Interface Overview

Complete guide to the Raman Spectroscopy Analysis Application user interface.

Table of Contents

Main Window Layout

The application uses a modern tabbed interface with consistent organization across all pages.

Window Structure

Main Window Layout

Figure: Main application window showing title bar, menu bar, tab navigation, and status bar

Key Components

  1. Title Bar

    • Application name

    • Standard window controls (minimize, maximize, close)

  2. Menu Bar

    • File operations (New, Open, Save, Export)

    • Edit functions (Undo, Redo, Copy, Paste)

    • View options (Theme, Zoom, Layout)

    • Tools (Calibration, Batch Processing)

    • Settings (Preferences, Configurations)

    • Help (Documentation, About)

  3. Language & Theme Switcher

    • [EN/JA]: Toggle between English and Japanese

    • πŸŒ™/β˜€οΈ: Toggle between dark and light themes

  4. Tab Navigation

    • 🏠 Home: Project overview and recent activity

    • πŸ“¦ Data Package: Data import and management

    • πŸ”§ Preprocess: Preprocessing pipeline builder

    • πŸ“Š Analysis: Exploratory and statistical analysis

    • πŸ€– ML: Machine learning workflows

    • πŸ’Ό Workspace: Project and file management

  5. Main Content Area

    • Dynamic content based on selected tab

    • Responsive layout adjusts to window size

    • Split-view support for data/results

  6. Status Bar

    • Current operation status

    • Active project name

    • System resource usage (CPU, memory)

    • Progress indicators for long operations

Common UI Elements

Panels and Widgets

Data Selector Panel

Located on the left side of most pages for selecting input data.

Layout: Vertical panel with checkboxes for each dataset, plus β€œSelect All” and β€œClear” buttons at the bottom.

Visual Reference: See the Data Package Page screenshot for the actual appearance of this component.

Features:

  • Multi-selection with checkboxes

  • Search/filter functionality

  • Select all / Clear all buttons

  • Drag-and-drop support

Parameter Panel

Standard interface for method configuration.

Layout: Vertical panel with labeled parameters (Window Size, Polynomial Order, Derivative Order, etc.), each with appropriate input widgets (dropdowns, sliders, spinboxes). Action buttons (Reset, Apply, Add to Pipeline) are placed at the bottom.

Visual Reference: See the Preprocessing Page screenshot for the actual parameter panel appearance.

Features:

  • Dropdown menus for discrete choices

  • Sliders for continuous ranges

  • Spin boxes for numeric input

  • Tooltips on hover (hover over label)

  • Real-time validation

  • Reset to defaults button

Results Panel

Standard layout for displaying analysis results.

Layout: Panel with β€œResults” header and action buttons (Copy πŸ“‹, Export Plot πŸ“Š, Save Data πŸ’Ύ) in the top-right. Main area shows plots or tables. Summary statistics are displayed below the main result.

Visual Reference: See the Analysis Page and ML Page screenshots for actual results panel appearances.

Features:

  • πŸ“‹: Copy results to clipboard

  • πŸ“Š: Export plot as image (PNG, SVG)

  • πŸ’Ύ: Save data table (CSV, XLSX, JSON, TXT, PKL)

  • Summary statistics below main result

  • Zoom, pan, and interact with plots

Toast Notifications

Non-intrusive notifications for user feedback.

Appearance: Small popup notification in the bottom-right corner of the window, showing an icon (βœ“, ℹ️, ⚠️, or βœ—) followed by a brief message and optional details. Auto-dismisses after 3-5 seconds.

Types:

  • Success (βœ“ green): Operation completed

  • Info (ℹ️ blue): Informational message

  • Warning (⚠️ yellow): Potential issue

  • Error (βœ— red): Operation failed

Dialog Windows

Multi-Group Selection Dialog

Used for assigning samples to multiple groups.

Layout: Modal dialog with β€œAssign Samples to Groups” title. Checkboxes list available groups. Management buttons (+ New Group, Edit, Delete) below the list. Standard Cancel/OK buttons at the bottom.

Visual Reference: See the Data Package Page screenshot showing group management dialogs.

External Evaluation Dialog

For uploading test sets for model evaluation.

Layout: Modal dialog with β€œExternal Test Set Evaluation” title. Three file selection rows: Test Data File (required), Labels File (optional), and Model File (required). Each row has a β€œBrowse…” button and displays the selected filename. Cancel and Evaluate buttons at the bottom.

Visual Reference: See the Machine Learning Page screenshot showing evaluation dialogs.

Customization

Theme Selection

Light Theme (Default for well-lit environments):

  • White background

  • Dark text

  • Blue accents

  • High contrast for readability

Dark Theme (Recommended for extended use):

  • Dark gray/black background

  • Light text

  • Cyan/green accents

  • Reduced eye strain

How to switch:

  1. Click πŸŒ™/β˜€οΈ icon in top-right corner

  2. Or: Settings β†’ Appearance β†’ Theme

  3. Changes apply immediately (no restart needed)

Language Selection

English (EN) - Default interface language
Japanese (JA) - Complete Japanese translation

How to switch:

  1. Click [EN/JA] button in top-right corner

  2. Or: Settings β†’ Language β†’ Interface Language

  3. Restart application for full effect

Note: Plot labels and some technical terms remain in English for scientific consistency.

Layout Customization

Split-View Mode

Display data and results side-by-side:

Split-View Mode (screenshot)

Figure: Split-view layout (data on left, results on right)

Enable: View β†’ Layout β†’ Split View or Ctrl + Shift + 2

Compact Mode

Reduce padding and margins for smaller screens:

Enable: View β†’ Layout β†’ Compact Mode

Font Settings

Adjust text size for better readability:

  1. Go to Settings β†’ Appearance β†’ Font

  2. Options:

    • UI Font Size: 8pt - 16pt (default: 10pt)

    • Code Font: Monospace fonts for technical views

    • Plot Font: Font for chart labels (8pt - 14pt)

Panel Visibility

Show/hide specific panels:

  • View β†’ Panels β†’ Data Selector (toggle left panel)

  • View β†’ Panels β†’ Parameters (toggle right panel)

  • View β†’ Panels β†’ Status Bar (toggle bottom bar)

Default Directories

Configure default locations:

  1. Settings β†’ Paths

  2. Set:

    • Projects Directory: Default location for new projects

    • Data Import Directory: Default for file browser

    • Export Directory: Default for saved results

    • Pipeline Library: Location for saved pipelines

Workflow Integration

Typical User Workflow

        graph LR
    A[Home] --> B[Data Package]
    B --> C[Preprocess]
    C --> D[Analysis]
    D --> E{Need ML?}
    E -->|Yes| F[ML]
    E -->|No| G[Export]
    F --> G
    G --> H[Workspace]

  1. Start at Home: Create or open project

  2. Import Data: Use Data Package page to load spectra

  3. Preprocess: Build preprocessing pipeline

  4. Analyze: Run exploratory or statistical analysis

  5. ML (Optional): Train classification/regression models

  6. Export: Save results and trained models

  7. Manage: Use Workspace for file organization

Context Preservation

The application remembers your state:

  • Last opened project

  • Recent file selections

  • Tab positions

  • Panel visibility

  • Theme and language preferences

  • Window size and position

Data persists between sessions automatically.

Accessibility Features

High Contrast Mode

For users with visual impairments:

Enable: Settings β†’ Accessibility β†’ High Contrast

Features:

  • Increased contrast ratios (7:1 minimum)

  • Thicker borders and outlines

  • Larger click targets

  • Distinguishable focus indicators

Screen Reader Support

Compatible with:

  • NVDA (Windows)

  • JAWS (Windows)

  • VoiceOver (macOS)

Enable: Settings β†’ Accessibility β†’ Screen Reader Mode

Keyboard-Only Navigation

All features accessible via keyboard:

  • Tab through interactive elements

  • Arrow keys for navigation

  • Enter/Space to activate

  • Escape to cancel

Tips and Best Practices

Performance Optimization

For large datasets (>1000 spectra):

  1. Enable β€œCompact Mode” to reduce memory usage

  2. Close unused tabs

  3. Disable real-time preview during preprocessing

  4. Use batch processing for multiple operations

Multi-Monitor Setup

Optimizing for dual displays:

  1. Drag main window to primary monitor

  2. Open plot windows on secondary monitor

  3. Use View β†’ Detach Plots to create floating windows

  4. Arrange for optimal comparison

Quick Actions

Speed up common tasks:

  • Right-click on datasets for context menu

  • Use middle-click to open in new window

  • Double-click on results to expand

  • Drag-and-drop files directly into import area

Troubleshooting UI Issues

Interface Not Responding

Symptoms: UI freezes, buttons don’t respond

Solutions:

  1. Wait for current operation to complete (check status bar)

  2. Press Ctrl + . to stop operation

  3. If frozen >30s, check Task Manager for CPU usage

  4. Force close and restart if necessary

Missing Panels

Symptoms: Panels disappeared or not visible

Solutions:

  1. Check View β†’ Panels menu to re-enable

  2. Reset layout: View β†’ Layout β†’ Reset to Default

  3. Check window size (panels hide on small screens)

Font Rendering Issues

Symptoms: Text appears blurry or incorrect

Solutions:

  1. Update graphics drivers

  2. Disable display scaling: Settings β†’ Appearance β†’ Disable Scaling

  3. Change font: Settings β†’ Appearance β†’ Font β†’ System Default

Theme Not Applying

Symptoms: Theme changes don’t take effect

Solutions:

  1. Restart application

  2. Reset theme: Settings β†’ Appearance β†’ Reset Theme

  3. Delete config file: C:\Users\<username>\.raman_app\ui_config.json

See Also

Next: Data Import Guide β†’