10.1.2 Reading Coordinate Values in the Graph


Origin provides several tools to aid in graphical exploration of your data plots:

  • Screen Reader: The Screen Reader is an older Origin tool that uses the Data Display window to report the XY coordinates (and Z coordinates for ternary and contour plots) in the graph page or the graph layer. It does not return the coordinates of plotted points but simply reports coordinates in axis scale units.
Exploratory screen reader.png

For more information, see the Screen Reader Tool in the User Guide.

  • Data Display: The Data Display tool is used in conjunction with several analysis tools or when performing certain analysis operations. For more information, see the Data Display tool in the Origin Help file.
  • Data Point Tooltip: Beginning with Origin 2018 you can read data point coordinate values in certain 2D graphs (scatter, line + symbol, bar, etc.) by hovering on the data point. Further, there is a Pick Points tool that opens by right-clicking on the tooltip. Double-click on data points of interest and output coordinate values and other information, to a workbook.

    Beginning with Origin 2019, this "on-hover" Data Point Tooltip becomes customizable, essentially providing the functionality of the Data Reader + Data Info window combination, without you having to select a Tools toolbar tool and click on a data point (Note that this does not work for all of the graph types that the Data Reader + Data Info window combination works for. See the following descriptions of the Data Reader and the Data Info window for more information).
Exploratory data point tooltip.png
For more information, see Data Point Tooltips in the User Guide.
  • Data Reader: The Data Reader tool uses the highly-customizable Data Info window to report the X and Y (and for contour plots, the Z) coordinates of data points; plus virtually any other worksheet information that is associated with a particular data point (see Data Info, next). For more information, on the Data Reader, see the Data Reader toolin the User Guide.
  • Data Info: As mentioned, the Data Info window opens when you select the Data Reader tool, The Annotation tool or the Data Cursor tool, from the Tools toolbar. The Data Info window is highly customizable and can be configured to report various types of metadata in addition to coordinate values. For more information, see the Data Info Window in the Origin Help file.