Command: multimeter

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Name:
 multimeter - Device to record analog data from neurons.
Synopsis:
 multimeter Create

Description:
A multimeter records a user-defined set of state variables from connected nodes to memory,
file or stdout. 

The multimeter must be configured with the list of variables to record
from, otherwise it will not record anything. The /recordables property
of a neuron model shows which quantities can be recorded with a multimeter.
A single multimeter should only record from neurons of the same basic
type (e.g. /iaf_cond_alpha and any user-defined models derived from it
using CopyModel). If the defaults or status dictionary of a model neuron
does not contain a /recordables entry, it is not ready for use with
multimeter.

By default, multimeters record values once per ms. Set the parameter /interval to
change this. The recording interval cannot be smaller than the resolution.

Results are returned in the /events entry of the status dictionary. For
each recorded quantity, a vector of doubles is returned. The vector has the
same name as the /recordable. If /withtime is set, times are given in the
/times vector in /events.

Accumulator mode:
Multimeter can operate in accumulator mode. In this case, values for all recorded
variables are added across all recorded nodes (but kept separate in time). This can
be useful to record average membrane potential in a population.

To activate accumulator mode, either set /to_accumulator to true, or set
/record_to [ /accumulator ].  In accumulator mode, you cannot record to file,
to memory, to screen, with GID or with weight. You must activate accumulator mode
before simulating. Accumulator data is never written to file. You must extract it
from the device using GetStatus.

Note:
 - The set of variables to record and the recording interval must be set
   BEFORE the multimeter is connected to any node, and cannot be changed
   afterwards.
 - A multimeter cannot be frozen.
 - If you record with multimeter in accumulator mode and some of the nodes
   you record from and others are not, data will only be collected from the
   unfrozen nodes. Most likely, this will lead to confusing results, so
   you should not use multimeter with frozen nodes.

Parameters:
 
     The following parameters can be set in the status dictionary:
     interval     double - Recording interval in ms
     record_from  array  - Array containing the names of variables to record
                           from, obtained from the /recordables entry of the
                           model from which one wants to record
  
Examples:
SLI ] /iaf_cond_alpha Create /n Set
SLI ] n /recordables get ==
[/V_m /g_ex /g_in /t_ref_remaining]
SLI ] /multimeter Create /mm Set
SLI ] mm << /interval 0.5 /record_from [/V_m /g_ex /g_in] >> SetStatus
SLI ] mm n Connect
SLI ] 10 Simulate
SLI ] mm /events get info
--------------------------------------------------
Name                     Type                Value
--------------------------------------------------
g_ex                     doublevectortype    
g_in                     doublevectortype    
senders                  intvectortype       
times                    doublevectortype    
t_ref_remaining          doublevectortype    
V_m                      doublevectortype    
--------------------------------------------------
Total number of entries: 6


Sends:
 DataLoggingRequest

FirstVersion:
 2009-04-01

Author:
 Hans Ekkehard Plesser

SeeAlso:Device RecordingDevice
Source:
 /home/abuild/rpmbuild/BUILD/nest-2.4.1/models/multimeter.h

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