Description:
The Procedure Window is used to specify the setup for the power analysis or sample size scenario. There is a separate procedure window for each statistical topic. The ways to select the appropriate procedure are shown in the PASS Home Window video.
For illustration of the attributes of a procedure window, we will look at the Tests for Two Means procedure. All other procedure windows will look just like this one except for the main specification area.
We will examine the procedure specification area, the quick notes area, the menu, the button bar, and the guide-me bar.
In the specification area, the options on the data tab are used to define the setup parameters for the sample size or power analysis. In some procedures there are also calculator tools that can be used to help determine values to enter for these parameters. In this procedure there is a standard deviation estimator tool. Some procedures also have buttons to open spreadsheets for entering more complex scenarios. The reports tab gives options for more detailed reports and allows specification of the number of decimal places. The attributes of the plot are specified on the plot setup tab by clicking the larger plot format button. The small checkbox to the right of each plot format button can be checked to further format the plot with the integrated data when the procedure is run.
As you mouse over the various options of the specification area, details of each option are shown in the quick-notes region on the right.
More detailed help for this procedure can be seen by clicking the help button. The help chapter for this procedure will open in PDF form. This chapter will have an introduction to the topic, a technical details section, descriptions of the options, and examples with discussions of the output, including a validation example. Help for all other procedures and topics in PASS can also be accessed from this window using the Help navigation pane.
When you are finished with the desired specifications for the procedure, you can press the green Run button to run the analysis. The Output window is displayed to show the results.
Now, we’ll examine the menu. The File menu items allow you to open and save procedure templates. A template holds all the specifications of the procedure window, including plot details. When a procedure is set up the way you wish for an analysis, it is often a good idea to save a template with that setup.
The Open Example Template option is used to open preset templates that correspond to the examples of the documentation. The New Template or Reset item allows you to return all the procedure specifications to the default settings.
The View menu items are used to hide or show the toolbar and the procedure info. Showing the procedure info is sometimes useful when creating Macros. The Run menu item performs the same action as the green Run button.
The Procedures, Tools, and Window menu items are used to open other procedures or to show other windows. These menu items are the same as those of the other major PASS windows.
On the button bar, the buttons on the left give quick access to a few of the common File menu items. The buttons in the middle are for opening other procedure windows or navigating to the output windows. Up to six procedure windows can be open at a time. You can click the Loaded button to view or select any of the procedure windows that are currently open.
The guide-me region allows you to step through the options of the procedure that are most important or most commonly used.
If you plan to use this procedure often, you may wish to add it to your favorites list by clicking the ‘Add This Procedure to Favorites List’ button.
This concludes the overview of the Procedure Window.
