XMapTools 4.1 – Release notes

Published on January 2nd, 2023

Release 4.1 includes new functionalities and updates to XMapTools and improvements to stability and compatibility.

General

  • Add tools for single-mask classification and the creation of sub-masks. At the moment, it is recommended to use the Random Algorithm forest for creating sub-masks
  • Add a point counting tool to evaluate pseudo-modes; XMapTools selects randomly pixels on the map and estimates the modal abundances (in %). A version with uncertainty estimation using Monte-Carlo can be activated
  • Add a functionality to calibrate pixels of a selection of masks for standardisation of EPMA data. Note that merged maps are only generated when the option “Apply to all maps” is selected.
  • Add entropic filters to the classification (TEXTF)
  • Add the old function to run XMapTools and open immediately a project in the MATLAB version using the command: “XMapTools open ProjectName”
  • Add a demo version of Bingo-Antidote 2.0 for test purposes
  • Improve stability of XMapTools when a ROI is drawn or edited

LA-ICP-MS

  • Add a multi-standard calibration option which required several major changes in both the import tool and the calibration module for LA-ICPMS data. This update also includes several improvements and minor corrections. Compatibility with data generated using previous versions is not fully maintained
  • Add an option to read the sweep time values for each element from an xml file. Note that the file name should be AcqMethod.xml
  • Improve performances for plotting and ROI interaction of the Spider module

Data Visualisation Module

  • Improve the global performances of the module by implementing the low ressource mode to all plots. Only 20 % of the data points are plotted when this mode is active; this threshold can be adjusted in the option tab
  • Add an option to select a range of data (using the fields Xmin and Xmax) when plotting an histogram
  • Add a plotting report generated while plotting a ternary diagram
  • Add an option to create a single-mask maskfile from he pixels selected by the Identify
  • Add a dropdown menu to select a phase from a maskfile to plot only the pixel compositions of this phase
  • Add an option to avoid plotting zeros; this is important for the fitting tools
  • Fix several issue in the starting function that would prevent the module to open for special cases (e.g. less than 3 maps)

Classification

  • Improve the selection of input data for classification
  • Add an option to select the method used for data scaling
  • Add an option to ensure reproducibility of the classification algorithms based on random numbers (using seeds for the random number generator)
  • Add an option to select the number of trees in the random forest algorithm.

Import Tool

  • Improve compatibility of the EPMA Converter to import data from JEOL microprobes (Windows)
  • Activate map re-sampling and orientation corrections to all data types in the import tools. This resolves an issue when LA-ICPMS data are imported from Iolite. It is not recommended to use these tools for other data types

Other

  • Add an option to unfreeze the interface after an error by simply requesting to close the app. This  option does not require to have unsaved data as in previous versions
  • Add a checking function for the selected training set before classification
  • Add a mask file signature to ensure data compatibility throughout XMapTools and add-ons
  • Improve interface behavior for button availability, tooltips and error messages
  • Improve GUI size for screens with low resolution
  • Improve the plot behaviour of the main tree menu: if a category/dataset from Quanti, Merged, Result, Other, the first element in the list is automatically displayed
  • Export a file Last_LBCsim.txt in the main directory containing each local bulk compositions simulated by XMapTools for estimating the LBC uncertainty.
  • Fix an issue in the classification function when part of the selected maps have been deleted
  • Fix a minor issue in the variable initialisation for mask files
  • Fix several minor issues in the Converter for LA-ICP-MS; reported by Nils Gies
  • Fix several minor issues in the behaviour of ROI for training sets; reported by Nils Gies
  • Fix an issue in the project loading function
  • Other minor bug and fixes

How to download XMapTools

You can access compiled versions of XMapTools here after registrering for free. Alternatively, binaries, source code and developer tools are available by browsing our Git repositories.

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Git repositories

Release notes of previous XMapTools versions