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Whether you're examining a single waveform or several traces in the graph window of Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL, vertical markers make it easy to jump directly to points where a trace reaches a specific y-axis value. With vertical markers and the Specific Y Value point-of-interest (POI) criterion, you can:

• instantly locate the desired y-axis values across multiple traces in different strips
• restrict searches to selected traces for more focused analysis
• find all occurrences of a particular value on a bus signal
• enter bus values using hexadecimal, binary, octal notations, without requiring manual conversions
• navigate through successive occurrences using bindkey shortcuts

Quickly Locate a Specific Y-Value Across Multiple Traces

Suppose you want to find all occurrences where a signal reaches 2.0 V. You can navigate directly between matching points on the trace by first specifying 2.0 V as the target y-value, and then using the Next POI and Previous POI commands or the n and p bindkeys, respectively.

Each time you navigate, the selected vertical marker automatically snaps to the next data point where the y-axis value of the trace matches the specified value.

The real benefit of this feature becomes apparent when multiple traces are plotted in different strips within the same graph window. With the target y-axis value set to 2.0 V, pressing the n bindkey moves the marker to a point on trace 10 where the y-axis value is 2.0 V.
Press the n bindkey again, and the marker jumps to a point on trace 11 where the y-axis value is 2.0 V. When you press the n bindkey again, the marker moves to a point on trace 12 where the y-axis value is 2.0 V.

This way, you quickly traverse matching values across all displayed traces without manually switching between them.

Search for Specific Y-Values Only Within Selected Traces

Sometimes you do not want to search every trace in the graph. Instead, you may be interested in only a subset of signals. Vertical markers support this workflow as well.

For example, if traces 10, 11, and 12 are displayed in separate strips, you can limit navigation to traces 10 and 12 while excluding trace 11. With a target y-axis value of 2.0 V, pressing the n or p bindkey navigates only between matching points on the selected traces, 10 and 12.

This selective navigation helps you focus only on the signals that matter, making investigations cleaner and more efficient.

Find Specific Y-Values on Bus Signals

Vertical markers aren't limited to analog waveforms. You can also use them to locate specific y-axis values on bus signals, making it easy to navigate long digital captures and jump directly to the bus states that matter.

For example, you want to find every point where a bus signal equals 2F. You can enter the value using different prefixes: 0x2F (hexadecimal), 0b00101111 (binary), or 057 (octal).
All three representations correspond to the same value.

Regardless of which representation you use, pressing the n bindkey moves the vertical marker to the next location on the bus where the value is 0x2F.
This flexibility allows you to specify the bus value in the format that is most convenient for your analysis, without requiring manual conversions.

If you specify a bus value without a prefix, its interpretation depends on the currently selected radix of the bus signal.
For example, consider a bus displayed with a hexadecimal radix. If you enter, 47, the value is interpreted as 0x47, which corresponds to 71 (decimal), not 47 (decimal).

This behavior keeps navigation consistent with the way the bus data is currently displayed. However, it is important to keep the active radix in mind when entering values without prefixes.

Specific y-value navigation with vertical markers makes waveform analysis more focused and efficient. By quickly bringing relevant data points into view, the feature helps you spend less time searching and more time examining the signal behavior that matters.

Related Resources

Videos	Enhancements in Vertical Markers
Product Manuals	Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL User Guide

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Happy Reading!

Udit Rajput