crosshair color and gap size - env variable?

AFNI Message Board
1

Hi all,

Is there an environment variable to pre-set cross-hair color and gap size? I cannot find one on the variable list, only thickness and presence, but maybe I am missing something

2

Hi, Pawel-

With @chauffeur_afni:
https://afni.nimh.nih.gov/pub/dist/doc/htmldoc/tutorials/auto_image/auto_%40chauffeur_afni.html
… you can set the crosshair presence and gap with:


-set_xhairs XX     :specify type and/or existence of crosshairs in the
                    image (see DR: SET_XHAIRS).

-set_xhair_gap GG  :specify gap in the crosshairs to the specified number
                    of pixels GG (see DR: SET_XHAIR_GAP).

In GUI, those are set with driving commands, not environment variables:


    -com "SET_XHAIRS      <my crosshair on/off choice>"      
    -com "SET_XHAIR_GAP   <my crosshair gap value>"

… as described here:
https://afni.nimh.nih.gov/pub/dist/doc/program_help/README.driver.html

But funnily enough, there isn’t an env variable or driving command to set the crosshairs color. That might be something to add.

–pt

3

Thank you, Paul. Actually, setting the gap size is more important for me, as I almost always want to switch it from the default 5 to a much smaller number, while only sometimes I feel like switching xhair color to yellow :slight_smile:

4

Actually, could it be made an environmental variable i.e. global setting at some point?

I thought I would be happy with
alias af ‘afni -com “SET_XHAIR_GAP 1”’
and starting afni via “af”

But if then I open a new controller using the New button, it uses the default gap size of 5

5

just putting in another vote to make gap size an environmental variable. i'm also always changing it from default 5 to smaller. but i know you guys are busy so no worries if too much work!

6

Done. See pull request Crosshair gap size by afni-dglen · Pull Request #836 · afni/afni · GitHub

7

That is great, thanks!

Just note this isn't in the current distribution yet (ver 25.2.12). It should be in our next build, so from 25.2.13 and ever onwards.

--pt

8

Try running this for example:

afni -DAFNI_crosshairgap=0 -DAFNI_ovcrosshair=11

Apparently those environment variables have been available since 1997. :)

-rick

9

thanks so much everyone, AFNI_CROSSHAIRGAP = 0 in my .afnirc has begun saving me so much time and clicking