ABOUT VISTA'S MENUBAR MENUS:

The menus on ViSta's menubar fall into three groups:
- File menus: FILE and EDIT
- Analysis menus: DATA, PLOTS, VIEWS, TRANSFORM, ANALYZE and MODEL
- Support menus: OPTIONS, HELP, DESKTOP and WINDOW

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The File Menus
FILE and EDIT menus
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You use the FILE menu to get data into ViSta, to print results, and to output information from ViSta. 

For inputing data into ViSta, the File menu  has items to create NEW DATA; to OPEN DATA for analysis by ViSta; to SIMULATE DATA according to statistical models; and to IMPORT DATA from text files. 

For printing results, the File menu has items to print files, the contents of a window, and the contents of a pane of a graphics window.

For outputing information, the File menu has items for exporting data and for saving data and models.

The EDIT menu is not directly focused on data analysis, but provides the usual copying, pasting, etc.


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The Data Analysis and Visualization Menus
DATA - PLOTS - VIEWS - TRANSFORM - ANALYZE - MODEL
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The analysis menus provide you access to ViSta's statistical visualization and analysis capabilities. These six menus are the six major steps that you take to gain understanding opf your data, and their arrangement order reflects the order in which these steps occurs when looking at your data. A typical data analysis is a cycle repeating these six steps, with the cycle spiralling in on a deeper understanding of the data.

DATA: 
Use the DATA menu "to see what the data seem to say", to manipulate the data, and to get quick summary information, both visual and numeric, about them.

PLOTS
Use the PLOTS menu to obtain simple visual information about the data.

VIEWS
Use the VIEWS menu to get more advanced and complete visual information about the data.

TRANSFORM: 
Use the TRANSFORM menu to transform the data (whether this is necessary depends on "what you see" when looking at your data).

ANALYZE: 
Use the ANALYZE menu to create a model of what your "data seem to say".

MODEL: 
Use the MODEL menu to look at the model resulting from the analysis (again, "to see what the data seem to say", but this time we look at the view the model provides).



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The Support Menus
OPTIONS - HELP - DESKTOP - WINDOW
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The OPTIONS, HELP, DESKTOP and WINDOW provide support facilities that effect how ViSta interacts with you. Briefly, the OPTIONS menu allows you to alter ViSta's data analysis environment; the HELP menu provides help about using ViSta; the DESKTOP menu allows you to alter the way the desktop window works with you; and the WINDOW menu provide access to ViSta's other major windows. Each of these menus has  help information which you can access through the HELP menu.
