Runner Window Controls

Four push-button controls, F1 through F4, control the process in the runner window. An additional control called the Curve List is associated with the F5 key. The Curve List includes a text field, often showing a label ACTIVE, and a small pushbutton with a downward-pointing arrow.

The runner window always displays all four controls. The control buttons are each assigned to a function key as well as to the button on the display. An example is the F1-ABORT button, which you can click with the mouse, or by hitting the F1 function key.

Some of the runner window control assignments can change during the experimental sequence. For example, F3 is assigned to Pause while an experiment is running and to Continue while an experiment is paused. Any button with no function assigned to it is unlabeled and grayed out.

SkipThe Skip button always causes the Framework to skip the rest of whatever action it is currently performing, and go on to the next step in the experimental sequence. If you click Skip during the Conditioning or the Initial Delay of an experiment, the rest of that phase is skipped. Some experiments treat the entire data-acquisition process as one phase of the experiment. This is generally true of experiments that involve a simple unidirectional excitation ramp. Skip selected during the ramping process causes a premature end of the ramp and of data acquisition. In other experiments with a cyclic ramp, Skip selected during the first half of the cycle causes an immediate jump to the second half of the cycle. During the second half of the cycle, Skip ends data acquisition. Finally, some experiments treat each data point as a separate phase of the experiment. This is generally true when a scan is required at each data point. In these experiments, the Skip button only skips the data point currently being acquired. It does not skip the rest of the curve acquisition process. When this occurs, Skip always generates a dialog box. This dialog box either indicates that an error (such as an invalid measurement) has occurred or asks you what action to take next. If you choose Skip after an experiment is completed, the Framework closes the Runner window.
AbortThe ABORT button cancels the entire experiment. You may also use the F1 function key on the keyboard. After you press ABORT, a dialog box appears. The dialog box asks you if you really wish to terminate the experiment and lose any data not yet written to your computer's disk. A test terminated via ABORT generates a caution message when the data file is loading into the Echem Analyst.
Pause
ContinueThe Continue control undoes a previous Pause. The process that was paused is resumed exactly from the point at which it was frozen.
Curve ListThe Curve List controls the display of curves in the runner window. Most experiments generate more than one data curve. For example, the Potentiostatic EIS experiment generates three curves: an open-circuit voltage versus time curve, a real-time curve (Lissajous figure) at the present frequency, and an impedance spectrum. The Curve List chooses the curve that is displayed. The text field portion of the Curve List shows a label for the type of curve that is currently selected. When you select with a mouse the small button to the right of the field, a list box appears from this text field. The list box contains identifiers for each of the displayable curve types. A single click on an item in the list selects that item and rolls up the dropdown list box. Change the display from the keyboard as follows: Press the F5 function key to highlight the text field. Press the up or down arrow keys to switch curve types. When you switch types, both the curve identifier in the text field and the displayed curve change. Curves only appear on the display list after they have been created by the script.