【ELEC362 】APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT WITH
University of Liverpool C++
The concept:
The long term aim of the project is to develop a fully functional software, known as DataViz, for
plotting and processing datasets, which will be eventually deployed and released for all students in
the department to use in their reports, data processing, and as a show case of an authentic
experience of software development for the students of ELEC362. The development is planned over
5 years, which started in 2022. Each year the cohort of ELEC362 will be asked to make a major
upgrade to the software (will be referred to as the control version in this report).
Each header file of every class in the control version (source files) of the project contains a comment
explaining what the purpose of the class is. The features currently available in the app can be found
under “Help” menu.
Upgrades required for this year:
For this year you are asked to implement the following upgrades to DataViz 0.0 (the control version)
to end up with DataViz 0.2:
- Introduce a way in the app allowing the user to change the width of the curve, its colour, and
its style * .
- Update the design of the help window so that it becomes organised into sections which are
easy to add to and expand in the future.
- Introduce a way in the app where the names of loaded Datasets can be made available to the
user, so that they can add a comment to describe what each dataset represents.
- Define another mean in the app to enable the user to draw a dataset.
- Introduce a way in the app where it allows multiple datasets to be plotted into a single
graph window * .
- Create an entry “Function” under the menu “Analysis”, which should allow the user to input
a mathematical expression containing the names of datasets. For example, “D1*exp(-D2)”.
For this purpose, use the classes defined in the header atmsp.h (An example test project
showing how to use this header file has been uploaded to CANVAS) * .
- Adding a feature for a histogram plot (you can generate the histogram in GSL and plot it in
QCustomPlot via QCPBars class).
You may assume that all the datasets in the app will have the same x-coordinates. To refer to what
asterisks mean please refer to the last question in FAQ section.
After you are done with the upgrade; make sure that:
- All the features you add are working well.
- You updated the help window in the app to include instructions on how to use the app after
the features you added.
- You handled a range of potential errors that may be experienced in the updated app.
It is an expectation from everyone to consult Qt documentation to find any functions or classes that
might be useful for the implementation of the project. Finally, you should make the programme as
professional as possible. Imagine this project as a real-life project given to you, and that in the next
years, it will be developed further by other students.
Note for Mac OS users: You can develop the application based on Mac version of the app. The
application will be tested and marked on a Windows machine. You should verify that your app works
as it should on one of the computers in the lab before submission, to avoid any potential cross
platform issue, if you have any problems, please let me know.
Suggested approach to be followed:
Start by implementing the simplest tasks. For more advanced tasks, a good idea is to learn how to
implement these features in an empty app. Once that works, you can adapt the code from the empty
project into the control version. Note that is merely a suggestion and it has no impact on your mark
whether you followed it or not.
If you are unsure contact the module coordinator for any assistance.
The deliverables
Every submission should consist of the project’s files in a zip file + the code copied-pasted in a PDF
file. The name of the zip file as well as the report must be your name (MohammadHasan.zip and
MohammadHasan.pdf). The PDF file must not be zipped.
Industrial Relevance
Data visualisation and processing applications are essential tool in all fields of industry and academia,
which apply to all fields of science from physics, chemistry and engineering to social sciences. The
tasks given in this project are essential part of famous software including:
Questions and Answers:
Q: Should I learn the entire code in the control version?
A: No, you should be able using the material taught in this module to find the relevant part
of the code where you need to edit, get familiar with that part to update it. You are not
expected to know how everything works from the previous year.
Q: The control version has a lot of codes from elsewhere such as GSL, QCustomPlot, and
ATMSP. Should I learn all of that?
A: No, you need to only know the bit that you need.
Q: What if I have a better idea than the control version? Or if I want to modify it?
A: Any improvement is welcome, ranging from creatin an icon for the project to designing a
better startup screen, to making more general modifications to the code. However, if you do
something that is not part of the required upgrades, the benefit to you is that you will get an
acknowledgment in the about section. Your mark will be based only on the required
upgrades listed above. If you are interested in doing this, please consult the module
coordinator before you start working on it.
Q: How will the markers know how my design works if there is no report?
A: By referring to the updated help window in the app. You should make sure that it is
updated in such a way that reflects how the upgraded app should be used.
Q: what if I only did some of the features requested? Will my mark in the three marking
criteria be affected?
A: Meeting all the requirements will primarily affect MC1. Some the requirements require
more work than others, which were labelled with an asterisk *. Not doing these may impact
other MC as well. If you want to prioritise task, make sure you do the ones with asterisk first.