EMU: reconfigurable graphical user interfaces for Micro-Manager

Abstract

Advanced light microscopy methods are becoming increasingly popular in biological research. Their ease of use depends, besides experimental aspects, on intuitive user interfaces. The open-source software Micro-Manager offers a universal interface for microscope control but requires implementing plugins to further tailor it to specific systems. Since even similar devices can have different Micro-Manager properties (such as power percentage versus absolute power), transferring user interfaces to other systems is usually very restricted. We developed Easier Micro-Manager User interface (EMU), a Micro-Manager plugin, to simplify building flexible and reconfigurable user interfaces. EMU offers a choice of interfaces that are rapidly ready to use thanks to an intuitive configuration menu. In particular, the configuration menu allows mapping device properties to the various functions of the interface in a few clicks. Exchanging or adding new devices to the microscope no longer requires rewriting code. The EMU framework also simplifies implementing a new interface by providing the configuration and device interaction mechanisms. The user interface can be built by using a drag-and-drop tool in ones favorite Java development environment and writing a few lines of code for compatibility with EMU. Micro-Manager users now have a powerful tool to improve the user experience on their instruments. EMU interfaces can be easily transferred to new microscopes and shared with other research groups. In the future, newly developed interfaces will be added to EMU to benefit the whole community.