SAOIMAGE Command Line Options

-blue
Set the color of all graphics to be blue. Some inexpensive systems use a monochrome monitor connected to one of the three color outputs on the computer. That color must be specified to make the graphics visible.
-bordercolor colorname
Specify the color of all subwindow borders. The color name must be a recognized X color (there are many). This is a style issue. -bc may be used instead of -bordercolor.
-byteswap
Switch the bytes order between big-endian and little-endian order. This may be needed where data has been copied from another machine or if there is some confusion about the FITS file format. This switch toggles the previous setting. -bswap may be used instead of -byteswap.
+/-coord
Set the coordinate tracking state initially on or off. In coordinate tracking, the coordinates of the mouse and value of the pixel under it are printed in the upper-left text area, above the main display window. \+/-ct can be used instead of \+/-coord.
-display nodename:0.0
Specify the name of the X display server. This makes it possible to run the SAOimage program on a machine other than the one connected to your display screen, with no difference in appearance or use. By default, SAOimage gets the server name from the DISPLAY environment variable. See the xhost manual page for more details. The display server cannot be changed once SAOimage is running. -display may be abbreviated -d.
-dfits
Image file is a FITS file (see -fits), but in unexpected byteswapped order. The FITS standard is not swapped, but some naive VAX applications may swap it (see -bswap).
-fbconfig filename
Specify an alternate frame buffer configuration file for use with IRAF. By default, the file installed with SAOimage (/usr/local/lib/imtoolrc) is used.
-fits
Image file is a FITS file. If the image filename ends in .fits, this switch is not necessary. Only T=SIMPLE array types are supported. The header BITPIX parameter may be 8 (unsigned byte), 16 (signed short), 32 (signed int), -32 (float), -64 (double), or -16 (unsigned short). (The last two are not recognized standards). IEEE floats are not converted if that is not the machine format.
-fk4
-b1950
If WCS information is available in the image header, track the cursor in FK4/B1950 right ascension and declination as well as pixel coordinates. These coordinates, followed by B1950 will be fed to an external program if the w command is used.
-fk5
-j2000
If WCS information is available in the image header, track the cursor in FK5/J2000 right ascension and declination as well as pixel coordinates. These coordinates, followed by J2000 will be fed to an external program if the w command is used.
-gal
-galactic
If WCS information is available in the image header, track the cursor in galactic longitude and latitude as well as pixel coordinates. These coordinates, followed by galactic will be fed to an external program if the w command is used.
-gd geometry
Specify the size of the image display subwindow and/or the screen position of SAOimage. The format is a standard X geometry statement. This switch works like -geometry, except that width and height (if given) are applied to the display subwindow. The overall SAOimage window is sized accordingly.
-geometry geometry
Specify the size and/or the screen position of SAOimage. The format is a standard X geometry statement. Both size and position may be specified, or only the size or the position. Width and height refer to the dimensions of SAOimage's desktop window (see -gd for sizing just the image display window). +x and \+y refer to the upper left corner in screen coordinates. -x positions the right edge from the right edge of the screen. -y would positions the lower edge from the bottom of the screen. Width and height below a minimum size are defaulted to the minimum. Specifying the default minimum size (-geometry 0x0) also triggers SAOimage to use smaller dimensions for its internal windows. Once SAOimage is running, use the window manager's normal size and move mechanisms to make adjustments to SAOimage's main window. -geometry may be abbreviated -g.
-green
Set the color of all graphics to be green. See -blue.
-histeq may be abbreviated -hi.
Set the scaling mode for histogram equalization.
-horizgraph
Use a horizontal auxiliary color graph window, with a color bar along the bottom. See -vertgraph. -hg can be used as a shorthand for -horizgraph.
-i2 width height
Image file is a signed short integer array file of the given dimensions. If the file is square and has no added padding, the dimensions are not necessary. -shortarray width height has the same function.
-i4 width height
Image file is a signed long integer array file of the given dimensions. If the file is square and has no added padding, the dimensions are not necessary. -longarray width height has the same function.
-idev pipename
Specify the name of the named pipe used for listening. The default is /dev/imt1o, which is the default used by IRAF. See -odev.
+/-imtool
Open/close the named input pipe connection and wait for input from IRAF. When open, SAOimage emulates IRAF's \imtool. IRAF's image loading and cursor read-back functions are supported. Unlike imtool, SAOimage has only one frame buffer; IRAF's frame buffer numbers are ignored. Listening on the pipe is possible even while reading image files directly. The connection may be opened, closed, or re-opened at any time. When supported, the default mode is commonly to start with the IRAF connection open. See -idev, -odev, and -pros.
-lfrac [fraction of histogram numerical peak]
Set the linear scaling limits to the values where the pixel value distribution is at a given fraction of its peak
-linear
Set the scaling mode to linear.
-log [exponent for exponential curve]
Set the scaling mode to log (exponential), and set the exponent for the curve function e^n if given.
-lowerleft
First pixel in file represents the lower left of the image, assuming the lines of input run left to right on the screen. This is the IRAF standard and the SAOimage default. See -rotate, -upperleft, and -zero. -lowerleft may be abbreviated -ll.
-lprbuttons
Include the button menu in the hardcopy image (only on color workstations). The default on color workstations includes the area above the button panel, but excludes the buttons.
-mag magnification
Set the magnification factor of the magnifier. This factor relates the magnifier to the magnification of the display window. The default is 4; the magnifier magnifies the image to 4 times the magnification of the main display window (but never less than zoom 1 of the original data).
+/-magnifier
Set the magnifier tracking state initially on or off. With magnifier tracking, the magnifier window is continuously updated to show a magnification of the image the image under the mouse. \+/-mt can be used instead of \+/-magnifier.
-max [max val]
Set the maximum for the image value range used to compute scaling. The default is to take the maximum from the image shown in the display window. -max with no value resets the default. If the maximum value in the displayed image is lower than the given maximum, the image's maximum vale is used for the scaling range.
-min [min val]
Set the minimum for the image value range used to compute scaling. The default is to take the minimum from the image shown in the display window. -min with no value resets the default. If the minimum value in the displayed image is higher than the given minimum, the image's minimum vale is used for the scaling range.
-mtf
Give the button panel a chiseled look popularized by HP's widget set. This appearance may contrast less with other applications being used at the same time.
-name filename
This switch is only needed if the filename starts with a number or might otherwise be recognized as a switch.
-odev pipename
Specify the name of the named pipe used for sending feedback. The default is /dev/imt1i, which is the default used by IRAF. See -idev.
-oif
Image file is an IRAF image header file in OIF format. If the image filename ends in .imh, this switch is not necessary. IRAF STF and QPOE formats are not supported. Complex data cannot be handled. The data must have at least 2 dimensions. Only the first plane of multidimensional images is read. The data file is read directly by SAOimage (see -imtool and -pros).
-one
The file coordinate of the first pixel is (1,1). The real coordinates of the center of the first pixel are (1.0,1.0). This is the IRAF standard and the default for SAOimage. The second pixel is (2,1). See -zero.
-palette number
Specify the number of read/write color cells to reserve. On color workstations, SAOimage reserves color cells in the default colormap for its own use. SAOimage reserves as many color cells as it can get, up to the number given (the default is 200). If the number given is negative, SAOimage comes up in overlay mode, using 1/2 + 2 of the color cells for overlays and graphics. In verbose mode (see -verbose), SAOimage tells you how many cells it is able to use for display colors. This number can be re-entered at run-time, unless -palette 1 is given, in which case SAOimage stays in halftone mode. -p is an acceptable shorthand for -palette.
-panboxav | -panboxsum | -panboxsamp | -panboxmax
These switches select the kind of image reduction used to fit a picture of the entire image into the pan window. Each pixel is computed from a block of image pixels by averaging, summing, sampling, or taking the maximum. The default is to show the maximum from each block. When zooming in the main display involves reduction, subsampling is always used.
-pros
Virtually identical to the \+imtool switch. The difference occurs when the user writes the saved regions to a disk file. imtool emulation includes writing only an IRAF list file giving center coordinates only. With -pros, SAOimage's normal region descriptor file will be written in place of the simpler list file. One may switch between this mode and \+imtool, or close the IRAF connection with -imtool.
-quiet
Disable verbose mode;-q may also be used. See -verbose.
-r4 width height
Image file is a real*4 array file of the given dimensions. If the file is square and has no added padding, the dimensions are not necessary. -floatarray width height has the same function.
-r8 width height
Image file is a real*8 array file of the given dimensions. If the file is square and has no added padding, the dimensions are not necessary. -doublearray width height has the same function.
-red
Set the color of all graphics to be red. See -blue.
-rmax [max val]
Set maximum value for reading from the image file. This value is used as the maximum value when images are pre-scaled to fit the 16 bit (signed short) working buffer.
-rmin [min val]
Set minimum value for reading from the image file. This value is used as the minimum value when images are pre-scaled to fit the 16 bit (signed short) working buffer.
-rotate 1,2,or 3
Rotate the image 90, 180, or 270 degrees (respectively) before displaying it. Rotation is applied after conversion to a lower left coordinate system (-ll) if such conversion is also requested. This is useful for images when the CCD was not mounted North-up. -rot can be used as a shorthand for -rotate.
-scalebias scale bias
The data in the image file should be scaled and biased to get the true image value (TrueValue = (scale * FileValue) + bias). This cannot be used with the -fits image type (scale and bias are in the FITS header), nor with -imtool or -pros (they are passed by IRAF). -sb is a shorthand for -scalebias.
-skip bytes
Skip over the given number of bytes at the head of the file before reading data. This is used to skip header information or the first image if two images are stored in one file. -header and -sk are aliases for -skip.
-sqrt [inverse of exponent for geometric curve]
Set the scaling function to square root (geometric), and set the inverse of the exponent for the x^{1/n} curve, if given.
-u1 width height
Image file is an unsigned byte array file of the given dimensions. If the file is square and has no added padding, the dimensions are not necessary. -chararray width height has the same function.
-u2 width height
Image file is a unsigned short integer array file of the given dimensions. If the file is square and has no added padding, the dimensions are not necessary. -ushortarray width height has the same function.
-upperleft
First pixel in file represents the upper left of the image, assuming the lines of input run left to right on the screen (see -rotate and -lowerleft). This switch does not override IRAF WCS image coordinates. -upperleft may be abbreviated -ul.
+/-verbose
Set verbose mode on or off. In verbose mode, informative statements are printed to the terminal window when various actions are taken. The default mode is to be verbose. \+/-v can be used instead of \+/-verbose.
-vertgraph
Use a vertical auxiliary color graph window, with a color bar along the left side. See -horizgraph. -vg can be used as a shorthand for -vertgraph.
-wcscom [format for command to be executed]
Set the command to be executed when the w key is struck, where the world coordinates are substituted for %s in the string. Underscores should be used instead of spaces.
-wrap [number of wraps within scaling range]
Set the scaling mode to wrapped linear, and set the number of wraps for this mode, if given.
-zero
The file coordinate of the first pixel is (0,0). The real coordinates of the center of the first pixel are (0.5,0.5) which makes the very edge (0,0). This is the standard coordinate system for image displays, but not the default for SAOimage. The second pixel is indexed (1,0). See -one.

Last modified 18 August 1995