TOOLS

• Observation Logbook
• Reduction folder
• Get info regarding :
  
  • a datacube
  • a 1D or 2D file
  • a table
• Access to file descriptors
• Access to table data
  • Select
  • Read
  • Edit
• Set/unset super class
• New shell window

Observation logbook

Reduction folder

Get info regarding ...

• A datacube :
  
  
  • Principles :
    
    This function allows the user to display either characteristics and statistics regarding a given datacube, and/or the complete characteristics of a given spectrum.
    
  
  
  • Use :
    
    
    • Click on [Tools] in the main menu, then on [Get information about...], then on [Datacube]. The [Display datacube information] window pops up.
    • Enter the name of the Input datacube.
    • Check, if you want, the Statistics button.
    • Identify the spectrum from which you want to get information.
    • Click on [Accept].
    
    
  • Parameters :
    
    
    • Datacube : the name of the datacube you will to get information about, or where the spectrum you are interested in is recorded. You can type it in directly, or use the browse icon at the end of the field, or drag and drop it from the Reduction folder.
      
    • Statistics : if you check that, a statistics is performed and the results displayed (min, max, wavelength limits, and so on...).
      
    • Display information about a spectrum identified by... : you may choose to use :
      • Lens # : and you are requested to give the number of the lens>
      • CCD pixels : and you are requested to give the pixel X and Y coordinated (approximated) of the point you are interested in.
      • Sky arcsec : and you are requested to give the relative sky coordinates [alpha,delta, measured in arcseconds from the center of the field] of the point.
    • Debug : This switches the program to verbose mode, and more informations are recorded into the history file (see Getting started).
      
    • Save values : All the input values (datacube name, coordinates, ...) are saved, and become the new default values for this user. They can be recalled at will, and are used each time the [Display datacube information] window is opened.
      
    • Recall values : The values (datacube name, coordinates, ...) saved by the user are loaded to the various input fields.
      
    • Default values : The input fields are set to the general defaults values; for instance, the datacube name is set to blank.
      


• A 1D or 2D file
  
  
  • Principles :
    
    This tool is used to get information regarding a 1D or 2D frame, either a single spectrum, or a CCD image, or a reconstructed image. This is done by reading the descriptors in the file header.
  
  
  
  • Use :
    
    
    • Click on [Tools] in the main menu, then on [Get information about...], then on [1D or 2D file]. The [Display image information] window pops up.
    • Enter the name of the Input frame.
    • Choose the amount of information you want.
    • Click on [Accept].
    
    
  • Parameters :
    
    
    • CCD frame or image : the name of the 1D or 2D frame to be read. You can type it in directly, or use the browse icon at the end of the field, or drag and drop it from the Reduction folder.
      
    • Informations to be displayed : you may choose to display :
      • All : all the descriptors are displayed.
      • Telescope/AOB/OASIS/CCD/Object/Process : the display is restricted to the category (categories) of your choice. [Process] means that you get an idea of the processing steps which conducted to this 2D-frame.
    • Debug : This switches the program to verbose mode, and more informations are recorded into the history file (see Getting started).
      
    • Save values : All the input values (frame name, display options, ...) are saved, and become the new default values for this user. They can be recalled at will, and are used each time the [Display datacube information] window is opened.
      
    • Recall values : The values (frame name, display options, ...) saved by the user are loaded into the various input fields.
      
    • Default values : The input fields are set to the general defaults values; for instance, the frame name is set to blank.
      
  
  
• A table
  
  
  • Principles :
    
    This tool is used to get information regarding a table, and this is done by reading the descriptors in the file header, or to plot column data from this table.
  
  
  
  • Use :
    
    
    • Click on [Tools] in the main menu, then on [Get information about...], then on [Table]. The [Display table information] window pops up.
    • Enter the name of the Input table.
    • Click on [Accept]. Information is displayed in the two formerly blank Table information and No/Label/Type/Format/Unit windows.
    • You are then allowed to specify a couple of table column names, say X and Y, and click on [Plot] to see Y = Y(X).
    
    
  • Parameters :
    
    
    • Table name : the name of the table to be read. You can type it in directly, or use the browse icon at the end of the field, or drag and drop it from the Reduction folder.
      
    • Columns to plot : if the user wants to plot, he must give here the names (labels) of the X and Y columns to be plotted. He may specify a Symbol to be used in place of the regular cross. For instance, one may want to specify Symbol = NO, where NO is the label of the column holding the lens numbers, and each point on the plot will be identified by the lens number.
      
    • Save values : All the input values (table name, columns to print, ...) are saved, and become the new default values for this user. They can be recalled at will, and are used each time the [Display table information] window is opened.
      
    • Recall values : The values (table name, columns to print, ...) saved by the user are loaded into the various input fields.
      
    • Default values : The input fields are set to the general defaults values; for instance, the table name is set to blank.
      

Access to file descriptors

• Principles :
  
  This utility allows the user to read or write descriptors into file headers. The write action allows both to change the value of an existing descriptor, or to add a new descriptor to a file.



• Use :
  
  • Click on [Tools] the main menu, then on [Descriptor access]. The [Descriptor access] window pops up.
  • Enter the file name, choose the action to be performed.
  • If necessary, give the name and the value of the descriptor.
  • Click on accept.


• Parameters :
  
  
  • File name : the name of the file where to read/write the descriptor(s). You can type it in directly, or use the browse icon at the end of the field, or drag and drop it from the Reduction folder.
    
  • Mode : you want to read, or write, a descriptor? Check whatever you want...
    
  • Descriptor name : either an existing name for read of modify actions, or a new descriptor name. In a read action, if you enter ALL, all the existing descriptors are displayed along with their values.
    
  • Descriptor value : for the modify or read action, specify here the value to be written in this descriptor. Be careful to fit the descriptor type (char, short, int, long, float, double).
    
  • Descriptor data type : if you create a new descriptor, specify here the data type which it is supposed to hold : char, short, int, long, float, double, with the usual meanings.
    
  • Save values : All the input values (file and descriptor names, values, ...) are saved, and become the new default values for this user. They can be recalled at will, and are used each time the [Descriptor access] window is opened.
    
  • Recall values : The values (file and descriptor names, values, ...) saved by the user are loaded into the various input fields.
    
  • Default values : The input fields are set to the general defaults values; for instance, the names are set to blank.
    

Access to table data

• Table selection
  
  
  • Principles :
    
    This tool is provided to allow the user to restrict a table (and, if there is one, the associated datacube) to a defined subset. This subset may be defined, for instance, as a sub-field, or as "all the lenses with a S/N ratio above N", and so on... No datum is deleted from the table, but some lines are flagged as "to be skipped". It is always possible to go back to the "no selection" status.
  
  
  
  • Use :
    
    
    • Click on Tools in the main menu, then on Table access, then on Select. The Table selection window pops up.
    • Give the name of the Input table.
    • Give the Selection criterium.
    • Click on Accept.
  
  
  • Parameters :
    
    
    • Table name : the name of the table to be selected (restricted). You can type it in directly, or use the browse icon at the end of the field, or drag and drop it from the Reduction folder.
      
    • Selection criterium : the criterium to be applied. By entering "ALL" (case-unsensitive), every selection is cancelled. Valid conditions are entered as in the following examples :
      
      • No.gt.500
      • X0.lt.123.and.N2.gt.2.856
      • Cont.lt.2563.12.or.A.gt.D
      • (Cont.lt.2563.12.or.A.gt.D).and.(No.le.1089)
      • etc...
      where No, X0, N2, Cont, A and D are supposed to be valid (existing) column labels; the labels are case-unsensitive. The comparison operators allowed are :
      
      • .gt. (greater than)
      • .ge. (greater than or equal to)
      • .lt. (lower than)
      • .le. (lower than or equal to)
      • .eq. (equal to)
      • .ne. (non equal to)
      Boolean operators .and. and .or. are supported. No arithmetics is allowed in the criterium string.
      
    • Save values : All the input values (table name, selection criterium, ...) are saved, and become the new default values for this user. They can be recalled at will, and are used each time the Table select window is opened.
      
    • Recall values : The values (table name, selection criterium, ...) saved by the user are loaded into the various input fields.
      
    • Default values : The input fields are set to the general defaults values; the table name and the selection criterium string are set to blank.
      


• Table reading
  
  
  • Principles :
    
    This tool displays the data contents of a table, entirely or over a given subset of columns. The table display may have been previously line-restricted using the Table selection function described in the previous section.
    
  
  
  • Use :
    
    • Click on [Tools] in the main menu, then on [Read]. The [Table reading] window pops up.
    • Enter the Table name, and the name(s) of the Column(s) to be displayed, separated by blanks.
    • Click [Accept]. The contents of the column(s) is displayed in the same [Table reading] window.
  
  
  • Parameters :
    
    
    • Table name : the name of the table to be read. You can type it in directly, or use the browse icon at the end of the field, or drag and drop it from the Reduction folder.
      
    • Column(s) to be displayed : the list of the labels of the columns to be displayed, separated by blanks, as in this example :
      No X0 A J
      Note that columns labels are case-unsensitive, and that you can use the special identifier ALL to mean that you want all the columns to be read.
      


• Table edition
  
  
  • Principles
    
    This tool allows the user to make any modification on any FITS table. This is a powerful tool, to be used with caution, as one may guess...
    
  
  
  • Use
    
    
    • In the main menu, click on [Tools], then on [Table access], then on [Edit].
    • The Table editor window pops up.
    • Use the File menu item to open, save, close, ... FITS tables.
    • Use the Edit menu item to add or remove lines or columns.
    • Use the View menu item to sort the table according to some criterium.
    • Click on any cell to activate it and modify the corresponding datum.

Set/unset super class

• Principles
  
  Each file created in XOasis has a special descriptor, which is File class. This descriptor allows the software to know that this file is a raw datacube, or a calibrated table, or a sky-subtracted datacube, and so on... Before performing any operation on any file, XOasis checks that this file pertains to the right class, and will so behave correctly during the processing. But for some odd reason it may be useful to perform some operation on a file which has not been previously processed in the usual way. This may be done by temporarily promoting the file to a special file class named Superclass. If the corresponding flag is found in the descriptors of a file, XOasis no longer checks the adequation of the file to the process called. Note that the regular File class is not destroyed by this action, and is restored as soon as you unset Superclass.
  


• Use
  
  
  • In the main menu, click on [Tools], then on [Set/unset superclass]
  • In the File class window which pops up, enter the File name, and set/unset the Superclass mode.
  • Click on Accept.

New shell window

• Principles
  
  A new shell window is opened, with the tremendous advantage that it is opened in the directory you are currently working with XOasis. Handy to list, move, rename, etc... files, and messing up everything.
  


• Use
  
  In the main menu, click on Tools, then on New shell window. Magic ! A new shell window pops up ! Unless you manage to put into your .login file some command like "cd ~user", of course...

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