The Signal type can be selected from several standard signals:

• Sine
• Triangle
• Square
• Noise

The Signal frequency of the output of the Software generator can be set to one of several default values. A user defined setting is also available.

Setting the Signal frequency only applies to periodical signals. When the Signal type is set to Noise, the Signal frequency property is not available.

The Phase property determines at which position in a period of the signal the generation starts. By changing the phase, a signal can be given a time shift. Several default values are available to select from, as well as a user defined setting.

Setting the phase only applies to periodical signals. When the Signal type is set to Noise, the Phase property is not available.

The Amplitude property determines how large the swing of the output signal of the Software generator sink is. It can be set to one of various default values or to a user defined value.

The Offset property applies a vertical shift to the signal. It can be set to one of various default values or to a user defined value.

The way how the Symmetry property affects the signal shape depends on the Signal type that is selected.

• Sine and Triangle
  The Symmetry property determines the ratio between the rise time of the signal and the fall time of the signal.
• Square
  The Symmetry property determines the Duty cycle of the signal.
• Noise
  The Symmetry property is not available

The Symmetry is defined as a percentage. It can be set to one of various default values or to a user defined value.

The Data size property determines the size of the data block in samples that is generated by the Software generator. It can be set to one of various default values or to a user defined value.

The Sample frequency property determines the number of samples per second that is generated by the Software generator. It can be set to one of various default values or to a user defined value.

Make sure to set the Sample frequency to a value that is at least two times higher than the Signal frequency of the Software generator, otherwise aliasing will occur.

You can change the displayed name of an object by giving it an Alias. This can be handy when you are dealing with a lot of objects and have problems keeping them apart. You can for example give channel one of your instrument the alias "Battery", when it is measuring a battery voltage. To give an object an alias, use the item Alias ... in its menu. To remove an alias and revert to the original name of the object, set the alias to an empty string.

By default, the unit of most sources and I/O's is V for Volt. You can change the unit of most sources and I/O objects with the item Set unit... in the menu of the object. A string value can be entered in the dialog box that is shown.

When multiple sources or I/O's are displayed in a graph or a meter, they can be distinguished from each other by their Color. Three different color settings are available for a source or an I/O.

• Automatic
  A color is selected from a group of colors. There are separate groups for channel colors and source colors. The groups can be configured in the program settings. Each new channel or source uses the next available color in the group. When the last color in the group is used and another channel or source is added, picking will start at the top of the group again.
• As source
  This setting is only available for I/O's. The I/O will use the same color as its source. When multiple sources are connected to the I/O, the color of the first connected source is used.
• User defined...
  The color of the source or I/O is user selected, using a color picker dialog. Any color can be used.

To disconnect one or more sinks from an I/O or Source, use the Disconnect sink(s) action. This will show a dialog that lists all connected sinks. Individual sinks can then be selected and disconnected from the object.

To disconnect all sinks from an I/O or source at once, use the Disconnect all sinks action.

When a new object is to be created, similar to an already existing object, with the same properties, the Clone action can be used. This will create an identical copy of the original object, with the exact same properties. Source(s) and sink(s) of the new object are not yet connected.

The Delete action deletes a source, I/O or sink. All connections of the object will be disconnected and then the object will be removed from the object tree. The source property of the objects that used this object as source will be cleared. The sink property of the objects that used this object as sink will be cleared. An axis in a graph that was connected to this object will be also deleted.

The Export data action allows to export the data of an object to a file. This is detailed described on the page about Exporting data.

The Load action allows to load the settings and data for an object from a TPS or TPO file. This is detailed described on the page about Loading into selected objects.

The Save as action allows to save the settings and data of one or more objects to a TPO file. When multiple objects are selected, the connections between the objects are saved as well. This is detailed described on the page about Saving objects to a TPO file.