Power-user guide

phy exposes the same controller, model, selection, views, and clustering objects used by its GUI. This makes it possible to extend a curation workflow without maintaining a separate application.

Choose the smallest extension point

  • Use a saved GUI setting for layout, scaling, bins, and other existing controls.
  • Use a small plugin to change limits, shortcuts, columns, colors, filters, or actions.
  • Use the IPython View for exploratory access to the current session.
  • Use the Python API for reusable analysis outside the GUI.
  • Add a custom view only when the information cannot be expressed in an existing view.

The plugin cookbook includes examples for cluster metrics, similarity metrics, statistics, raw-data filters, matplotlib, OpenGL, UMAP, labels, buttons, and custom actions.

Objects available in the IPython View

Open View > Add IPythonView. The console provides:

  • m: the dataset model;
  • c: the controller coordinating data and views;
  • s: the clustering supervisor;
  • connect and emit: the event helpers.

Code in this console runs in the GUI process. Long calculations can freeze the interface, and mutating internal arrays can corrupt the active session. Prefer read-only exploration and move repeatable work into a tested plugin or script.

Supported surface versus internals

Plugins using controller hooks, documented events, IPlugin, and public view/action methods are the most likely to remain compatible. Code that manipulates private attributes, Qt widget internals, generated HTML, or OpenGL implementation details may require changes between releases.

Consult the changelog before upgrading a plugin and test it against a disposable copy of a dataset.

Further reference