27.7.3 Setting Your Preferences with the Options Dialog Box

The options dialog box is used to specify/modify many Origin global settings pertaining to numeric display, file path, text fonts, Excel workbook and Origin program opening and closing behaviors, etc. These settings are modifiable during the Origin session and they can be set for current, and future, Origin sessions.

Opening the Options dialog box

To open the Options dialog box:

1.From the menu, select Preferences: Options (any Origin window active).

2.From the menu, select Window: Origin Options (Excel workbook window active).

Saving changes in the Options dialog box

To control the way that Origin behaves when you make changes to the Options dialog box:

1.Open the Options dialog box (see above) and select the Open/Close tab.

To prompt to save Options settings, select the Prompt for Save on Options Dialog Close check box (default). To save the settings for future Origin sessions, click OK to exit the Options dialog box, then click Yes at the "Save as Origin's startup options?" prompt.

To save Options settings without prompting, select the Save Settings on Close check box (the Prompt for Save on Options Dialog Close check box must be cleared). To save the settings for future Origin sessions, click OK. Settings are automatically saved for future Origin sessions when you exit Origin.

Origin saves the Options dialog box settings by updating the associated parameters in the OPTION.CNF file. This file is read automatically when Origin starts.

Restore, Reset, OK and Cancel buttons

Restore	Restore the Options dialog box settings to the current settings in the OPTION.CNF file.
Reset	Reset returns the Options dialog box settings to the original default values.
OK	Click OK' to close the dialog box and establish the current settings for the current Origin session. Click Yes at the Save as Origin's startup options? prompt to save the dialog box settings as the current settings in the OPTION.CNF file. Click No to use the current dialog box settings for the current Origin session only.
Cancel	Click Cancel to exit the Options dialog box without implementing any changes to the dialog box. After making changes to the Options dialog box, view the changes in the active window by selecting Window:Refresh.