After launching, LabHelper runs a speed test and asks you to identify the correct serial port (here, the user has selected the first port on a Keyspan 2-channel USB-to-serial adapter):

An icon of the A-D converter in use will appear in the upper left corner of the window (and subsequently in other parts of the program).

  When the sign-on message and logo are on-screen, you can access the menu or the help screens (found under the Apple menu or, in OS 8 or later, in the 'help' menu).  To move to the next step, click the mouse once.  The logo will disappear and the window for selecting recording modes will appear in its place.  From here you can select the mode and number of channels you want, or choose a pre-recorded setup file.  If you click the setup file button, a standard file selection dialog appears, showing available setup files.  After selecting one of these, you are routed directly to the Display Setup window .

   FILE NAME AND COMMENTS If you selected Oscilloscope, Oscilloscope plus chart, or Multichannel oscilloscope mode, after you exit the Display Setup window you will be presented with a standard Mac dialog requesting a file root name.  Saved oscilloscope screens will have a name consisting of the root (e.g., 'bird data') plus a suffix corresponding to the sequence number of the file (e.g., 'bird data 1', 'bird data 2', 'bird data 3', etc.).  You will be warned if the first file in the sequence already exists.

After the file root is selected, the program presents a window for entering a comment string (which can have up to 32,000 characters) and data for gas exchange calculations (body mass, air flow rate, barometric pressure, etc.).  Edit these as necessary (they usually can be ignored for oscilloscope data), then click the 'Selection OK' button.

• You can also access the file comments and data window from the Edit menu.

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