Issue 59

Using Schemes to Create Uniform Logs

Strater's scheme system allows you to link drawing properties in your log items such as fills, lines, text styles, and well construction details, to data in your data tables.

For example, if you have the word "Granite" in your data table to describe the lithology for a particular depth interval, you can create a scheme containing drawing properties specific for granite. When the scheme is assigned to a log, every time the word "Granite" is used in the data table, Strater uses the properties assigned in the scheme in the graphical borehole display.

Using schemes ensures style uniformity between your boreholes, even as you alter logs and boreholes, adjust page layouts, and create brand new projects.

This article is divided into 5 parts:

1. Scheme Types and Scheme Items
2. Creating Schemes
3. Editing Schemes
4. Simple Case Example
5. Detailed Case Example

Schemes are based on the data in the data tables, with specific drawing properties tied to
particular data text or numeric values. Log items are also based on the data in the data
tables. Log items display the content of the data and can optionally use the drawing
properties defined in the schemes when those particular data values are encountered.

Schemes are divided into five scheme types: keyword, range, lithology, lithology indent styles, and well construction. The type of scheme created depends on the data you want to tie it to. For example, keyword schemes tie particular text keywords in the data table to drawing properties. Range schemes tie numeric data ranges to drawing properties.

Each scheme is composed of scheme items. Scheme items are the actual data values in the data table that you assign various drawing properties (ie “Granite”, “Shale”, “Sandstone”). You can have as many schemes and scheme items in a scheme as necessary.

The Scheme Editor (Tools | Scheme Editor) lists all the schemes within a project on
the left side of the dialog box, categorized by the five scheme types. Open a scheme
by clicking on the + to the left of the scheme name to see the scheme items within
that scheme.

The five scheme types are described in detail below:

1. Keyword schemes tie a particular keyword text value to drawing properties. For example, you can assign a keyword of “Cu” to have a green fill pattern and a keyword of “Au” to have a yellow fill pattern. The keywords “Cu” and “Au” would be the scheme items in this scheme. You can change the keyword text, and the fill, line, symbol and text properties for keyword scheme items.
2. Range schemes tie numeric ranges in the data to particular drawing properties. For example, you can create a range scheme that divides your numeric data (ie. concentration or assay results) into 5 scheme items, or ranges. Each range can have its own color value, so the highest range can be filled red and the lowest range can be filled black. Range scheme items allow you to specify the upper and lower range limits and the fill, line, symbol and text properties.
3. Lithology schemes are similar to keyword schemes and tie a particular lithology keyword to drawing properties. For example, you can assign a lithology keyword of “Shale” to have a gray horizontal dashed fill pattern or “Limestone” to have a blue boxed pattern. You can modify the lithology keyword and the contact line, fill, line and text properties for lithology scheme items.
4. Lithology Indent Styles schemes are also similar to keyword schemes and tie a particular indent keyword to the shape and style of the indent line. For example, you can tie the indent keywords “Fining Up” to a diagonal indent line style that depicts fining upwards in a lithology log. Lithology Indent Styles scheme items allow you to change the indent keyword, indent line style and the indent line properties.
5. Well Construction schemes tie particular well items in the data to drawing properties. For example, you can specify that a well construction item of “Screen” to have a horizontal line fill pattern, or you can select a particular end cap for the item “End Cap”. Well construction scheme items allow you to change the item keyword, the well item itself (Seal and Packing, Casing and Screens, or Cover and End Caps), and the fill and line properties.

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Seven of the twelve Strater log items can use schemes. Different log types use different scheme types. What type of scheme you need depends on the type of log you want to apply it to. For example, you would create and apply a keyword scheme to a zone bar log, or a range scheme to a classed post log.

There are three ways schemes are created in Strater:

1. Create the scheme automatically. For all log types in the above table except bar logs, when a new log item is created, Strater will automatically generate a scheme based on the first appropriate data field that is encountered in the data table. In most cases, Strater selects the correct data field. In some cases it does not. In these cases, it is best to create the scheme using one of the other two methods described below. The default scheme name is the data table name followed by the data field name (ie. Assay:Au). All scheme items in the automatically created scheme will use default drawing properties.

    

2. Create the scheme in the Database View. This is a good option if Strater did not use the correct field when automatically creating the scheme as above, or if you want to create additional schemes based on other data in the data table. To create a scheme from data in the Database View, select a cell in the data field and then either right click and select Create Scheme from the bottom of the pop up context menu, or go to Table | Create Scheme.

   The Create Scheme command will open the New Scheme dialog box. The information in the New Scheme dialog will be automatically entered appropriate to the data field you selected. You have the option of changing any of this information, including which data table and data field the scheme is created from, the Scheme Name, and in some cases the Scheme Type and number of scheme items created within the scheme. Note that if you wish to create a lithology indent styles scheme, select Lithology Lines as the Scheme Type.

    

   
   Set the properties of the new scheme in the New Scheme
   dialog box. The above settings will create a range scheme
   called “SB20 – GR” with 10 scheme items (ranges)
   within the scheme.

   Make your changes, if necessary, and click OK to create the scheme.

    

3. Create the scheme directly in the Scheme Editor. This is a good option if you have not imported any data and are making templates to use in the future with many data sets. Open the Scheme Editor by going to Tools | Scheme Editor. Click on the New Scheme button.

   The New Scheme dialog box will open. Enter the initial setup information for the scheme, such as entering the Scheme Name, selecting the Scheme Type, and selecting how many scheme items you want to create within that scheme. Note that if you wish to create a lithology indent styles scheme, select Lithology Lines as the Scheme Type.

    

   
   Set the properties of the new scheme in the New Scheme
   dialog box. The above settings will create a keyword
   scheme called “Rock Type” with 4 scheme items.

   When the setup information for the scheme is entered, click OK and the scheme is created.

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The Scheme Editor is the key to building and customizing your schemes. Once a scheme is created, either automatically or manually, you can edit the scheme and scheme item properties in the Scheme Editor, accessed by going to Tools | Scheme Editor. Select a scheme or scheme item on the left side of the Scheme Editor and make changes to its properties on the right side.

Select the scheme name on the left side of the Scheme Editor dialog, and you can
rename the scheme using the Scheme Properties on the right side.

Open a scheme in the Scheme Editor by clicking on the + to the left of the
scheme name. The scheme items are listed under the scheme name. Select a scheme item
and the drawing properties for that item are displayed on the right side of the Scheme
Editor. The type of drawing properties you can set for each scheme item vary depending
on the scheme type. Edit or view the properties for each scheme item as you wish.

To make working with schemes easier, the Scheme Editor has some additional options using the tool buttons on the lower left side:

• New scheme. To create a completely new scheme from scratch, click the button. Enter the new scheme properties in the New Scheme dialog and click OK.
• Open scheme. To load a previously saved scheme, click the button, select the SCH file, and click Open.
• Save scheme. Once you have a scheme created for your borehole display, you can save it to a scheme file. This way, you can use the exact same scheme for future projects without having to remake it. To save a schemes to a scheme file, select the scheme you wish to save and click the button, give the scheme file a name and click Save.
• Copy scheme. You can create a copy of a scheme by selecting the scheme to copy and clicking the button. This is helpful if you created a detailed scheme, and want to create a similar scheme with a few minor edits. Rather than creating the second scheme from scratch, you can copy the first scheme and then simply perform the minor edits.
• Delete scheme. If you would like to delete an entire scheme, select the scheme name and click the button.
• Insert new scheme item. Select a scheme item and click the button to insert a new scheme item to the bottom of the item list.
• Delete a selected scheme item. Select a scheme item and click the button to delete that item from the scheme.

When scheme item properties are changed, click OK in the Scheme Editor and the log items that use that scheme are instantly updated.

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As an example, you can enter some data into an interval data table with the Hole ID, the depth intervals and a data field containing rock type names.

This is an example data table called “Rock Type” with rock type names
entered in the “Parameter 1” field.

When you create a zone bar log in the Borehole View, Strater will automatically create a scheme for that zone bar log and apply the scheme to the log. The zone bar log is filled with the default colors in that scheme. By default, the keyword scheme name will be the data table name followed by the data field name. In this example, it is Rock Type:Parameter 1.

Create a zone bar log from the data
table, and Strater will automatically
create a keyword scheme from the data
and apply the scheme to the log, filling
the intervals with default colors.

The Zone Bar Properties in the Property Inspector
shows which keyword scheme is applied to the log.

In most cases, the default colors and patterns in the schemes are not ideal. To change these, go to Tools | Scheme Editor. Click on the + to the left of the scheme name to open the scheme. The three scheme items are listed. Select each scheme item and the drawing properties are displayed on the right. You can change any of the drawing properties you wish. For example, you can select the Granite scheme item on the left side, and on the right side open the Fill Properties section, choose the “Granite” bitmap fill pattern from the drop down menu to the right of Pattern, and select a red foreground color from the drop down menu to the right of Foreground. Similarly you can set the fill properties for the Shale and Sandstone scheme items.

A keyword scheme is created from the rock type data in the data table. The scheme
is called “Rock Type:Parameter 1” and contains the three rock types in the data table
as scheme items. You can select a scheme item on the left side of the Scheme
Editor and edit the properties for that scheme on the right side.

Once the edits are made, click OK and the new drawing properties are immediately applied to the log.

Strater uses the drawing properties
defined in the scheme to fill the zone
bar log with the desired fill properties.

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Next is PART 5: Detailed Case Example