Create a workflow


Automator


Automator
friedEgg Touch can be used as part of a workflow by using the Automator actions included with it. This helps you to load data from other applications and to use existing analysis files as templates for repeated tasks. Finally, the selected data and chart images can be exported to spreadsheets and presentations.

Click on the title bars below, to read more about each of the Automator actions:

Set Data

setData
This action can either create a new analysis or load data into the current analysis.

Data:
Use the popup button to select the file containing a table of data. The file should be a comma separated (csv) text file. If no file is selected, the action will ask for the file to be opened.

New Analysis
If checked, the selected data table will be used as the basis for a new analysis, replaced any current analysis. If the current analysis is unsaved, it will be lost (see below for the Save Analysis action).

If unchecked, the selected data table will be compared to the table used by the current analysis. If the structure is the same, the data will be loaded into the analysis, replacing the current data. If different or if the current analysis is unsaved, a new analysis will be created, using the structure of the new data table. This is the same process as using the Set Data button to use an existing analysis as a
template, but does not display any warnings.

Set Analysis

setAnalysis
This action can load an existing analysis.

Analysis:
Use the popup button to select the file containing an existing analysis. If no file is selected, the action will ask for the file to be opened.

If an existing analysis is unsaved, it will be lost (see below for the Save Analysis action).

Save Analysis

saveAnalysis
This action can re-save an existing analysis or save an analysis as a new file. The Set Data and Set Analysis actions (described above) both change the current analysis without saving it first. Use this Save Analysis action to save the analysis, if appropriate.

Save
If selected, an unsaved analysis is saved to its current file. If it has not yet been saved, an error message will be displayed. A new analysis must be saved using the Save As option, which allows a file to be selected.

Save as:
Alternately, the popup button is enabled allowing a path to be set to the saved analysis file. If no path is set, a save panel will be shown.

Package
If selected, the analysis is saved as a package, also containing a copy of the original data file. This simplifies the sharing of analysis data as the package contains both the anaylsis and the data table that it is based on. However, it will increase the size of the saved file.

Select Step

selectStep
This action can be used to select a specific step within an analysis. The default is to select the last step

Last step
If selected, the analysis is focused on the last valid step.
This is the highest step that has all its dimensions assigned to data columns and chart items selected to make data available.

Step number:
Alternately, a specific step number can be specified. If a step number of less than 1 is specified, the analysis will focus on step 1. If a step number greater than the number of analysis steps is specified, the last step is selected.
If the step is not valid, ie it displays a silver cube, it will still be selected but will not be able to export data, chart images or print reports.

Print Step

printStep
This action will print a report containing the chart and selected data for the current step. If no chart is available for the current step, perhaps because the scope has not been defined, then no report can be printed. If no data has been selected, only the chart image will be printed.

Show print dialog
The default is to directly print the report, without showing a print dialog. The report is sent to the printer currently selected by the user.

If the print dialog option is selected, this will be displayed prior prior to printing. The user can select the printer, output to pdf or preview the report.

Export Data

ExportData
This action can export the selected data, either as comma separated (csv) text that can be used by another action, or save it as a csv text file.

Data as text
If selected, the data is output as comma separated (csv) text that can be used by actions feeding another application, for example TextEdit.

Save as:
Alternately, the popup button is enabled allowing a path to be set to the saved csv file. If no path is set, a save panel will be shown.

All columns
If selected, all data columns will be exported. Although only four columns are assigned to the chart dimensions at each analysis step, all can be exported. If not selected, just the four chart dimensions are exported

Formatted
Each of the data columns can be formatted to simplify the presentation of the data and labelling of the chart. If selected, the exported data includes the formatting applied when the data columns were assigned to chart dimensions.

Export Chart

ExportChart
This action can export an image of the chart, represented as either TIFF, JPEG2 or PNG. The chart image is saved as a file, which can then be used by actions feeding another application, for example Keynote.

Export chart as:
Select the format for representing the chart image as either TIFF, JPEG2 or PNG.

to:
Use the popup button to set the path to the saved chart image file. If no path is set, a save panel will be shown.

AppleScript


The basic analysis functions and data structures are scriptable with AppleScript. For further information, review the scripting dictionary with the Script Editor.
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