iTool User's Guide - Exelis VIS

20 Chapter 1: Introducing the IDL iTools
Introducing the iTools
The IDL Intelligent Tools (iTools) are a set of interactive utilities that combine data
analysis and visualization with the task of producing presentation quality graphics.
Based on the IDL Object Graphics system, the iTools are designed to help you get the
most out of your data with minimal effort. They allow you to continue to benefit from
the control of a programming language, while enjoying the convenience of a pointand-click
environment.
In IDL, several pre-built iTools are available for immediate interactive use. Each of
these tools is designed around a specific data or visualization type, including:
• Two- and three-dimensional plots (line, scatter, polar, and histogram style)
• Surface representations
• Contour data
• Map data
• Image displays
• Volume visualizations
• Vector displays
The iTools are built upon an object-oriented framework, or set of object classes, that
serve as the building blocks for the interface and functionality of the iTools. IDL
programmers can easily use this framework to create custom data analysis and
visualization environments. Such custom iTools may be called from within a larger
IDL application, or they may serve as the foundation for a complete application.
The iTools are fully integrated with the Visualize Perspective in the IDL Workbench.
This perspective provides ways to immediately visualize data without IDL
programming. For more information on how to use this functionality, please see
Using the Visualize Perspective.
A Single Tool with Many Faces
What sets the iTools apart from precursors such as the Live Tools (now obsolete) —
and what gives them their optimal power, flexibility, and extensibility — is the
cohesive, open architecture of the iTools system. The iTools system is actually
comprised of a single tool, which adapts to handle the data that you pass to it. The
plot, surface, image, contour, and volume tools are simply shortcut configurations,
which facilitate ad hoc data analysis and visualization. Each tool encapsulates the
functionality (data operations, display manipulations, and visualization types)
Introducing the iTools
iTool User’s Guide