| name | igor-10 |
| description | Igor Pro 10 changes relevant to code generation: 64-bit only, Python integration, compiler behavior changes, new language features, function and operation changes, and bug fixes that alter results. Use when writing or reviewing Igor Pro code that must run on Igor Pro 10, or when Igor 9 vs 10 behavior differences matter. |
Igor Pro 10 — Key Changes for Code Generation
This document summarizes Igor Pro 10 changes that affect how code should be written.
It is intended as reference material for AI-assisted code generation, not as a complete
changelog. For full details, fetch the official documentation:
1. Igor Pro 10 is 64-bit Only
Igor Pro 10 ships as a 64-bit application only (unlike versions 7–9 which had both).
All XOPs must also be 64-bit. Do not suggest or reference 32-bit XOP patterns.
The camera operations NewCamera, ModifyCamera, and GetCamera have been removed.
2. Python Integration (New in Igor 10)
Igor 10 introduced direct, bidirectional Python communication via the igorpro
module, replacing workarounds like ExecuteScriptText for Python tasks. See the
igor-python skill for the full reference (syntax, setup, object model, object
lifetime rules). Version-specific facts not covered there:
- The
igorpro.fn submodule (calling Igor functions directly from Python) was
added in 10.01, not 10.00.
- Igor 10.00 supports Python 3.x generally; 10.01 specifically adds Python 3.14
support (standard installation only, not free-threaded).
3. Compiler Behavior Changes (Breaking)
Unreachable code in switch/strswitch is now a compile error
Code before case labels or after break before the next case is now rejected:
// THIS WILL NOT COMPILE in Igor 10:
switch(val)
Print "this is unreachable" // ERROR: unreachable code
case 1:
// ...
break
Print "also unreachable" // ERROR: unreachable code
case 2:
// ...
endswitch
// CORRECT:
switch(val)
case 1:
Print "reachable"
break
case 2:
// ...
endswitch
ExperimentModified no longer triggered by same-value assignments
In Igor 10, assigning a global variable or string to its current value no longer
marks the experiment as modified. If your code relies on this side effect to trigger
a save prompt, explicitly call:
ExperimentModified 1
#pragma independentModule=ProcGlobal is now a compile error
This was silently accepted before Igor 10. It is now rejected at compile time.
Abort/AbortOnRTE no longer triggers "Debug on User Abort"
The debugger is now invoked only when the user clicks the Abort button.
Programmatic Abort, AbortOnRTE, and AbortOnValue calls no longer invoke
the debugger even when "Debug on User Abort" is enabled.
4. New Language Features
#pragma moduleName now allowed in the main Procedure window
Previously, #pragma moduleName was only valid in included procedure files.
In Igor 10 it can be used in the main Procedure window:
#pragma moduleName = MyMainModule
Static Function helperFunction()
// now callable as MyMainModule#helperFunction()
End
DFREF supported in Multiple Return Syntax (MRS)
Data folder references can now be returned via MRS:
Function [DFREF df] GetSubfolder(String name)
DFREF currentDF = GetDataFolderDFR()
NewDataFolder/O currentDF:$name
DFREF df = currentDF:$name
End
// Calling it:
[DFREF myDF] = GetSubfolder("results")
Static constants accessible across modules
Constants in other modules can now be referenced with double or triple names,
just like static functions:
switch(val)
case OtherModule#MY_CONSTANT:
// ...
break
case OtherIM#SubModule#THEIR_CONSTANT:
// ...
break
endswitch
Line continuation expanded
Line continuation with \ now works nearly everywhere, including after
end-of-line comments, and compound name components can span lines:
Function [WAVE w] // output wave \
Example(String name, // wave name \
Variable n) // number of points
Make/O/N=(n) $name \
= gnoise(1)
WAVE w = $name
End
5. Function and Operation Changes
WaveStats — new /W flag options for performance
In Igor 10, WaveStats accepts optional parameters with /W that allow
bypassing creation of V_* output variables. Use this in tight loops where
you don't need all statistics:
// Full stats (creates all V_ variables) — original behavior:
WaveStats/Q myWave
// Igor 10: bypass V_ variable creation for performance
WaveStats/Q/W=0 myWave // fetch only; see docs for parameter options
See https://docs.wavemetrics.com/igorpro/commands/wavestats for full syntax.
MatrixOP — new functions (Igor 10.00 + 10.01)
The following functions were added to MatrixOP in Igor 10:
subtractMin(), indexMatch(), removeCol(), removeCols(),
scaleLayers(), scaleChunks(), subtractRows(), subtractCols(),
quatFromSpherical(), quatInverse(), median(), zapZeros(),
replaceInfs(), enoise(), setType(), rowDiff(), binMean(),
binVar(), limit(), not()
The /KCLS flag was extended to support the third dimension (10.01).
Do not suggest manual workarounds for these operations — use the built-in
MatrixOP functions instead.
New functions: Interp4D and Interp4DPath
Four-dimensional interpolation is now available:
result = Interp4D(w, x0, x1, x2, x3)
/K=4 flag on window creation operations
Display, Edit, NewPanel, NewGizmo, NewLayout, NewNotebook,
NewWaterfall, NewImage, and OpenNotebook now support /K=4, which
kills the window without a dialog and does not save it with the experiment.
Useful for temporary tool or progress windows in pipeline code:
NewPanel/K=4 as "Processing..."
New drawing layers: ProgTop and UserTop
Two new drawing layers were added that render above annotations:
ProgTop (for programmatic drawing) and UserTop (for user drawing).
Use SetDrawLayer ProgTop when you need overlays that sit on top of
annotation text boxes.
Say operation (text-to-speech)
Say "Analysis complete"
printf engineering notation: %W2P and %W3P
New format specifiers interpret precision as total significant digits
(not fractional digits as %W0P/%W1P do):
printf "%.4W3PHz", 12.342E3 // prints "12.34 KHz"
printf "%.2W2PV", -12.342E-3 // prints "-12mV"
6. Bug Fixes That Affect Results (Important)
area() and faverage() — incorrect results fixed (10.01)
Both functions had a bug where the trapezoidal end-point correction was
discarded, producing slightly incorrect results. Results from these
functions changed in Igor 10.01. If you have existing code or saved
results that used area() or faverage(), the values will differ
slightly after upgrading.
CurveFit now accepts wave subranges with X waves (10.01)
Previously, using a wave subrange in CurveFit when an X wave was also
specified was incorrectly rejected. This now works:
CurveFit/Q gauss myWave[10,50] /X=xWave /W=weightWave
FindPeak crash fixed for waves > 1 million points (10.01)
FindPeak previously crashed on large waves. This is fixed in 10.01
with up to 40x performance improvement on large waves.
AnnotationInfo returns "" instead of error for missing annotations
In Igor 10, AnnotationInfo returns an empty string if the window has
no annotations or the named annotation doesn't exist. Previously this
was a runtime error. Code that used try/catch around AnnotationInfo
for this case can be simplified.
Bitwise operators now use signed integer conversion (10.01)
|, &, ~, and %^ previously converted operands to unsigned integers.
They now convert to signed integers. This can change results for negative
operands.
7. Compatibility Notes
File compatibility
Experiment files saved by Igor 10 using Igor 10-specific features cannot
be opened by earlier versions. If cross-version compatibility matters,
avoid Igor 10-only syntax.
labels keyword no longer translated (10.01)
In localized versions of Igor (e.g. Japanese), the _labels_ keyword in
Display, AppendToGraph, and ReplaceWave is no longer translated.
Igor always generates _labels_ regardless of OS language. This is only
relevant when sharing .pxp files across language environments.
Reference URLs
