SAOimage Command Line

The command line is the line you type when you first call the SAOimage program. Following the name of the program, you can include the name of a file to read and/or various parameters and settings. Except for the filename, all settings are identified by a "switch" beginning with a "-". Some switches are sufficient by themselves, some switches must be followed by a fixed number of arguments (usually numerical), and some switches may be followed by arguments but do not require them. These are explained below.

There is no required order to the switches. The file name can appear anywhere on the command line; SAOimage assumes that any token that is not part of a recognizable switch is the file name.

Many switches have two names, one literal and one abbreviated. In such cases the names are completely interchangeable. The longer names might be used in a script where a later reader might wonder what the switches do. The abbreviated names save typing on the command line.

Once SAOimage is running, you may enter a new command line, changing some of the settings and/or reading in a new image from disk. A few switches, such as the display server, cannot be changed from their initial settings.

Brief List of Commands

Descriptive List of Commands