Refer to the
SAOimage User Manual
for detailed descriptions of all functions.
Most control actions take place within the context of a mode. Modes
are selected by clicking on menu buttons in the top row of the button
panel. Each menu mode brings up its own submenu buttons (the lower
row in the button panel) for mode specific selections. Actions and
submodes are selected by clicking on buttons in the submenu row of
the menu panel.
The mouse controls specific functions in both the main display
window and the pan/zoom window. In the main display window, the
function of the mouse is determined by the mode and submode
selections from the button menu. The function can also be recognized
by the appearance of the mouse pointer icon.
The button interface is designed to be user friendly. The user
is encouraged to try any and all buttons to become familiar with
their functions. To exit, use the QUIT button in the
etc submenu (click on \etc, then click on \QUIT).
Reading images
To read an image directly from a file, give its name anywhere on the
command line. The -name
switch is needed only when the image file name could be mistaken for a
number or switch. SAOimage recognizes the \.fits and \.imh
filename suffixes as belonging to FITS and IRAF OIF
files. All other file types must be specified by an appropriate file type
switch.
Raw array file types must be specified by an array data type switch
(-u1, -u2, -i2, -i4, -r4, -r8)
followed by width and height dimensions.
To skip over a file header, use the -sk
switch followed by the number of bytes. This can also be used to skip
over entire images, if more than one are stored in the same file.
Use with IRAF
To emulate imtool
and communicate with IRAF tasks, use either the -imtool or -pros
switch. The two switches indicate which file format to use in recording
saved cursors or regions. With -imtool,
an IRAF list file containing only center coordinates is used (like
that of imtool). With -pros,
a file containing a full description of the saved cursors and their
dimensions is used. The latter file can be read by tasks in the
IRAF PROS
spatial package for making image masks and performing image analyses.
Both file types are ASCII and can be read and edited by the user.
In either case, the file is not actually written until the user
clicks on the write button in the \region
submenu. Both file types can be read back to reproduce the saved
cursors.
New command input
A new command line can be entered at any time, by selecting the
new button in the \etc submenu or striking the
N key on the keyboard. This allows the user to read in new images,
change in and out of -imtool or \pros
mode, set new scaling parameters, or change the number of reserved
display color cells. Most command line switches (except
-d, -g, -gd, -red, -green, -blue,
and -vertgraph) will be accepted at any time.
When a new command line is requested, the previous command line is
presented in an emacs-like popup editor for editing.
Ctrl-N clears the previous line. Striking the RETURN
key enters the line in the popup window as the new command.
Ctrl-C returns with no action taken.
Using the Mouse
Most mouse interactions are based on mouse dragging (holding a button
down while moving the mouse). The user should try clicking and/or
dragging the mouse in each subwindow to become familiar with its
functions. Modes selected in the button panel determine the
response to the mouse buttons in the main display window.
In Scale
mode, the mouse buttons control blinking of displays (saved by
clicking with the same mouse button in the blink submenu button).
In Color
mode, mouse dragging stretches and shifts the color map as per
the contrast/bias, threshold/saturation, and \gamma
submenu selections.
In the color graph window,
color table vertexes may be added or moved by clicking or dragging
with the LEFT (red), MIDDLE (green), or RIGHT (blue) mouse buttons.
The graph will update continuously only if tracking is turned on.
In Cursor
mode, the mouse controls the size and locations of cursors. The
rule is: LEFT button for position, MIDDLE button for size, and
RIGHT button for angle or deletion (depending on the cursor).
Cursors
For box and ellipse
cursors, MIDDLE button sizing is restricted depending on whether
dragging started on a side or near a corner.
With the point
cursor, the LEFT and MIDDLE buttons save the current mouse pointer
position with a + or - indication, while the RIGHT button deletes
saved points.
For the polygon
cursor, the MIDDLE button adds or moves a single vertex, while
the RIGHT button will delete vertexes. The LEFT button moves the
whole polygon.
When annuli is set for a box, circle, or ellipse cursor,
the MIDDLE button adds or resizes an annulus, while the RIGHT
button deletes annuli.
For manipulating cursors, the ovlay selection in the Color
submenu, enables the cursor to track smoothly as an overlay
graphic. The region
submenu button brings up another submenu with selections to
display, review, and edit the saved regions, and read from or
write to disk files.
Pan and zoom
In Pan
mode, and in the pan window (regardless of mode), the LEFT button
selects the center of the image, while the MIDDLE button selects
the edge of the display, zoomed from the given center. When either
function is dragged, the rectangle in the pan window shows the
area that would appear in the display when the button is released.
Keys
In the cursor mode, the S and E
keys, save the current cursor in a region list, while the D
and DELETE keys can be used to forget a region.
At any time, with the pointer in the display or pan windows, the
T key prints a table of pixel values at the pointer position to
stdout. The 4 arrow keys can be used for fine movement of the
pointer in any window. The SHIFT and SHIFT LOCK keys will
reverse the magnifier window, color graph window and coordinate
tracking status. The N
key summons the pop-up editor for new command input. The A
key raises and redraws all of SAOimage's windows.
