What's New in Version 2.0¶

This page lists the functions that version 2.0 of the Inscoper Configurator adds or changes relative to the 1.3 series. It covers what is visible in the interface. Corrections of defects are not listed.

Within version 2.0, when a configuration refers to hardware whose description has since changed, the Configurator reports the difference on opening; see Opening a configuration built with an earlier hardware library.

Starting the application¶

Welcome screen. The application no longer opens directly in an empty configuration. It opens on a Welcome screen offering three actions — Create new configuration, Open configuration, and Clone existing configuration — and a Recent Configurations list holding the last three configurations, each with its folder name and full path. Closing the last open configuration tab returns to the Welcome screen. See Get started.

Cloning. Clone existing configuration opens a copy of a stored configuration and leaves the original untouched. In version 1.3, duplicating a configuration required copying its directory outside the application.

Window. The main window opens maximized.

Importing hardware¶

The importation panel has been rebuilt. See Importing hardware.

Addition	Description
Sliding panel	The panel opens from a handle on the left edge of the workspace and closes when importation is complete.
Search field	Filters the hardware library as characters are entered, instead of requiring the tree to be expanded manually.
Quantity per model	The number of units of the same model is set before importing, rather than by importing the model repeatedly.
Combined hardware	A single piece of hardware driven through two drivers — a camera, for example, controlled by its own driver on the computer and triggered through the InscoperBox — is imported as one entry. The Configurator creates each internal device and assigns the shared name, instead of requiring the two drivers to be imported and named separately.

Setup wizard¶

A wizard opens automatically after importation and presents each newly imported device in turn, together with the steps that device still needs: function selection, turret contents, connections, and the advanced steps a device may define. Every step remains reachable from the Imported Hardware tree, and the wizard can be skipped for one device or for all of them. See Setup wizard.

In version 1.3, the order of these operations was left to the operator, with no indication of what a newly imported device still required.

Configuring a device¶

Device panels supplied with the description. A device description may carry its own configuration panel, which the Configurator loads when the device is selected. The panel presents the controls that apply to that model, in place of the generic list of parameters used in version 1.3.

Function groups. The functions of a device are declared per group. The Configurator derives the parameters and the connections each group requires from that declaration. See Function groups.

Group parameters table. Each group displays its parameters in one table, with the name, Device, minimum, maximum, step, and the fixed and post-initialization indicators. The startup value of each parameter is entered in the same table. See Group parameters and startup values.

Status markers in the tree. An orange dot marks an entry that is missing a mandatory startup value or an unfilled turret slot, and a connection icon marks an entry whose functions are not yet mapped to a port. See Status markers in the tree.

Validation before the layout stage. Clicking Next reports every outstanding startup value and connection, device by device. The report can be copied to the clipboard. It is informational and does not prevent moving on. See Validation before the next stage.

Turrets and filter wheels¶

Objective turrets, filter cube turrets, and filter wheels are filled in through a slot table rather than as individual parameters. See Turrets and filter wheels.

Turret type	Recorded per slot
All types	Slot number, display name
Objective turret	Magnification, numerical aperture
Filter cube turret, filter wheel	Excitation filter, emission filter

Filter library¶

Filters used in cubes and wheels are held in a library, opened with the Filter Manager (Settings > Filter Manager). Each entry records the type — bandpass, longpass, shortpass, notch, or other — the manufacturer, the model, the catalog and lot numbers, and the transmittance ranges. A spectrum visualizer displays the recorded bands. Library entries are then selected in the slot table of a turret, so the same filter need not be described again for every configuration.

Connections¶

See Connections.

Addition	Description
Separate connection window	The connection view opens as its own window over the workspace, sized to the main window, and the connection state is refreshed when it is closed.
Connection state indicator	A color-coded indicator reports the state of each device: connected, undefined, or disconnected. The state can be set manually where the device permits it.
Identifier selection	Serial numbers and comparable identifiers are chosen from a searchable list. When only one candidate is present it is selected automatically, and ambiguous identifiers are distinguished by an index.
Detection and diagnosis	Detect and Diag report their results in a table, and the identified devices are matched against the configuration.
USB devices	The USB device list is read back after a rescan, and a link follows its device when the port is changed. See Assigning a USB device.

Imaging Software layout¶

The layout of the acquisition interface presented to the end user is now edited in a dedicated stage, reached with Next after the hardware stage. The Configurator builds a first layout from the configured hardware, and the editor displays the real Imaging Software controls with the values of the configuration. See Imaging Software layout.

Addition	Description
Four zones	Settings, Channels, Shortcut, and Advanced, each holding the controls appropriate to it.
Categories	Controls are grouped into named categories, created, renamed, and removed in the editor.
Drag and drop	A control is moved by dragging it, alone or with others selected together. A placeholder marks the drop position. Send to… moves a control to another zone.
History	Undo and Redo, each with a list of the recorded steps, and Reset, which rebuilds the automatic layout.
Wavelength color	The color associated with a wavelength is set in the editor.

In version 1.3, the categories, groups, and order of the Imaging Software controls were declared as text entries in the advanced settings.

Advanced settings and calibration¶

Several settings that were entered by hand in version 1.3 are now derived from the configured hardware, and no longer require manual entry: the categories and groups of controls, the image scalers, and the list of devices to read back after an external change. Calibrations are edited in a dedicated window, including the calibrations that link two parameters. Shading correction targets are identified automatically. See Advanced settings and Calibration.

Autofocus¶

Autofocus Settings is a distinct panel, visible in Expert Mode only, presented for the devices that provide an autofocus. It shows which parameter the Configurator has identified as the autofocus switch, the offset, the mode, and the focus offset, together with the values that switch the autofocus on and off and the behavior applied between points, between groups of points, and between timepoints. An Autofocus Incompatibilities table records the parameters whose operation is incompatible with an active autofocus. A warning is issued if a required field is left empty.

Resolving an ambiguous function¶

When the function of a Device cannot be established from the device description alone — a movement axis usable either as a focus or as a piezo, for example — the Configurator presents an Ambiguous Settings panel and asks which function applies. In version 1.3, such a case had to be recognized by the operator and set through the parameters of the Device.

Expert Mode¶

The interface offers two modes. User Mode, the default, hides the settings that a standard installation does not require. Expert Mode exposes the additional columns, buttons, and steps needed for commissioning and troubleshooting. The mode is set in the settings window and is retained between sessions. See Expert Mode.

Application settings¶

Setting	Description
Language	Interface language. The interface is translated, English and Chinese being available.
Distance Unit	Unit used for distances, such as stage and focus positions.
Time Unit	Unit used for durations, such as exposure times.
Expert Mode	Switches between User Mode and Expert Mode.
Seconds To Wait After USB Reset	Delay observed after a USB rescan before the port list is read back.

See Application settings.

Functions withdrawn¶

Withdrawn	Replacement
Manual entry of the Imaging Software categories and groups	The layout editor.
Manual declaration of image scalers and of the devices to update	Derived from the configured hardware; see Advanced settings.
Raw parameter group selection	Function groups in the device view.

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Next step: New installations should start from Get started. Readers upgrading from version 1.3 rebuild their configuration in version 2.0, and should read Setup wizard and Imaging Software layout first, as these two stages differ most from the earlier workflow.