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Contents
CFITSIO User's Reference Guide
An Interface to FITS Format Files
for C Programmers
Version 3.0
HEASARC
Code 662
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771
USA
February 2006
Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 A Brief Overview
1.2 Sources of FITS Software and Information
1.3 Acknowledgements
1.4 Legal Stuff
2. Creating the CFITSIO Library
2.1 Building the Library
2.1.1 Unix Systems
2.1.2 VMS
2.1.3 Windows PCs
2.1.4 Macintosh PCs
2.2 Testing the Library
2.3 Linking Programs with CFITSIO
2.4 Getting Started with CFITSIO
2.5 Example Program
3. A FITS Primer
4. Programming Guidelines
4.1 CFITSIO Definitions
4.2 Current Header Data Unit (CHDU)
4.3 Function Names and Variable Datatypes
4.4 Support for Unsigned Integers and Signed Bytes
4.5 Dealing with Character Strings
4.6 Implicit Data Type Conversion
4.7 Data Scaling
4.8 Support for IEEE Special Values
4.9 Error Status Values and the Error Message Stack
4.10 Variable-Length Arrays in Binary Tables
4.11 Multiple Access to the Same FITS File
4.12 When the Final Size of the FITS HDU is Unknown
4.13 CFITSIO Size Limitations
5. Basic CFITSIO Interface Routines
5.1 CFITSIO Error Status Routines
5.2 FITS File Access Routines
5.3 HDU Access Routines
5.4 Header Keyword Read/Write Routines
5.4.1 Keyword Reading Routines
5.4.2 Keyword Writing Routines
5.5 Primary Array or IMAGE Extension I/O Routines
5.6 Image Compression
5.7 ASCII and Binary Table Routines
5.7.1 Create New Table
5.7.2 Column Information Routines
5.7.3 Routines to Edit Rows or Columns
5.7.4 Read and Write Column Data Routines
5.7.5 Row Selection and Calculator Routines
5.8 Utility Routines
5.8.1 File Checksum Routines
5.8.2 Date and Time Utility Routines
5.8.3 General Utility Routines
6. The CFITSIO Iterator Function
6.1 The Iterator Work Function
6.2 The Iterator Driver Function
6.3 Guidelines for Using the Iterator Function
6.4 Complete List of Iterator Routines
7. World Coordinate System Routines
7.1 Self-contained WCS Routines
8. Hierarchical Grouping Routines
8.1 Grouping Table Routines
8.2 Group Member Routines
9. Specialized CFITSIO Interface Routines
9.1 FITS File Access Routines
9.2 HDU Access Routines
9.3 Specialized Header Keyword Routines
9.3.1 Header Information Routines
9.3.2 Read and Write the Required Keywords
9.3.3 Write Keyword Routines
9.3.4 Insert Keyword Routines
9.3.5 Read Keyword Routines
9.3.6 Modify Keyword Routines
9.3.7 Update Keyword Routines
9.4 Define Data Scaling and Undefined Pixel Parameters
9.5 Specialized FITS Primary Array or IMAGE Extension I/O Routines
9.6 Specialized FITS ASCII and Binary Table Routines
9.6.1 General Column Routines
9.6.2 Low-Level Table Access Routines
9.6.3 Write Column Data Routines
9.6.4 Read Column Data Routines
10. Extended File Name Syntax
10.1 Overview
10.2 Filetype
10.2.1 Notes about HTTP proxy servers
10.2.2 Notes about the root filetype
10.2.3 Notes about the shmem filetype:
10.3 Base Filename
10.4 Output File Name when Opening an Existing File
10.5 Template File Name when Creating a New File
10.6 Image Tile-Compression Specification
10.7 HDU Location Specification
10.8 Image Section
10.9 Image Transform Filters
10.10 Column and Keyword Filtering Specification
10.11 Row Filtering Specification
10.11.1 General Syntax
10.11.2 Bit Masks
10.11.3 Vector Columns
10.11.4 Good Time Interval Filtering
10.11.5 Spatial Region Filtering
10.11.6 Example Row Filters
10.12 Binning or Histogramming Specification
11. Template Files
11.1 Detailed Template Line Format
11.2 Auto-indexing of Keywords
11.3 Template Parser Directives
11.4 Formal Template Syntax
11.5 Errors
11.6 Examples
12. Local FITS Conventions
12.1 64-Bit Long Integers
12.2 Long String Keyword Values.
12.3 Arrays of Fixed-Length Strings in Binary Tables
12.4 Keyword Units Strings
12.5 HIERARCH Convention for Extended Keyword Names
12.6 Tile-Compressed Image Format
13. Optimizing Programs
13.1 How CFITSIO Manages Data I/O
13.2 Optimization Strategies
A. Index of Routines
B. Parameter Definitions
C. CFITSIO Error Status Codes
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