Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
DataLab currently has strong image processing capabilities, but it does not provide a native way to visualize image values as isolines (contour lines / isolevels / level curves).
This makes it difficult to inspect scalar fields, contrast maps, and other 2D datasets where contour visualization is often more informative than a plain colormap. At the moment, users have to rely on external tools or custom plugins to get this type of display, even though the underlying plotting stack already supports contour rendering.
Describe the solution you'd like
I would like DataLab to provide a native image visualization feature for contour/isolevel display.
A possible implementation could include:
- Display isolines over the selected image in a dedicated dialog or view
- Let the user configure the displayed range with:
- minimum level
- maximum level
- level step
- Optionally show the source image as a background overlay
- Optionally display the numerical value of each contour line as a label
- Show the generated plot items in the item list so users can inspect or toggle them easily
From a user perspective, this would make contour visualization a standard DataLab workflow for images, instead of requiring a plugin.
Describe alternatives you've considered
The current workaround is to use a plugin. I have a proof-of-concept plugin that adds this feature by generating contour items from the selected image and displaying them in a separate PlotPy dialog.
This confirms that the feature is technically feasible with the current stack, but a plugin remains less discoverable, less integrated, and less maintainable than a native DataLab feature. It also means users must install and manage an extra component for a visualization mode that would be broadly useful.
Another alternative is exporting data to an external plotting tool, but that breaks the interactive workflow and makes quick inspection less convenient.
Additional context
I can attach the plugin used as a proof of concept.
The plugin already demonstrates several useful aspects of the requested feature:
- contour/isoline rendering from image data
- configurable min/max/step for contour levels
- optional image overlay
- optional level labels
- item list display for generated plot items
This could serve as a starting point for a native implementation in DataLab.
Here is a screenshot of the plugin display :
datalab_exemple_contour_plot.py
Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
DataLab currently has strong image processing capabilities, but it does not provide a native way to visualize image values as isolines (contour lines / isolevels / level curves).
This makes it difficult to inspect scalar fields, contrast maps, and other 2D datasets where contour visualization is often more informative than a plain colormap. At the moment, users have to rely on external tools or custom plugins to get this type of display, even though the underlying plotting stack already supports contour rendering.
Describe the solution you'd like
I would like DataLab to provide a native image visualization feature for contour/isolevel display.
A possible implementation could include:
From a user perspective, this would make contour visualization a standard DataLab workflow for images, instead of requiring a plugin.
Describe alternatives you've considered
The current workaround is to use a plugin. I have a proof-of-concept plugin that adds this feature by generating contour items from the selected image and displaying them in a separate PlotPy dialog.
This confirms that the feature is technically feasible with the current stack, but a plugin remains less discoverable, less integrated, and less maintainable than a native DataLab feature. It also means users must install and manage an extra component for a visualization mode that would be broadly useful.
Another alternative is exporting data to an external plotting tool, but that breaks the interactive workflow and makes quick inspection less convenient.
Additional context
I can attach the plugin used as a proof of concept.
The plugin already demonstrates several useful aspects of the requested feature:
This could serve as a starting point for a native implementation in DataLab.
Here is a screenshot of the plugin display :
datalab_exemple_contour_plot.py