Plot your first PV

You need a built qtstriptool and a reachable EPICS Channel Access process variable. Check your site's EPICS_CA_ADDR_LIST and EPICS_CA_AUTO_ADDR_LIST settings if the PV cannot connect.

Open the graph and Controls

Run qtstriptool without a configuration file. The graph and Controls windows open together. Later, use Window > Show Controls in the graph to reopen Controls.

The Curves tab with the built-in CPU_Usage channel connected. Enter your site PV in the field at the top.

Connect a curve

1. Enter a PV name in the PV field and select Connect, or enter the name in an unused curve row.
2. Keep Plot enabled. Select Modify to apply other row edits, or press Return in that row's Name, Minimum, or Maximum field.
3. Watch the graph and the Controls row. The graph shows Channel Access monitor updates as they arrive; the Controls row shows connection and stale status.

If the PV is quiet, its last value can remain visible as a step line. A Stale status does not by itself remove the plotted value. An actual disconnect creates a gap.

Explore and save

Use View > Auto Scale to fit visible data. Use View > Reset View to return to configured curve limits. The time axis shows relative minutes above local clock time. The rightmost relative label is zero.

An example graph session with illustrative CPU_Usage values. The toolbar along the bottom provides pan, zoom, auto-scale, auto-scroll, and pause.

Choose File > Save As to write a .stp configuration. Open it later with qtstriptool configuration.stp or File > Open. The file holds supported configuration settings; runtime annotations and sampled data are not saved in it.

Continue with curve controls, graph navigation, or troubleshooting.