Issue 63

Utilizing the Line/Symbol Log Enhancements

Line/symbol logs are one of the most common ways to display depth and variable data. Strater 2 gives you even more flexibility with this popular log type so you can display your data exactly how you want. Line/symbol log enhancements in Strater 2 include the ability to label your points, create discontinuous lines to show areas of missing data, and set a cutoff value and fill for the cutoff area. This article will walk you through the steps on how to use these new features.

Create line/symbol logs in
Strater 2 with point labels,
discontinuous lines,
and cutoff fill.

1. Open Strater 2.
2. Go to Tools | Log Items | Line/Symbol, or click the button on the toolbar.
3. Click in the log pane where you want the log to be created.
4. When prompted for the data file, select LineLog.xls and click Open.
5. In the Specify Worksheet Column Definitions dialog, you can accept the defaults and simply click Next.
6. In the Specify Data Type and Column Positions dialog, the Data Type is already selected as Depth by default. This is correct since the data file has depth data (one data value per row), so simply click Load. The log is created and the data is automatically imported into a data table called “Sheet1”. The log is based on the data in this data table, which you can access by clicking on the Sheet1 tab at the top of the workspace window.


A basic line/symbol log is
easily created in Strater.

Set the Line/Symbol Log Properties

1. Once the log is created, you can set the properties for the line/symbol log to adjust its appearance. Select the log and in the Property Manager, click on the Line/Symbol Log tab.

1. Click in the Data Range field and change the value to User Defined.
2. Set the Minimum Value to 0 and the Maximum Value to 300. This changes the horizontal scale for the log and adjusts the scale bar.
3. Click in the Missing Data field and change the value to Discontinuous. This will tell Strater to show areas of missing data as gaps in the line.
4. Click in the Show Label field and change the value to True. A label is shown for every data point.

2. Click on the Label tab. This is where we can specify the label properties.

1. Open the Layout section. This is where you can specify the number of labels to show and their position relative to the symbol.

1. You can see that a label at every data point is difficult to read. Increase the Frequency to 3. This will show every third label on the log.
2. To position the log, use the options under the Offset Types field. Change the Offset Types to User Defined.
3. Set the X Offset value to 0.180 in.

2. Open the Format section. This is where you can specify how to format the labels; change the Decimal Digits to 0.
3. Open the Font section. This is where you would specify any font changes to the labels, such as font size or color. We will not make any changes at this time.

3. Click on the Display Properties tab. This is where we specify the line, fill, and symbol properties for the log.

1. Open the Log Fill Properties section. This will fill the log with color, to the right or the left of the line.

1. Click in the Pattern field and select the Solid fill pattern.
2. Click in the Foreground field to change the fill color from Black to Blue.

2. Open the Cutoff Fill Properties section. This is where you can specify a cutoff fill value and fill properties for the cutoff area.

1. Change the Cutoff Value to be what you want. For this example,enter 150.
2. Click in the Display Cutoff Fill field. This option determines if you want to hide the cutoff fill, or if you want to display the fill to the left or right of the cutoff line. Choose Right to apply the cutoff fill properties to the right of the cutoff line.
3. Click in the Pattern field and select the Solid fill pattern.
4. Click in the Foreground field to change the fill color from Black to Red.

3. Open the Symbol Properties section. By default, when you create a line/symbol log, only the line is shown. However, you also have the option to show the symbols for the data points.

1. Change the Symbol Frequency to 3. This will show every third data point as a symbol on the log.
2. You have complete control over the symbol properties. You can change the symbol shape, the color of the symbol outline or fill, and the size. Change the Size from 0.100” to 0.050”.


Improve the appearance of your
line log by showing the gaps in
the data and by adding
labels, fill, and symbols.

Add the Finishing Touches

1. Add any additional items to enhance the appearance of the log. For example, you can go to Tools | Log Items | Depth, or click on the toolbar.
2. Click in the borehole view to the right of the line/symbol log and the depth log is added.
3. You can space the depth log right next to the line log by selecting both the line log and the depth log (click on the line log, hold down the shift key and click on the depth log), then go to Arrange | Space Objects | Right to Left.
4. You can add depth and variable grid lines to the log by selecting the line log and clicking the Grid Line tab in the Property Manager.

1. Open the Variable Grid Lines section.

1. Click in the Variable Grid Line Position field and set it to Bottom.
2. Click in the Show Major Variable Grid Lines field and set it to True.
3. Expand the Show Major Variable Grid Lines section and set the color, style, and width for the major variable grid lines.
4. Expand the Show Minor Variable Grid Lines section. Although we are not showing the minor grid lines, change the Grid Division value to 2. This will change the number of minor tick marks on the scale bar.

2. Open the Depth Grid Lines section.

1. Click in the Depth Grid Line Position field and set it to Bottom.
2. Change the Scaling from Auto to User Defined. The Scaling has to be set to User Defined to change the major grid line interval.
3. Click in the Show Major Depth Grid Lines field and set it to True.
4. Expand the Show Major Depth Grid Lines section and change the Grid Interval to 0.2. Change the color, style, and width for the major depth grid lines if desired.

5. As a last step, you can modify the scale bar label properties. Select the scale bar and click on the Label tab in the Property Manager.

1. Open the Layout section and change the Angle value from 90 to 0.
2. Open the Format section and change the Decimal Digits to 0.
3. Open the Font section and increase the font size in Points to 10.

Create an informative display by
adding a depth log and grid lines.