WCSATTRIB

Manages attribute values associated with the WCS component of an NDF

Description:

This application can be used to manage the values of attributes associated with the current co-ordinate Frame  of an NDF  (title, axis labels, axis units, etc.).

Each attribute has a name, a value, and a state. This application accesses all attribute values as character strings, converting to and from other data types as necessary. The attribute state is a Boolean flag (i.e. TRUE or FALSE) indicating whether or not a value has been assigned to the attribute. If no value has been assigned to an attribute, then it adopts a default value until an explicit value is assigned to it. An attribute value can be cleared, causing the attribute to revert to its default value.

The operation performed by this application is controlled by Parameter MODE, and can:

Note, the attributes of the PIXEL, GRID and AXIS Frames are managed internally by the NDF library. They may be examined using this application, but an error is reported if any attempt is made to change them. The exception to this is that the Domain  attribute may be changed, resulting in a copy of the Frame being added to the WCS component of the NDF with the new Domain name. The AXIS Frame is derived from the AXIS structures within the NDF, so the AXLABEL and AXUNITS commands may be used to change the axis label or units string for the AXIS Frame.

Usage:

wcsattrib ndf mode name newval

Parameters:

MODE = LITERAL (Read)
The operation to be performed on the attribute specified by Parameter NAME. It can be one of the following options.

  • "Clear" –- Clears the current attribute value, causing it to revert to its default value.

  • "Get" –- The current value of the attribute is displayed on the screen and written to output Parameter VALUE. If the attribute has not yet been assigned a value (or has been cleared), then the default value will be displayed.

  • "MSet" –- Assigns new values to multiple attributes. The attribute names and values are obtained using Parameter SETTING.

  • "Set" –- Assigns a new value, given by Parameter NEWVAL, to the attribute.

  • "Test" –- Displays "TRUE" if the attribute has been assigned a value, and "FALSE" otherwise (in which case the attribute will adopt its default value). This flag is written to the output Parameter STATE.

The initial suggested default is "Get".

NAME = LITERAL (Read)
The attribute name. It is not used if MODE is "MSet".
NDF = NDF (Read and Write)
The NDF to be modified. When MODE="Get", the access is Read only.
NEWVAL = LITERAL (Read)
The new value to assign to the attribute. It is only used if MODE is "Set".
REMAP = _LOGICAL (Read)
Only accessed if MODE is "Set" or "Clear". If REMAP is TRUE, then the Mappings  which connect the current Frame to the other Frames within the WCS FrameSet  will be modified (if necessary) to maintain the FrameSet integrity. For instance, if the current Frame of the NDF represents FK5 RA and DEC, and you change System from "FK5" to "Galactic", then the Mappings which connect the SKY Frame to the other Frames (e.g. PIXEL, AXIS) will be modified so that each pixel corresponds to the correct Galactic co-ordinates. If REMAP is FALSE, then the Mappings will not be changed. This can be useful if the FrameSet has incorrect attribute values for some reason, which need to be corrected without altering the Mappings to take account of the change. [TRUE]
SETTING = LITERAL (Read)
This is only accessed if MODE is set to "MSet". It should hold a comma-separated list of "<attribute>=<value>" strings, where <attribute> is the name of an attribute and <value> is the value to assign to the attribute.

Results Parameters

STATE = _LOGICAL (Write)
On exit, this holds the state of the attribute on entry to this application. It is not used if MODE is "MSet".
VALUE = LITERAL (Write)
On exit, this holds the value of the attribute on entry to this application. It is not used if MODE is "MSet".

Examples:

wcsattrib my_spec set System freq
This sets the System  attribute of the current co-ordinate Frame in the NDF called my_Spec so that the Frame represents frequency (this assumes the current Frame is a SpecFrame). The Mappings between the current Frame and the other Frames are modified to take account of the change of system.
wcsattrib my_spec mset setting=’unit(1)=km/s,system(1)=vrad’
This sets new values of "km/s" and "vrad" simultaneously for the Unit and System attributes for the first axis of the NDF called my_spec.
wcsattrib ngc5128 set title "Polarization map of Centaurus-A"
This sets the Title  attribute of the current co-ordinate Frame in the NDF called ngc5128 to the string "Polarization map of Centaurus-A".
wcsattrib my_data set domain saved_pixel
This sets the Domain attribute of the current co-ordinate Frame in the NDF called my_data to the string SAVED_PIXEL.
wcsattrib my_data set format(1) "%10.5G"
This sets the Format  attribute for Axis 1 in the current co-ordinate Frame in the NDF called my_data, so that axis values are formatted as floating-point values using a minimum field width of ten characters, and displaying five significant figures. An exponent is used if necessary.
wcsattrib ngc5128 set format(2) bdms.2
This sets the Format  attribute for Axis 2 in the current co-ordinate Frame in the NDF called ngc5128, so that axis values are formatted as separate degrees, minutes and seconds fields, separated by blanks. The seconds field has two decimal places. This assumes the current co-ordinate Frame in the NDF is a celestial co-ordinate Frame.
wcsattrib my_data get label(1)
This displays the label associated with the first axis of the current co-ordinate Frame in the NDF called my_data. A default label is displayed if no value has been set for this attribute.
wcsattrib my_data test label(1)
This displays "TRUE" if a value has been set for the Label  attribute for the first axis of the current co-ordinate Frame in the NDF called my_data, and "FALSE" otherwise.
wcsattrib my_data clear label(1)
This clears the Label attribute for the first axis of the current co-ordinate Frame in the NDF called my_data. It reverts to its default value.
wcsattrib my_data set equinox J2000 remap=no
This assumes that the Equinox  attribute for the current co-ordinate Frame within NDF "my_data" has been set to some incorrect value, which needs to be corrected to "J2000". The REMAP parameter is set FALSE, which prevents the inter-Frame Mappings from being altered to take account of the new Equinox value. This means that each pixel in the NDF will retain its original RA and DEC values (but they will now be interpreted as J2000). If REMAP had been left at its default value of TRUE, then the RA and DEC associated with each pixel would have been modified in order to precess them from the original (incorrect) equinox to J2000.

Notes:

Related Applications

KAPPA: AXLABEL, AXUNITS, NDFTRACE, WCSADD, WCSFRAME, WCSREMOVE, WCSCOPY.