HELIO SolarSoft Documentation

Variables that can be set externally

Preset Time Ranges

The file "vobs_presets.txt" defines a number of time intervals of interest and is used as a optional way of defining a time range in several routines. How this works should (hopefully) be obvious when examining the file – see an example here.

The code cascades down through several possible locations searching for the file: first it looks to see if file is define by the environment variable MY_VOBS_PRESETS; if this is not set, the code looks in the current/working directory for the file "vobs_presets.txt"; if the file is not found there, the code looks in the user's home directory and finally it uses the file stored in the database the HELIO directory define by $HELIO_DTB.

List of Instruments

In some cases the user may wish to repeatedly conduct a search using the same set of instruments – this can be done by defining a list of instruments (using the HELIO syntax) in a file called "myfav_obsinst.txt". The file should be stored in the user's current directory; an example of its format is give here. The values defined in this file will be used when the /myfav switch is applied when selecting instruments in the HELIO object code.

Parameters used in the code

In several places in the code information needs to be manipulated – this is done by applying some sort of function modified by parameter (with values that users may have preferences for, or opinions about). Some of these parameters can be adjusted by setting values in the file "helio_defaults.txt"; an example of the format of this file is given here.

Again the code cascades down through several possible locations searching for the file: it looks in the current/working directory for the file "helio_defaults.txt"; if the file is not found there, the code looks in the users home directory and finally it uses the file stored in the database the HELIO directory define by $HELIO_DTB.

  • Event start and end times: The times defined in several event lists do not properly describe the duration of the event. For example, the times in the GOES soft X-ray flare list identity too short a time interval because of the way that NOAA defines the start and and of a flare – multiplication factors from the peak time (of Tpeak-Tstart and Tpeak-Tend) can be defined in this file.
  • Buffer times: In addition to the defined flare interval, buffer periods can be applied at either end.
  • Event with no end time: The proton event list only defines a start but no end time – a default interval can be defined in the file.

R.D. Bentley UCL-MSSL
30-Jun-2014