mne-tools / mne-tools/mne-python

Feature Request: Synchronized/Combined Interactive Browsers for Comparing and Annotating Multiple Signals

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ENH
Dominant language
Python
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Description

Describe the new feature or enhancement

I would like to request a feature for the interactive browser (Raw.plot(), Epochs.plot(), etc.) that would greatly enhance workflows involving signal comparison and annotation.

Feature Description:
It would be extremely helpful to have the ability to open two (or more) MNE interactive browser windows—such as for a raw and a filtered signal—and have their navigation synchronized. Ideally, this would include:

  • Synchronized time navigation: When scrolling or zooming in one browser, the other(s) follow to the same time segment.
  • Combined annotation: Optionally, the ability to annotate both signals simultaneously, or to view/edit annotations on both signals in parallel.
  • Stacked/linked view: Option to display two signals (e.g., original and cleaned) in a single browser window, stacked or overlaid, with full annotation and navigation features preserved for both.
Describe your proposed implementation
  • Add an API to link multiple browser instances for synchronized navigation and annotation.
  • Add a mode to Raw.plot() to accept multiple Raw objects and display them in a combined/stacked view with shared navigation and annotation tools.
Describe possible alternatives

Currently, this is only possible by manually aligning two windows, which is cumbersome and error-prone, and does not allow for synchronized annotation.

Additional context

No response

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First steps

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  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reading the interactive-browser entry points named in Raw.plot() and Epochs.plot(), then examine how navigation and annotations currently work across separate windows. Done requires a defined approach for synchronized time navigation and the requested annotation behavior, either across linked browsers or in a combined view.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
data-visualization
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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