GraphBox

Mike Williams reviews Minerva's fully multi-tasking graph package.

If Minerva's GraphBox is an example of how an application can be transformed by writing it to run under RISC OS in multi-tasking mode, then I cannot wait for more of the same. I reviewed Minerva's GammaPlot in RISC User Volume 1 Issue 9 and found it to be a highly impressive piece of software. GraphBox offers similar (though fewer) facilities, but the ease and convenience of mouse control under RISC OS has to be seen to be believed.

The software (supplied on a single 3.5" disc) is in two parts, GraphBox itself and GraphEdit. There is also a directory containing 15 demonstration data files. The 36 page manual, with its glossy full colour cover, is well produced, and provides an entirely adequate description of both programs.

From the desktop, open the directory viewer for the GraphBox disc, and double click on the GraphBox icon to open the GraphBox window. Next, open the GraphData directory, and drag any of the demo data files onto the GraphBox window to see the resulting graph displayed. For a better view, resize the window to the whole screen. Now press the Menu button, select Graph Type and choose any alternative from the list of 20 different forms of graph available, and after a pause the data will be re-displayed in the new format.

Elements of any graph display can be altered by selecting Options from the menu. All three axes can be set to linear, logarithmic, square or a function of your choice. In addition, you can control the background grid and various other features. Also from the menu, any graph can be saved for subsequent printing using an Acorn supplied printer driver, but a graph cannot be printed directly from the screen display.

If you have sufficient memory available you can start GraphEdit while GraphBox is still active. Otherwise you will need to close down GraphBox first. GraphEdit allows data files for subsequent graphing to be created and edited, though GraphBox will accept directly data files in CSV (comma separated value) format from any source.

Activating GraphEdit opens a window for data entry. The first step, using the Menu button is to set the number of columns and column headings by using the corresponding menu options. Positioning the mouse pointer over a column and clicking allows data to be entered. An Options option allows all the parameters of the eventual graph display to be set up as well.

Once created and edited as required the data can be saved for subsequent loading into GraphBox, or with sufficient memory, GraphBox can be invoked directly to display the graph.

CONCLUSIONS

There are no facilities for displaying more than one graph on the same display, nor can you undertake the detailed and extensive editing of graph displays permitted by GammaPlot. Furthermore, despite the choice of 20 different types of graph, you may still find that there are limitations to the type and scale of graph which you can display, so check your requirements carefully against the specification of GraphBox.

The manual is excellent and does much to enhance the quality feel of the package (fortunately the old style Minerva manuals of which I have been highly critical in the past seem to have disappeared for good). Apart from the few qualifications above, GraphBox is an excellent product and a joy to use.
ProductGraphbox
SupplierMinerva Software,
 69 Sidwell Street,
 Exeter, Devon EX4 6PH.
 Tel. (0392) 437756
Price£79.95 inc. VAT