area Plot

3D Stacked Wall and 3D 100% Stacked Wall


ORG-15808

Set Color Fill Transparency for Text Object

When Text object has Frame turned on, user can set fill color transparency to get this effect:

ORG-15071

ORG-15960

Improved color increment lists and palettesSome color lists and palettes such as HeatmapBio, Rainbow Isoluminant, Topography, Weather Temperature, etc. are added.
The default list for the line colors has been updated to improve the distinguishability even when lines are thin in the line plot.

ORG-16035

Better Increment List control of different plot types when plotting multiple data together.

When selecting multiple datasets and plot together, Origin will group them and use increment list of color, shape, etc. to distinguish them. In the past, user can set e.g. color list in Graph system theme so all graphs will have same color list. The disadvantage of this is that for different plot types, this may be not appropriate. E.g. for line plot, it's better to use some dark color list, while for column or area plot, it's better to use some light color lists.

In Origin 2017 Sr1,

  1. System Increment Lists tab is added in Theme Organizer dialog so user can easily set different color, shape, pattern, etc. list for different plot types.
  2. The order of plotting Origin graph is: first load the graph template to plot the graph, then apply system theme, finally apply the corresponding System Increment List. So you don't need to add color list in graph system theme now. Instead set it on System Increment List tab is more user-friendly and easy to understand. Of course other graph properties, e.g. tick directions, axis, etc. can still be set in system theme to get consistent look.
  3. If plotting with user-defined graph template, make sure when saving the template, check Apply System Theme & System Increment Lists to Override checkbox if you want system increment list applya to user-defined template.
  4. Context menu Set as System Increment List is added when modifying increment list on Group tab of Plot Details dialog.
  5. You can also apply increment list to existing graph(s) on System Increment Lists tab in Theme Organizer, This only supports one list at a time and it will only apply to matching plot type.

ORG-15685

White Out support for Tick Labels

White Out checkbox is added on Format subtab of Tick Labels tab in Axis dialog.

ORG-15662

Improve hit test speed when selecting 3D OpenGL Scatter or Vector plots

 Click to select (or de-select) the plot itself in 3D Scatter or Vector graph.
==> It took a few seconds to get it selected/de-selected in the past.

The problem exists since 9.0 when OpenGL is introduced.
No problem when selecting from Object Manager.

ORG-15646

ALT+dragging annotation in Contour graphAlt+Drag annotation to new location is supported in Contour graph now.

ORG-15724

Allows half-point font size such as 10.5, etc.

In the past, font size in graph could only be set as integer.

ORG-11202

Better default for square ended line and rectangle objects

Default values of the following system variables are changed in Origin 2017 SR1

  • @lcg to 2 – line object
  • @lca to 2 – axis line

New system variable @lcr (default is 1) to set the cap of rectangle or legend or text frame
0 = Line cap round 
1 = Line cap square 
2 = Line cap flat

ORG-15418

Add match modifiers by option to Batch plotting dialogThis option will affect the Match Modifiers by option of new created clone graph. 
But it should not affect the option of source graph.

ORG-15987

Improvements in Floating bar to better make plotting the following kind of Energy Diagram easier.

See more http://originlab.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=26067

User has X, Y and Label Data and wants to plot line+symbol graph but show each symbol as a horizontal bar and the lines should connect edges of the bars. It's hard to implement for Line+symbol graph since the line always connect to center of the points, plus even if implemented, horizontal bar width isn't adjustable.


We made the following improvements in Origin 2017 Sr1 so that user can achieve this by floating column graph.

Add Bar Graph show Zero Values checkbox on Graph tab of Tools: Options dialog to show an horizontal line if floating bar from and to values are the same.

page.BarShowZero=-1 (follow Tools: Options settings) , 0 (do not show), 1 (show)


Support connect lines between floating column/bars. Open Plot Details dialog. Select Layer on left panel. Go to Stack tab. Check Show Connect Line on Stacked/Floating Column/Bar checkbox. This checkbox was only working for stacked column/bars and was called Show Connect Line on Stacked Column/Bar in the past.

User can go to Spacing tab to and set Gap Between Bars to adjust bar width.

ORG-15962

Rescale Axes and Colormap Controls during Batch Plotting

ORG-16052

Improve rendering of raster images inserted into graphs

After inserting raster image into Origin, when zoom out, or resizing, the image doesn't look clear any more.

Improved in Origin 2017 SR1.

New System Variable Added:

@II, whether enable interpolation for bitmap drawing, 1 for enable(default), 0 for disable.
Notice: use @GDIPIE (default 7) for interpolation quality. Set it lower will speed up the drawing but poor quality.
ORG-16041Add XY scale range for Kernel Density plotAdd a treenode Grid Range for 2D Kernel Density. User can specify X/Y Minimum/Maximum scale range for Kernel Density plot.

ORG-15925

laymplot X-Function is added to move plot(s) to new y axis/layer

Many times, user asks how to move a plot to right Y axis. Before Origin 2017 SR1, user needs to move the plot from existing layer, add new layer with right Y axis. Then add plot to it.

In Origin 2017 SR1, we added an X-Function so it's much easier.

With graph window active, choose Window: Script Window

In Script Window, run
laymplot -d
to open the dialog.

Specify which plot(s) you want to move, e.g. 2 means 2nd plot. 2 4 means 2nd and 4th plots.

Click OK to move it.

Note: Plot customization such as color, etc. can't be moved to new layer. So we recommend move plot(s) first and then customize plot in each layer.

ORG-15278Use only category legend and auto updateAdd a option for Categorical Legend update dialog named Use only category legend and auto update. When it's checked, you can change the Makes filter and see plot and legend updated accordingly.

Analysis

JIRASummaryDetails

ORG-16024

Improvements on Results Log output

Output quantity names in results log are consistent with names in dialog

E.g. Integrate tool. names used in results log are very simply, e.g. y0, x0, dx and user doesn't know what quantities they are. They are actually "Maximum Height", "X Value in Maximum Height" and "Peak Width at Half Height". So now in SR1, the Results Log output names contains both e,g. y0 (Maximum Height) = 15.6239....

ORG-13349

Ignore hidden columns on analysis

In the past, if we hide a column and then make a plot or do analysis, the graph or analysis result still contain the data which belongs to the hidden column(e.g. may not show in graph, but just unchecked).

In Origin 2016, we could directly ignore the data in hidden column when making a plot. And now, if we do analysis using tools with input as XY Range or XYZ Range, such as Average Multiple Curves, Nonlinear Curve Fit, Nonlinear Surface Fit tool, the data in hidden column will not show in the result.

ORG-16047   Improvement for Power and Sample Size, One-Way ANOVAPower and Sample Size, One-Way ANOVA adds Maximum Difference between Means option for  Specify Group Means Difference.
ORG-16229Parameter LCL/UCL values using Model-Comparison Method is different from Prism and JMPCan get same LCL & UCL results as JMP and Prism if Model-Comparison Method is used. Set @NLCL=1 to use the old algorithm to calculate.

Worksheet

JIRASummaryDetails

ORG-4592

Split worksheet Improvement

Support splitting partial range in worksheet. When splitting worksheet, user may only want to show some columns in the result sheets. In the past, all columns will be kept in result sheets which will not really needed and will cause slowness.

Allow presetting result sheet names. In the past, the result sheets were named as Sheet1, Sheet2, etc. Now a new option is added so user can preset the result sheet name. For example, use reference column's values, or dataset name, etc. as sheet name.

ORG-16082

Support This keyword in Set Column Values dialog

When turn on Spreadsheet Cell Notation in workbook, user can use This keyword in Set Column Values dialog to indicate current column itself. E.g. Total(This) will calculate the sum of current column. Also, This can have numeric suffix for cell reference, so This1 is the 1st cell, similar to A1.

In Set Column Values dialog, This keyword is also added under the Variables menu for easy access.

Matrix

JIRASummaryDetails
ORG-15968Matrix Image Crop on multiple objectSupport cropping on multiple matrix/image objects in the same matrix sheet.


Gadgets

JIRASummaryDetails
ORG-16015Output baseline-subtracted curve data with integral gadget

Programming

JIRASummaryDetails

ORG-16062

Add a system variable to prevent zoom rect reminder message when execute "dotool 1" script twice timeAdd button on graph with LT script ";dotool 1", then click the button twice time, zoom rect reminder message will pop up to ask user if want to create a separate Enlarged graph using an ROI box on the original graph. Now a new system variable @MZ is added. Set @MZ = 0, the reminder message will not pop up.

ORG-16120

OC Function to Convert HTML Color to OCOLORAdd a new OC function okutil_HTML_to_ocolor(LPCSTR lpcsz) to convert HTML color string (e.g. "#00FF00") into Origin OCOLOR.
ORG-16137Add a system variable to disable MRU menu

A new system variable @MRU is added to disable the most recent used menu item. Default is @MRU = 7, means all enabled.

  • 1 = Enable plot menu MRU
  • 2 = Enable analysis menu MRU
  • 4 = Enable loading theme into menu
ORG-16188Add a system variable to control closing down

A new system variable @EC is added to control the closing procedure. Default is @EC = 0, means exiting Origin normally.

  • 0 = Normal
  • 1 = Do not close current project
  • 2 = Do not exit current instance
  • 4 = Do not dump closing message about @EC to Message Log

Note: @EC can be a combination of these controlling bits to produces cumulative effects.

ORG-16014

page level variables v1 to v4

Introduce page level variable page.v1$ ~ page.v4$ (both numeric and string are supported), User can use it to associate a variable with a page.

One example: User has multiple workbook and user want to define a workbook level variable to use in set column value calculation.

E.g. in Set Column Values dialog

Write page.v1=1.1; in Before Formula Script

In Formula box, enter e.g. page.v1*A to get the product of column A times this v1 variable.

Import

JIRASummaryDetails

ORG-16053

Change drag-and-drop dialog for Excel to a "do not remind me again" message box

When drag-and-drop Excel files into Workspace, will show up a reminder message dialog for user to choose how to deal with the Excel files: Import into Workbook or open with Excel inside Origin, and user can also choose whether show up this diaolog or not in the future.


ORG-13702

Insert Image to Graph XF ImprovementThe Keep aspect ratio node is checked by default after inserting image.

ORG-14713

impOPJ IssuesS1:Add one string vector variable to refer to long name, which can be used to import column data by long name.
ORG-6175Support import multi-channel .wav file

Data in multi-channel wav file can be imported in Origin 

Note: Partial Import and meta data(long name ect) have not been supported yet