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MapChart 2.32: November 2017
Since about 2015 MapChart would fail to create a window on some systems. This occurred
on Windows 7, 8 and 10. Sometimes the problem would appear or disappear after a Windows
update. With version 2.32 the problem is solved.
MapChart 2.3: January 2015
- New installer, works on all with Windows 7 and 8 systems as well as older ones
- Added more zoom levels and manual adjusting of zoom level
- Added option to suppress QTL names
- Rewritten parsing of MapQTL 5.0 and 6.0 output files (the old version did not work
for all population types)
- Corrected: occasional incorrect lines connecting homologs
- Corrected: sometimes "omitted" loci were considered as homologs
- corrected: chart title could not be removed
MapChart 2.2: April 2006
- Reads MapQTL 5.0 output files
- Graph files can contain data for multiple linkage groups (less clutter of data files)
- New formatting "Omit" for markers: allows to create skeleton maps showing a few markers with name and only ticks at the positions of all "omitted" markers
- Exports charts as bitmaps as well as metafiles
- Data font can be set and is retained between sessions
- Removed limitation to size of data
- Improved printing control (color / grayscale, resolution)
- Autofit improved
MapChart 2.11: June 2003
This version corrects a few minor errors in version 2.1 and is otherwise unchanged.
MapChart 2.1: June 2002
- Homologous loci can be highlighted and/or connected with lines
- "Combine Maps" tool: puts the corresponding linkage groups from several files side by side, especially useful for showing homologies between maps
- Linkage groups that are parts of the same chromosome can be automatically aligned under each other
- Chart title on the first page or on all pages
- Footer with page number, file name and/or date
- Extra option to indicate locus positions: ruler at left side of page, as alternative to locus positions, intervals or ticks along the linkage group bars
- Up to three text columns next to the locus names can be used, instead of only one
- Texts can be shown with or without specific formatting of locus name
- Constant graph lines (e.g. LOD thresholds) can now be specified directly, instead of being read from a file
- Graphs can be shown with bold lines
- More QTL interval options: line style, bold lines, with or without cross-dash at ends
- Normal and bold line width can be specified
- Indicators connecting highlighted locus names with their positions on the linkage group bar can be highlighted bold and/or in color
- Vertical shift distance can now be expressed either in mm or in map units
- Map files containing ";" (the comment character) as part of the locus or linkage group names are now read like in JoinMap and MapQTL
- Dashed and dotted lines were drawn incorrectly on some printers; corrected
- Occasionally loci appearing on the left side of the bar were not shown; corrected
- Several minor bug fixes
Already available in version 2.0 of 14 May 2001:
- Map datafiles can be exported for use in e.g. MapQTL
- Locus names can be suppressed. If also positions are suppressed the
linkage group bar only shows lines at the locus positions.
- Graph files can now have multiple data columns.
A graph option selects which column to use; "LOD" is the default.
MapQTL 3.0 and 4.0 output can be read without editing.
MapChart 2.0: 20 February 2001
- Change to the copyright:
The copyright of MapChart now belongs to Plant Research International,
Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Changes to interface:
- Multiple document interface: multiple maps can be open simultaneously.
Useful for comparisons and for updating information from one map to
another (see below)
- Both the map data and the chart options are now stored in one file
(*.mct) instead of in separate *.map and *.set files.
Useful because *.map files with different formats are also used for
other purposes (e.g. for MapQTL input).
- MapChart files (*.mct) are registered: double-clicking on a *.mct file
in the Explorer will cause MapChart to open the file
- On opening a file, the chart is displayed instead of the data
- On zooming in or out, the image now remains centered on the same spot.
- Changed layout of some forms to improve legibility with different
Windows screen font sizes
- Right-click (pop-up) menu’s
- MapChart will start maximized if it was closed in a maximized state
in the previous session
- The font of the Data sheet can be specified
- When errors in the data are found, the cursor is placed on the
erroneous line
- When errors in the Chart options dialog are found, the error is
highlighted
- The manual is now a HTML file with contents,
index and links
- New functionality:
- All kinds of formatting information (formatting of linkage groups and loci;
QTLs, graphs, bar segments, chart options, page setup) can be copied from
one map to another. Useful for transferring this information to a new
version of the map.
- "Autofit" added: if the charts don’t fit on the page size
with the current chart options, MapChart now attempts to fit the charts
by changing several combinations of chart options.
- Unlimited numbers of color codes can now be used (a consequence is
that the color coding is slightly modified, but map files of
version 1.x are automatically converted)
- With a transparent background, now a background color is shown on screen,
so that white lines, texts and symbols are visible.
- Bars of linkage groups can now be aligned vertically (to show two parts
belonging to the same chromosome)
- Positions along the linkage group bars can now be indicated in four ways:
no positions, absolute positions of loci, intervals between loci, or
ticks at fixed intervals
- The font size of individual loci can now be specified
- The Y-axis of graphs can now be formatted: low and high limits,
tick interval, number of decimals; if not specified they are
automatically determined as before
- Improved drawing of dashed and dotted lines in Graphs
- The size of symbols in graphs can now be specified
- Linkage group bars can now be shown with either flat or rounded tips.
- Bugs in Mirror and Reverse options of linkage groups fixed
- Several other minor bugs solved.
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MapChart 1.44: 12 January 2001
- Problems with some printer drivers solved.
MapChart 1.43: 30 March 2000
- Multiple instances of MapChart can now run simultaneously
(useful to compare different maps)
- Bug in Y-axis numbers in graphs corrected
MapChart 1.42: 29 February 2000
- Bug in rounding positions corrected
- Positions (cM) of points in graph now by default rounded like
locus positions; rounding can be disabled (Settings-Graphs)
- Find and Replace now start at current position instead of at start of text
MapChart 1.41: 14 February 2000
- Chart files are not automatically saved any more, but only if requested
("Save chart pages" button in chart window toolbar), to prevent
accumulation of unneeded files
- New print dialog allows to select printer and to set number of copies
- Map data and manual can now be printed from MapChart
MapChart 1.40: 12 January 2000
- Mirror option in chromosome header added: switch locus names and
QTL bars from left to right or v.v. for individual chromosomes
- Locus texts added: optional extra texts for each locus displayed
in a separate column
- MapChart now reads numbers with decimal points or decimal comma's,
irrespective of Windows regional settings
- Open file dialog now remembers last working folder from previous
MapChart run
- Command-line option D=<folder> to specify where Open file and
Save file dialogs start if the previous working folder is no longer
accessible
- Default settings now saved in user-specified file.
- Various other small improvements and bug fixes
MapChart 1.30: 15 December 1999
- Graphs (LOD graphs of QTLs or otherwise), graph legend and Line styles
and Symbol styles Help forms added
- Auto QTLs (QTL bars calculated from graphs) added
- New separate font dialog simplifies many Settings dialog pages
- Bug in detection of arrow keys solved
MapChart 1.22: 22 November 1999
- Bug in Colors page of Settings Dialog corrected
MapChart 1.21: 10 November 1999
- Edit commands added: Find and Replace
- Keyboard actions added as alternative for mouse actions, a.o.
Esc for closing windows, (Ctrl-) Arrows, (Ctrl-) PgUp/PgDn,
(Ctrl-) Home/End for moving around and between chart pages,
+/- for zooming in/out.
- Copy chart page to Clipboard (with button or Ctrl-C) added
MapChart 1.2: 24 October 1999
- Locus positions can be shown as absolute positions or intervals,
or can be suppressed (previously only absolute positions were shown)
- Placing of loci along chromosome bar improved
- Extended formatting of chromosomes: shifting up, down, left or right,
reverse chromosome, force page break
- Changed format of chromosome header to accommodate new options
- Segments of chromosome bars can be filled and colored
MapChart 1.1: 27 September 1999
- QTL bars added
- Minor improvements in drawing
- Fill styles for chromosome and QTL bars, and Fill styles Help form added
MapChart 1.0: 24 August 1999
- Printer support
- Drawing at printer resolution
- Zooming in and out
- Locus names either left or right of bar (was: only on the right)
- Settings dialog redesigned
- Toolbars on data and chart windows
- Editing commands added: Comment and Uncomment lines
- Manual available as online help
MapChart 0.1: 7 April 1999
First released version
- Charts with chromosome titles and loci
- Charts drawn at screen resolution
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