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Getting started

Open a file, plot a signal, and learn the layout of the window.

Install

Install Refract from the Mac App Store. It opens with the source browser on the left and an empty track area on the right.

Everything in this guide works on the free plan. See Plans & limits for the caps on open files, connections, tracks and computed signals.

Open a file

Do any of the following:

  • Choose File → Open File… (⌘O).
  • Click + at the top of the source browser and choose Open File….
  • Drag files from the Finder onto the window.

Refract opens .csv, .tsv, .txt, .parquet, .pq, .arrow, .wav and .caf. Select a folder to open every supported file inside it.

Note

Opening a file reads only its header. The full parse runs when you first plot one of its signals, so opening a folder of large files is fast.

Plot a signal

  1. Click the chevron beside a file to expand it. Each numeric column appears as a trace.
  2. Drag a trace onto the Add Track zone below the track area.
  3. Drag more traces onto that track to overlay them, or onto Add Track to give them their own track.

Alternatively, select traces in the browser and press > to plot them on a new track, or press ⇧⌘N for an empty track to drop signals into.

All tracks share the x-axis shown in the ruler at the top of the window. Each track has its own y-axis.

The window

Refract ⊕⇥
Data Sources +
▾ run_a.csv
#index
voltage
current
▾ Port 9000
Listening: 9000
ch0
1 file, 1 connection
Track 1
voltage
current
1.0 0.0 -1.0
Track 2
ch0
5.0 0.0
  1. Source browser — open files and connections, with their signals nested underneath.
  2. Timeline ruler — the one shared x-axis. Drag to pan, double-click to reset.
  3. Track header — the track's name and the signals it draws.
  4. Y-axis — per track. Drag to pan y, double-click to autoscale.
  5. Plot area — drag to zoom, hover for the crosshair.
  6. Toolbar — crosshair and follow-live toggles.
The Refract window. Every track shares the ruler's x-axis; each keeps its own y-axis.

Source browser

Lists open files and connections with their traces. The + menu opens files and connections and creates computed signals. Right-click a file or trace for its context menu. See The source browser.

Timeline ruler

The shared x-axis. Drag to pan all tracks; double-click to reset the x zoom.

Tracks

Each track has a header listing its signals, a y-axis and a plot area. Drag the handle below a track to resize it. See Navigating & inspecting.

Toolbar

Crosshair (⌘;) and Follow live (⌘L).

Next steps