Origin 8.6
Data Management
Origin Project File
The Origin project file (.OPJ) is designed for efficient access, storage, and display of data. When a project is open, you have direct access to imported data, graphs and layout windows, analysis results, notes, and even internally saved MS Excel data. In addition, you can store any third-party file type inside the Origin project file: MS Word (*.DOC) files, instrument data files, image files, and template files. For archiving and security, Origin projects have an auto backup feature, password protection, and an audit log of project saves.
Project Explorer
Origin's Project Explorer (PE) window helps you organize the contents of your Origin project file. Using Project Explorer, you can create hierarchical user-defined folders to quickly access Origin objects. When a project file is open, you can modify this folder structure as needed, sorting child windows by date, experiment or window type (graph, workbook, notes), creating a favorites folder with shortcuts to important workbooks, graphs and notes. In addition, you can use PE to save a portion of your project to a new file. Conversely, you can use Project Explorer's Append feature to add the contents of another project file to the current project file. All data contained in Origin child windows---workbooks, graphs, matrices, notes and layout windows, as well as internally saved MS Excel files---can be organized with PE.
Data Organization Hierarchy
Since version 8.0, Origin supports multi-sheet workbooks and multi-object matrix books. These multi-sheet books and matrices have a three level hierarchical structure:
- Workbook --> Worksheet --> Column (Dataset)
- Matrix book --> Matrix sheet --> Matrix object (Dataset)
Most operations/calculations in Origin are based on an entire dataset and not a cell or a range of cells.
Worksheets
Worksheets in Origin support rich-text formatting and let you consolidate and manage imported data and analysis results as well as embed graphs, images, and database queries. One or more worksheets are contained in a workbook.
Origin workbook and worksheet support includes:
- Reserved rows for worksheet long name, units, comments, sampling interval, sparklines, and user-defined parameters
- Sparklines on column headers display small graph of data for quick inspection
- Sampling interval support for columns
- Drag range selection to auto fill data by extending or duplicating existing worksheet data
- Drag-and-drop sheets between workbooks
- Click-and-drag to adjust row height and column width
- Embed graphs, images, and notes in worksheet cells
- Merge cells to flexibly arrange and present graphs and numeric data
- Insert links in worksheet cells to other cells, including cells from analysis report sheets
- Save formatting to theme/template for repeat use
Matrix sheets
Matrices in Origin have numbered columns, which are mapped to linearly spaced X values, and numbered rows, which are mapped to linearly spaced Y values. Each cell value in a matrix represents a Z value that is located in the XY plane, whose position is given by the cell's X and Y values. Therefore, a matrix can be used to create 3D graphs and hold external images. One or more matrices can be stored in a matrix sheet, and one or more matrix sheets make up a matrix book.
Origin Matrix support includes:
- Drag-and-drop sheets between matrix books
- Click-and-drag to adjust row height and column width
- Save formatting to theme/template for repeat use