Introduction to the Hints and Tips

On these pages we offer a collection of hints and tips relating to the use of the software tools we describe in the book. There is a section for each program and a general section for features which several programs have in common.

These hints and tips offer our solutions to common problems, or our advice about ways of doing common tasks. They come from our own experience in using the software and in answer to queries we have received by email or when teaching. Please remember that these are just tips; they should not be taken as rules, and we are not infallible. In particular, many things can be done in more ways than one – our way is not necessarily the best. Problems can also arise from particular installations or systems, so a problem that we describe here could in some cases be different from a problem you experience on your own system, and the hints and tips that we offer may not solve a problem in every case.

We will update this collection of hints and tips whenever we have something new to add. If you have a query about a problem using these tools which is not answered here, please contact us and – if it is a general problem and we know how to deal with it – we will include an answer to it in these pages.