A FitsChan is a specialised form of Channel which supports I/O operations involving the use of FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) header cards. Writing an Object to a FitsChan (using AST_WRITE) will, if the Object is suitable, generate a description of that Object composed of FITS header cards, and reading from a FitsChan will create a new Object from its FITS header card description.

While a FitsChan is active, it represents a buffer which may contain zero or more 80-character " header cards" conforming to FITS conventions. Any sequence of FITS-conforming header cards may be stored, apart from the " END" card whose existence is merely implied. The cards may be accessed in any order by using the FitsChan’ s integer Card attribute, which identifies a " current" card, to which subsequent operations apply. Searches based on keyword may be performed (using AST_FINDFITS), new cards may be inserted (AST_PUTFITS, AST_PUTCARDS, AST_SETFITS$<$X$>$) and existing ones may be deleted (AST_DELFITS), extracted (AST_GETFITS$<$X$>$) or changed (AST_SETFITS$<$X$>$).

When you create a FitsChan, you have the option of specifying " source" and " sink" functions which connect it to external data stores by reading and writing FITS header cards. If you provide a source function, it is used to fill the FitsChan with header cards when it is accessed for the first time. If you do not provide a source function, the FitsChan remains empty until you explicitly enter data into it (e.g. using AST_PUTFITS, AST_PUTCARDS, AST_WRITE or by using the SourceFile attribute to specifying a text file from which headers should be read). When the FitsChan is deleted, any remaining header cards in the FitsChan can be saved in either of two ways: 1) by specifying a value for the SinkFile attribute (the name of a text file to which header cards should be written), or 2) by providing a sink function (used to to deliver header cards to an external data store). If you do not provide a sink function or a value for SinkFile, any header cards remaining when the FitsChan is deleted will be lost, so you should arrange to extract them first if necessary (e.g. using AST_FINDFITS or AST_READ).

Coordinate system information may be described using FITS header cards using several different conventions, termed " encodings" . When an AST Object is written to (or read from) a FitsChan, the value of the FitsChan’ s Encoding attribute determines how the Object is converted to (or from) a description involving FITS header cards. In general, different encodings will result in different sets of header cards to describe the same Object. Examples of encodings include the DSS encoding (based on conventions used by the STScI Digitised Sky Survey data), the FITS-WCS encoding (based on a proposed FITS standard) and the NATIVE encoding (a near loss-less way of storing AST Objects in FITS headers).

The available encodings differ in the range of Objects they can represent, in the number of Object descriptions that can coexist in the same FitsChan, and in their accessibility to other (external) astronomy applications (see the Encoding attribute for details). Encodings are not necessarily mutually exclusive and it may sometimes be possible to describe the same Object in several ways within a particular set of FITS header cards by using several different encodings.

The detailed behaviour of AST_READ and AST_WRITE, when used with a FitsChan, depends on the encoding in use. In general, however, all successful use of AST_READ is destructive, so that FITS header cards are consumed in the process of reading an Object, and are removed from the FitsChan (this deletion can be prevented for specific cards by calling the AST_RETAINFITS routine). An unsuccessful call of AST_READ (for instance, caused by the FitsChan not containing the necessary FITS headers cards needed to create an Object) results in the contents of the FitsChan being left unchanged.

If the encoding in use allows only a single Object description to be stored in a FitsChan (e.g. the DSS, FITS-WCS and FITS-IRAF encodings), then write operations using AST_WRITE will over-write any existing Object description using that encoding. Otherwise (e.g. the NATIVE encoding), multiple Object descriptions are written sequentially and may later be read back in the same sequence.

AST_FITSCHAN

The FitsChan class inherits from the Channel class.

In addition to those attributes common to all Channels, every

FitsChan also has the following attributes:

• AllWarnings: A list of the available conditions

• AltAxes: Controls generation of FITS-WCS alternate axis descriptions

• Card: Index of current FITS card in a FitsChan

• CardComm: The comment of the current FITS card in a FitsChan

• CardName: The keyword name of the current FITS card in a FitsChan

• CardType: The data type of the current FITS card in a FitsChan

• CarLin: Ignore spherical rotations on CAR projections?

• CDMatrix: Use a CD matrix instead of a PC matrix?

• Clean: Remove cards used whilst reading even if an error occurs?

• DefB1950: Use FK4 B1950 as default equatorial coordinates?

• Encoding: System for encoding Objects as FITS headers

• FitsAxisOrder: Sets the order of WCS axes within new FITS-WCS headers

• FitsDigits: Digits of precision for floating-point FITS values

• FitsRounding: Controls rounding of floating-point FITS values

• ForceTab: Force use of the FITS " -TAB" algorithm?

• Iwc: Add a Frame describing Intermediate World Coords?

• Ncard: Number of FITS header cards in a FitsChan

• Nkey: Number of unique keywords in a FitsChan

• PolyTan: Use PVi_m keywords to define distorted TAN projection?

• SipReplace: Replace SIP inverse transformation?

• SipOK: Use Spitzer Space Telescope keywords to define distortion?

• SipReplace: Replace SIP inverse transformation?

• TabOK: Should the FITS " -TAB" algorithm be recognised?

• Warnings: Produces warnings about selected conditions

In addition to those routines applicable to all Channels, the following routines may also be applied to all FitsChans:

• AST_DELFITS: Delete the current FITS card in a FitsChan

• AST_EMPTYFITS: Delete all cards in a FitsChan

• AST_FINDFITS: Find a FITS card in a FitsChan by keyword

• AST_GETFITS$<$X$>$: Get a keyword value from a FitsChan

• AST_GETTABLES: Retrieve any FitsTables from a FitsChan

• AST_PURGEWCS: Delete all WCS-related cards in a FitsChan

• AST_PUTCARDS: Stores a set of FITS header card in a FitsChan

• AST_PUTFITS: Store a FITS header card in a FitsChan

• AST_PUTTABLE: Store a single FitsTables in a FitsChan

• AST_PUTTABLES: Store multiple FitsTables in a FitsChan

• AST_READFITS: Read cards in through the source function

• AST_REMOVETABLES: Remove one or more FitsTables from a FitsChan

• AST_RETAINFITS: Ensure current card is retained in a FitsChan

• AST_SETFITS$<$X$>$: Store a new keyword value in a FitsChan

• AST_TABLESOURCE: Register a source function for FITS table access

• AST_TESTFITS: Test if a keyword has a defined value in a FitsChan

• AST_WRITEFITS: Write all cards out to the sink function