27.7.3.5 The (Options) Miscellaneous Tab

1 Proxy Group
2 Custom Dates Formats Group
- 2.1 Custom Dates Examples
3 Import Group
4 Print Group
5 Additional Controls

Proxy Group

Direct Connection

This is the default setting.

Use System Configuration

Use the proxy settings specified in your Windows operating system.

Use HTTP Proxy Server

Use the accompanying edit box to fill in the address.

If you use a proxy server that requires authentication, see FAQ-1003: Why Can't Origin Connect to the internet to Check for Updates, etc.

Custom Dates Formats Group

This group allows you to define your own custom date formats. These custom date formats will display in the Display drop-down list when Date is selected from the Format drop-down list in the Column Properties dialog box. However, these custom date formats cannot be saved in project nor in Origin.ini. They are just diaplaied in the defined project opening by local user. When other people open this project on their computers, they will not see the same display.

When you specify a custom date format, there should be no more than 60 characters in the custom date string. "Sandwich" format strings such as TIME-DATE-TIME or DATE-TIME-DATE are not allowed.

Type this...	To signify...	What displays in Origin
M	Month	M = number of month (for example, January = 1). Separators (enclosed in single quotes) must follow this element. MM = 2 digit number of month (for example, January = 01). MMM = three letter abbreviation (for example, Jan). MMMM = full month name (for example, January). Separators (enclosed in single quotes) must follow this element.
d	Day	d = day of month (for example, 1). Separators (enclosed in single quotes) must follow this element. dd = two digit day of the month (for example, 01). ddd = three letter abbreviation of day (for example, Mon). dddd = full day name (for example, Monday). Separators (enclosed in single quotes) must follow this element.
y	Year	y = last 1 or 2 digits of year (for example, 1901 = 1). Separators (enclosed in single quotes) must follow this element. yy = last 2 digits of year (for example, 1901 = 01). yyyy = full year (for example, 1901 = 1901).
h	Hour	h = hours with no leading zero for single-digit hours; 12-hour clock. Separators (enclosed in single quotes) must follow this element. hh = hours with leading zero for single-digit hours; 12-hour clock.
H	Hour	H = hours with no leading zero for single-digit hours; 24-hour clock. Separators (enclosed in single quotes) must follow this element. HH = hours with leading zero for single-digit hours; 24-hour clock
m	Minute	m = minutes with no leading zero for single-digit minutes. Separators (enclosed in single quotes) must follow this element. mm = minutes with leading zero for single-digit minutes.
s	Seconds	s = seconds with no leading zero for single-digit minutes. Separators (enclosed in single quotes) must follow this element. ss = seconds with leading zero for single-digit seconds.
#	Decimal after seconds	# = one digit after the decimal point for seconds. ## = two digits after the decimal point for seconds. ### = three digits after the decimal point for seconds. #### = four digits after the decimal point for seconds.
t	Time marker	t = one character time marker string, such as A or P. tt = multi-character time marker string, such as AM or PM.

Custom Dates Examples

To create a custom date selection that displays the format:

Saturday, September 5, 1998

type:

'dddd', 'MMM' 'd', 'yyyy'

The elements in the custom date string must be in uppercase or lowercase (for example, "MM" not "mm" for months). Elements in the custom date string may be separated by any alphanumeric character not listed above. If an element does not clearly specify how many characters should be expected on input, it must be followed by a separator enclosed in single quotes. If the element is last in the format string, the separator does not have to be in single quotes. Separators will appear in the same location in the worksheet display. However, the single quotes will not be displayed. You can not have two separators in single quotes adjacent to each other. For example, "ddd '|' '-'MMM" is forbidden.

When a space is enclosed in single quotes, it is used as a parser. This means that the data that is put in the cell must have the same number of characters between data values as are enclosed in the single quotes. If you want to add space to data that does not already have it, use unquoted separators in the custom date string. These spaces, however, will be used only for display purposes, not for parsing an input date/time string. See the following table for examples.

Custom Date	Input	Output	Notes
MM dd	0416	04 16	The unquoted space was ignored by the parser. Therefore, the input was strictly according to the format.
MM' 'dd	02 12	02 12	The format expected just one space separator, but it is acceptable to have extra spaces in the string.
MM' 'dd	0212	--	A space separator was expected, so the parser failed.

Import Group

Default Multi-ASCII Import Template

This combination box controls the default workbook template used when multiple ASCII files are imported into multiple workbooks.

Default Multi-ASCII Import Plot XY

This combo list controls the default setting in the Plot Designation Column list on the lower panel of the Import Multiple ASCII dialog box (One can open this dialog box by activating a graph and then clicking the button on the Standard toolbar). This value specifies the default plotting desinatiions for data imported into the graph directly.

XY1

Origin will import all the columns. Origin assumes the first column contains X values and all remaining columns contain Y values. In this case, the "1" indicates that the last character "Y" is repeated for all remaining columns.

DXY1

Origin will disregard the first column of data, then import the rest of the file according to the rules of XY1.

Origin will import the first and second columns as X and Y values respectively.

XY2

Origin will import all the columns. However, in this case Origin assumes the first column contains X1 values, the second column contains Y1 values, the third column contains X2 values, the fourth column contains Y2 values, and so on. In this case, the "2" indicates that the last two characters "X" and "Y" are repeated for all remaining columns.

XYE

Origin will import the first, second, and third columns as X, Y, and Y error values respectively.

XYZ

Origin will import the first, second, and third columns as X, Y, and Z values respectively.

Print Group

X Scale Factor

This combination box value determines the X scale adjustment for printing. Modify the default value if your printer does not produce a graph with the width specified in the Width text box on the Size/Speed tab of the layer's Plot Details dialog box.

For example, if you specify a width of 6 inches in the Width text box, but your graph prints 6.0625 inches wide, set the X Scale Factor combination box value to 1010, because (6.0625*1000)/6=1010.

Y Scale Factor

This combination box value determines the Y scale adjustment for printing. Modify the default value if your printer does not produce a graph with the height specified in the Height text box on the Size/Speed tab of the layer's Plot Details dialog box.

Additional Controls

Use Numeric as Preferred Column Type

This check box controls whether all columns in all new worksheets are of Numeric or of Text & Numeric type (default). If you are planning on sharing your Origin project with a colleague who has Origin 4.1, you should select this check box. Failing to do this could cause a loss in data when the project is opened in Origin 4.1.

Use Toolbar Spacer

Select this check box to display a toolbar spacer below the menu bar. The toolbar spacer ensures that the toolbar area remains at a fixed width when changing the active window. The height of the toolbar spacer is determined by the maximum height required to display all the selected toolbars for any of the windows in the project (To hide the toolbar spacer, right-click in the toolbar spacer region and select Hide Toolbar Spacer from the shortcut menu).

Use Long Names When Available

If this check box is selected, Origin will display the book and column long names, if defined, in the plot list of the Plot Setup dialog (Graph: Plot Setup); in the data list at the bottom of the Data menu; and in the left-panel of the Plot Details dialog box.

Display Bitmaps in Menus

This check box controls whether or not bitmaps display next to menu commands. Menu commands that have toolbar button access have bitmaps that display to the left of the command.

Beginning with Origin 2018b, you can modify the size of the Plot menu icons using the LabTalk system variable @PPS. To find out how to change the value of a system variable, see Customizing Origin Using System Variables.

Auto Update Page Short Name to Follow Long Name

If this check box is selected, Origin will automatically change the Short Name of a page, such as a workbook, to follow the Long Name. The Long Name might be truncated and the special characters in it might be removed so as to create a valid, equivalent Short Name.

Enable Collapsible Menus

Main and context menus in Origin are collapsed by default. Use the check box to turn it on/off. To learn more about collapsible menu, please refer to the FAQ item

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