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This mechanism provides a way to quickly build up new icons based on selected sets of parameters. For example, you could have template icons which activate shading with a nice palette, or which set the grid value plotting without replacing the other parameters in your icon.

Defaults

Each time you perform actions (e.g. visualising some data) in Metview, some defaults will be used if you have not specified otherwise. For example, if you plot some data on a map, a default Coastlines icon will be used. You can change these defaults. For example, if you always want land and sea shading, then you can set up such a Coastlines icon as your default.

To make a default icon, it must satisfy two criteria:

• it must be in your System/Defaults folder
• it must have the correct name, which is the name given when you create a new instance of it

Try the following:

• create a new Coastlines icon and don't change the name
• activate land and sea shading
• navigate to the Metview home directory in another tab or window (the home button in the navigation bar takes you there), then go into System/Defaults
• if there is a Coastlines icon already there, delete it
• copy your new Coastlines icon into System/Defaults

Now when you visualise some data, you will automatically have shaded land and sea! If you wish to remove land and sea shading for a particular plot (without changing the default) you will have to create a new, "empty", Coastlines icon and use this.