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Mark events, take measurements, and document findings directly on the waveform chart.
Annotations are interactive overlays placed on the waveform chart that let you mark, measure, and label important events in a recording. They are useful for:
Annotations are non-destructive — they do not modify the underlying COMTRADE data. They can be created, repositioned, edited, color-coded, and deleted at any time. Annotations can be embedded directly into COMTRADE exports (CFF or ZIP) so they travel with the file, or exported separately as a JSON file for sharing and re-import.
To start annotating, click the pencil icon in the main waveform toolbar to enable annotation mode. A secondary toolbar appears with all the annotation tools. Click a tool to activate it, then click on the waveform to place the annotation.
Annotation Toolbar
All annotations are interactive once placed. You can drag cards and dots to reposition them, change colors, edit labels, and toggle selection.
Pending Indicator
Click on a channel to stamp the RMS value at that point. A colored dot snaps to the waveform with a tether line connecting to a floating card that shows the RMS magnitude, unit, and timestamp. The dot is draggable along the waveform — drag it horizontally to update the measurement at a new time, or use arrow keys to nudge by one sample (Shift + arrow for 10 samples).
Stamp RMS Value
Automatically finds the peak of the RMS envelope (not the tallest instantaneous sample) within the visible time range and stamps it on the channel you click. The dot snaps to the nearest waveform crest within a half-cycle of the RMS peak. The visual appearance is identical to a Stamp RMS annotation.
Why RMS at Peak may not land on the tallest visible peak
Click on a channel to stamp the instantaneous sample value at that point. Shows the raw waveform amplitude (not RMS). The visual is similar to an RMS stamp — a dot on the waveform with a tether line to a card — but the card displays the instantaneous value with an "(amp)" label instead of "(rms)".
Stamp Amplitude
Single click on a channel to automatically find and mark both the positive and negative peak values in the visible range. Creates two dots — one at the highest point, one at the lowest — each with its own tether line and card. A dashed line connects the two dots, with a centered label showing the peak-to-peak value (Vpp).
Mark Peaks
Two-click tool for measuring time intervals. Click once to set the start time, then click again to set the end time. Two vertical bracket lines appear at each timestamp, connected by a horizontal line at the top. A centered card displays the time delta (Δt) between the two points. Each bracket is independently draggable and supports arrow-key nudging.
Delta Measurement
Two-click tool that works across different channels. Click on one channel, then click on another to measure the time difference and value difference between two points on separate channels. A diagonal dashed line connects the two measurement points, with a card at the midpoint showing the time delta and both channel values.
Cross-Channel Delta
Places a vertical dashed line spanning the full chart height at a specific time. A card at the top shows the event label (user-entered text like "Fault Inception" or "Breaker Open") and the timestamp. Useful for marking global timing events that are visible across all channels and subplots.
Event Marker
Places a vertical dashed line scoped to a single channel's subplot only — other channels remain unaffected. The card shows the event label and timestamp. Useful for marking events specific to one channel (e.g., "B-Phase Trip") without cluttering the other subplots.
Channel Event Marker
Adds a free-text note card anchored at the click position. Unlike measurement annotations, text notes have no dot or tether line — just a floating card that can be dragged to reposition. Useful for adding commentary, observations, or reminders directly on the waveform.
Text Note
The Auto Fault Window button (Activity icon) appears at the end of the annotation toolbar. Clicking it opens a channel picker where you can select which channels to analyze. All standard voltage and current channels are pre-selected by default.
When you confirm, Detego runs its fault detection algorithm on each selected channel and automatically places event marker annotations at the detected fault inception and clearance times. If multiple fault events are detected on the same channel (e.g., an auto-reclose sequence), each event gets its own pair of markers labeled with the event number.
This is a quick way to get timing markers on the waveform without manually hunting for the fault boundaries. The markers are regular annotations — you can reposition, relabel, or delete them just like any other annotation.
Tip
Click the list icon (with a badge showing the annotation count) at the right end of the annotation toolbar to open the Annotation Panel. This panel slides in from the right and provides a centralized view of all annotations on the current recording.
The panel footer contains three actions:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Export | Saves all annotations as a JSON file. The file uses a versioned format that can be shared or re-imported. |
| Import | Opens a file picker to load a previously exported annotation JSON file. Imported annotations are added to the existing set. |
| Clear All | Deletes all annotations from the current recording. |
Annotations can be preserved in three ways:
COMTRADE embedding — When exporting a COMTRADE file (CFF or ZIP), check "Include annotations" in the export popup. Annotations are serialized into the INF section of the file. When the file is later re-imported into Detego, annotations are automatically restored — labels, positions, colors, and types all survive the round-trip.
PNG chart export — When you export the waveform chart as a PNG image, all visible annotations are captured in the screenshot. This includes measurement stamps, event markers, text notes, and delta measurement lines. The export uses the current zoom level and visible channels, so you can frame the exact view you want before exporting.
JSON export — The Annotation Panel footer has an Export button that saves all annotations as a standalone JSON file. This file can be shared with colleagues and re-imported via the Import button.
Which export method to use