HELIO SolarSoft Documentation

Installing and Using the Software

If you would like to try the HELIO software, go to the SolarSoft Installation pages and install/reinstall the HELIO and EGSO branches within the SolarSoft tree.

There are two ways to do this:

  • You can make a new installation or update an existing installation by clicking on the "SSW INSTALLATION FORM" link. Decide what type of installation you are making and select the instruments that you want to include; you need to install both the HELIO and EGSO branches. When ready, click on "Generate Installation Script", check that you have enough space available, down load the script and follow the instructions to make the installation.

  • For users with an existing and fairly up-to-date SolarSoft installation, you may install HELIO and EGSO using the SSW Upgrade Procedure. To add HELIO and EGSO you should type: 
      ssw_upgrade, /helio, /egso, /loud	  ; [,/spawn]
    where the /spawn switch is required to actually execute the Mirror &ndash leaving the /spawn switch off will just generate the Mirror package but not execute it (useful for testing).

When starting SolarSoft, include both "helio" and "egso" in the list of instruments you wish to use. If the setssw alias has already been defined (by executing $SSW/gen/setup/setup.ssw_alias), then the commands needed would be: 

  setssw helio egso [trace eit ...]		; "helio" should always precede "egso" but otherwise 
  sswidl					; can appear anywhere in the list
Once inside IDL you can invoke the HELIO object by entering: 
  hio_setup = obj_new('hio_setup')
Note: It is also possible to run several of the routines outside of the object code.

Some System Stuff

Utility used to copy file

Various routines within the object code that copy data default to using WGET (or CURL if your are using a Mac). This behaviour can be changed by setting the environment variable "HIO_WGET_FLAG" before you enter SolarSoft. In the C-shell this looks like: 
  setenv HIO_WGET_FLAG wget
  setenv HIO_WGET_FLAG curl
Once inside SolarSoft you can modify the behaviour by setting the system variable !hio_sysvar.wget_flag 
  !hio_sysvar.wget_flag=1			; wget
  !hio_sysvar.wget_flag=0			; curl

Location for temporary files

The SolarSoft routine get_temp_dir is used to determine where temporary data are stored; by default this routine uses /tmp or its equivalent.

You can explicitly define where data should be stored by setting the environment variable $user_temp befor entering IDL. Within the C-shell this looks like: 

  setenv user_temp my_tempdir
where my_tempdir is the directory that you wish to use.

R.D. Bentley UCL-MSSL
15-Feb-2012