Tutorial Number 11
USING THE SYMBOLS

Many of the windows shown in the preceding tutorials have changed a little. They have been slightly rearranged to make some space for more fields & a "OK Symbols" button has been added. For example the "Leguerre-Gauss" pane of the "Gauss" window has had the following changes.


OLD VERSION

NEW VERSION
Note that the "OK Symbols" button is only visible when exposed in a script. If that button is clicked the window changes to look like the one below.
Every time this icon is executed the values in the yellow box are looked up in the table of symbols , the current value of the symbol is found and, if the box preceding the box is checked, the value will be inserted into the white field above. Then the icon calculates the function. This table of Symbol Definitions is absolutely essential. If you are to use symbol variables across icons other than the rescale icon. Subscripts have access to the same table of definitions. Use just one and put it near the start icon.
Most if the icons that permit a batch option now have a second way to do the same thing. One can use the batch option of the "rescale " icon to read in new values that can be used by any symbol capable field. Alternatively the numbers can be generated algebraically in a rescale icon. A simple script to present a series of Leguerre-Gauss functions could look like the following.

In this script the Gauss window looks like the one at the left. Parts of the Symbol table and the two rescale icon windows and the branch window are shown below. Note that only the second rescale is included in the loop.

Symbols after run

first rescale

second rescale

the branch window
Notice that this script shows the LG functions for n=0 and l = 0 through 9 and sigma = 60.
The check preceding the text field in the rescale window causes the computed value from these fields to be make available to other icons by inserting its value into the symbol list replacing the old value or creating a new entry.
Read about the branch icon and the several ways it can be used.