GUI Interface Overview (PySide6/Qt)

The SNID SAGE graphical interface is built with PySide6/Qt and pyqtgraph, providing an intuitive, high-performance environment for supernova spectrum analysis. This guide covers all interface components and workflows.

Main Window Layout

The interface is organized into distinct regions for efficient workflow:

Interface Regions

  1. Header Panel - Logo, status indicators, and theme controls
  2. Control Panel - Analysis parameters and workflow buttons
  3. Spectrum Display - Interactive plotting area with modern styling
  4. Status Bar - Progress indicators and system information

Workflow Buttons

Order of operations: 1) Load Spectrum → 2) Preprocessing → 3) SNID Analysis → 4) Optional tools (redshift mode, overlays, summaries) → 5) AI Assistant (optional)

Always available: - Load Spectrum, Reset, Settings

After loading: Preprocessing

After preprocessing: SNID Analysis and Redshift (manual or range search)

After analysis: Results dialogs, overlays, clustering, AI Assistant

Control Panel (key items)

Most options are set here. For a compact list of parameters and defaults, see the Parameters Reference.

Group Controls Usage
Input File path; Redshift (manual/auto); Wavelength range Load spectrum and set optional fixed redshift and analysis window
Preprocessing Smoothing (window/order); Telluric A-band; Skyline clipping; Custom masks Clean spectrum before analysis; map to CLI flags like --savgol-window, --aband-remove, --skyclip
Templates Type filters; Age range; Minimum correlation; Wavelength overlap Restrict/guide matching for speed and precision

Spectrum Display

Action How Notes
Pan Drag
Zoom Wheel or box
Reset Double-click Restores view
Toggle view Flux vs flattened Also show/hide grid and legend
Overlays Template matches, masks, line IDs, optional errors Configure in Controls/Dialogs

Results

Area Contents Actions
Status Type, best template, confidence, redshift, age Quick overview
Dialogs Cluster summary, subtype proportions, redshift–age Open after analysis
Export Save figures and data from dialogs PNG/SVG/PDF supported

AI Assistant

Feature Description Where
Quick Summary Short explanation of classification AI Assistant button
Detailed Analysis Structured scientific interpretation AI Assistant button
Scientific Context Literature-style discussion AI Assistant button
Publication Text Methods/results blocks AI Assistant button
Configuration Provider, Model, API key Settings → AI

Notes

GUI: PySide6 (Qt). Plotting: pyqtgraph.

Tips

  • Follow the button order; check S/N and wavelength range first
  • Use type filters for speed; close unused dialogs
  • Review multiple top matches before finalizing

Troubleshooting

  • Buttons disabled: ensure prior step done (load → preprocess → analyze)
  • Plot not updating: toggle view or refresh; check status messages
  • Slow: reduce template set; close apps; check memory
  • AI not working: set API key; ensure analysis completed

See Troubleshooting.

See Also