1.97 FAQ-491 How to customize the label added by the annotation tool?

Last Update: 2/6/2017

To quickly customize a label added with the Annotation tool Button Data Annotation.png, right-click on the label and select Properties.... This opens the Annotation dialog. In the Text tab, click the arrow button Arrow button annotaion.png to select a built-in format string from the context menu (an Examples sub-menu provides some more complex examples). Alternately, enter a string directly by typing or by using LabTalk Substitution Notation.

CustomizeAnnotation01.png

Minimum Origin Version Required: 2016 SR0

Beginning with Origin 2017, you can drag annotation labels from point to point. Click the Pointer Button Pointer.png button, press the ALT key and use the cross-hairs to drag the label to another data point.

For versions earlier than 2016 SR0, Origin provides the option of customizing the annotation through script system.annotation.customlabel$=. After customizing the display form of the label, use the TAB key to toggle the annotation label options, that is, press the TAB key until the status bar (on the lower left of Origin workspace) reads current label: Custom....

Example: The following steps will change the display form of the annotation to Peak is at $(x), where $(x) will be substituted by the x value of the data point.

  1. Open the Script window from Window: Script Window.
  2. Type system.annotation.customlabel$="Peak is at $(x)"; in the Script Window and press ENTER.
  3. Click the Annotation buttonButton Data Annotation.png to activate the annotation tool.
  4. Move the cursor on the graph and press the TAB key until the status bar reads current label:Custom (Peak is at $(x)).
  5. Double click on the plots to add an annotation.
  6. The result would be like the graph below.
    CustomizeAnnotation.png

You can also refer to the video tutorial of Data Annotation Tool Customization for more details.

Keywords:Annotation, Custom label, Custom annotation