SOFTWARE RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
---------------------------------
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< FTOOLS VERSION 3.3 DISTRIBUTION >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< XSELECT VERSION 1.3 DISTRIBUTION >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
How: Anonymous FTP from legacy.gsfc.nasa.gov
Where: software/ftools/release/FTools_3.3 directory
What: ******* FTOOLS Source and Data *******
***(get both unless you are only building "core" FTOOLS) ***
ftools.v3.3.tar.Z - Source Code Distribution for all platforms
refdata.v3.3.tar.Z - Minimal subset of Calibration Database
*** Compressed Postscript Documentation ***
***(in software/ftools/release/doc directory)***
develop.v3.3.ps.Z - Developer's Guide
install.v3.3.ps.Z - Installation Guide
users.v3.3.ps.Z - User's Guide
techref.v3.3.ps.Z - Complete User's Guide and help pages
Xselect_1.3.ps.Z - Xselect Users Guide
*** HTML Documentation ***
at http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/software/ftools/ftools_menu.html
Supported Platforms: (See Installation Guide for details)
unix ALPHA/OSF, DEC/ULTRIX, SUN/SunOS, SGI/IRIX
vms ALPHA/VMS, VAX/VMS
FTOOLS Version 3.3 Summary:
===========================
The FTOOLS have now been ported to Silicon Graphics workstations running
IRIX. With the release of Perl5, most FTOOLS Perl scripts can be run
on VMS machines (complete porting of all non-GUI scripts is planned).
New tasks available:
abc - Apply Barycentric Corrections to ROSAT event data.
ascaexpo - Generate an exposure map for an ASCA observation.
bct - Produce a Barycenter Correction Table from ROSAT orbit data
bkg - Subtract a background from a binned light curve
col2img - Converts a collimator response dataset to an image
fvec2img - Create an image from a column of vectors
hriexpmap - Creates exposure map for given ROSAT HRI observational dataset
hrifilt - Creates a ROSAT HRI makefilter file
modalid - Print the space craft modal configuration
perdgrm - Adds a sine curve and/or pulse-profile to a light curve.
sky2xy - Transform from sky to pixel coordinates using WCS keywords
src2pha - Creates a PHA file from specified extensions in an RDF src file
xy2sky - Transform from pixel to sky coordinates using WCS keywords
XSELECT version 1.3 summary:
============================
New Commands:
* SISPI this will fill the PI column for SIS BRIGHT data. This
command is run automatically as a part of FAINT, so there is
no reason to run it on FAINT data, but you can.
Bug Fixes:
* Sometimes Xselect would use the original data rather than the
appropriate product events file. This might cause the effects of
SELECT EVENTS to get lost. This is now fixed.
* The ROSAT support is more robust.
New Features:
* The default energy column for the ASCA SIS instruments is now PI
ROSAT FTOOLS News
============================
New tools:
hrifilt - Creates a ROSAT HRI makefilter file.
The resultant makefilter file can be used to screen data
using Xselect.
hriexpmap - Creates exposure map for given ROSAT HRI observational dataset
abc - Apply Barycentric Corrections to ROSAT event data.
bct - Produce a Barycenter Correction Table from ROSAT orbit data.
rosbary - script to do ROSAT barycentric correction
This runs abc and bct together.
src2pha - Creates a PHA file from specified extensions in an RDF
src file. NOTE: There is a driver script to call this
FTOOL, EXTPHA, type 'extpha' at your UNIX or DCL prompt
and follow the directions.
hiback - Script to create a qsrc file from an src file. It runs
MKQSRC and adds a BKG_SUSP keyword to the output file as
well.
HEASARC FTOOLS News
=============================
New features in GRPPHA:
Users are now allowed to over-write the input file. This can be achieved by
either setting the hidden boolean parameter "clobber" to yes, or by making
use of the "!"-convention whereby the output filename is preceeded by an "!".
A new "family" of command strings, DUMP, has been introduced. DUMP allows
the user to write an ascii file containing the current settings, this file
may be useful if the user wishes to apply the same settings in another GRPPHA
run. Currently there are 3 possible commands: DUMP GROUPING, DUMP SYSTEMATICS
and DUMP QUALITY.