Using the Results from the DPAS

This page is under construction. The code is still being debugged – please report any problems.

Once the List of Files structure has been returned by the DPAS it can be examined using the object-oriented LINKS code. This code is separated from the earlier (helio_setup) code because the list of file may have come a number of sources, and to emphasise that the user may choose to break the process at this point and return to using the results on multiple occasions.

Ingesting the list of files

  links = obj_new('links')

  links -> input, file_list                  ; ingest VOTable structure returned by use_dpas_idlapi

    or
  links -> input, file='list-of-files.xml'   ; read from VOTable saved to a file
To print a summary of the loaded List of Files enter: 
  links -> summary
To plot a summary of the time spans covered by the files for each instrument try: 
  links -> plot  [,timerange=timerange] [,/goes] [,timewindow=timewindow] [,/png]
The timerange keyword allows the plot time range to be defined; a GOES plot is included if the /goes switch is set. The timewindow keyword defines where vertical lines are placed on the plot. A file of the plot can be produced if the /png switch is set.

Routines to set and get values and ranges 

  links -> set,value,/timewindow              ; <<<<<<<< ???????????
  vv = links -> get(??)                       ; one of [/timewindow] [/timerange] [/filelist]

Selecting a subset of files

You can select a subset of the files using a time filter: 
  timewindow = [t1,t2]

  links -> set, timewindow, /timewindow       ; define timewindow within object
  vv = links -> filter()                      ; use established window (if defined)

    or
  vv = links -> filter(timewindow)            ; pass timewindow as a parameter

    or
  links -> plot  [,/goes][,timerange=timerange]
  links -> time_select                        ; use cursors to define timewindow
  vv = links -> filter()                      ; use established time window

Retrieving selected files

Once a subset of the files has been selected, it is possible to recover them. The files are stored in observatory/instrument sub-directories under a root directory; if the output directory is not explicitly defined a root directory (kkkk2) is created in the current directory; 
  links -> retrieve_files,vv   [,/outdir=outdir]
Great care is needed when retreving files since potentially they can occupy a large amount of disk space.


R.D. Bentley
April 2011