GILDAS Headers

The DEFINE IMAGE  command allows SIC to access not only to the content of an image (the data value), but also to all its associated parameters; DEFINE HEADER  allows access only to these associated parameters. The header variables have names derived from the generic name by adding the special character % and an extension (such as e.g. NDIM for the number of dimensions) to the generic header name. For example, command DEFINE HEADER VAR file.gdf READ also creates the following variables:

       VAR%GENE       Integer        Length of general section
       VAR%NDIM       Integer        Number of dimensions (ReadOnly)
       VAR%DIM        Integer[4]     Dimensions           (ReadOnly)
       VAR%CONVERT    Double[3,4]    Conversion formulae for the 4 axes:
                                     Reference pixel,
                                     Value at reference pixel,
                                     Increment
       VAR%BLAN       Integer        Length of blanking section
       VAR%BLANK      Real[2]        Blanking and tolerance
       VAR%EXTREMA    Integer        Length of extrema section
       VAR%MAX        Real           Maximum
       VAR%MIN        Real           Minimum
       VAR%WHERE      Integer[4,2]   Position of max and min
       VAR%DESC       Integer        Length of units and system section
       VAR%UNIT       Char*12        Image unit
       VAR%UNIT1      Char*12        First axis type
       VAR%UNIT2      Char*12        Second axis type
       VAR%UNIT3      Char*12        Third axis type
       VAR%UNIT4      Char*12        Fourth axis type
       VAR%SYSTEM     Char*12        Coordinate system
       VAR%POSI       Integer        Length of position section
       VAR%SOURCE     Char*12        Source name
       VAR%RA         Double         Right Ascension
       VAR%DEC        Double         Declination
       VAR%LII        Double         Galactic longitude
       VAR%BII        Double         Galactic latitude
       VAR%EPOCH      Real           Epoch of coordinates
       VAR%PROJ       Integer        Length of projection section
       VAR%PTYPE      Integer        Projection type (code)
       VAR%A0         Double         first coordinate of projection center
       VAR%D0         Double         second coordinate of projection center
       VAR%ANGLE      Double         position angle of projection
       VAR%X_AXIS     Integer        First projected axis
       VAR%Y_AXIS     Integer        Second projected axis
       VAR%SPEC       Integer        Length of spectroscopy section
       VAR%LINE       Char*12        Line name
       VAR%FREQRES    Double         Frequency resolution
       VAR%FREQOFF    Double         Frequency offset
       VAR%RESTFRE    Double         Rest Frequency
       VAR%VELRES     Real           Velocity resolution
       VAR%VELOFF     Real           Velocity offset
       VAR%F_AXIS     Integer        Frequency/Velocity axis
       VAR%BEAM       Integer        Length of beam section
       VAR%MAJOR      Real           Major axis of beam
       VAR%MINOR      Real           Minor axis of beam
       VAR%PA         Real           Position angle of beam

VAR becomes a dummy variable of type header, which can only be referenced in a further DELETE /VARIABLE  command. VAR can have at most 6 characters. The VAR%item variables are ReadOnly or ReadWrite according to the keyword following the filename, except for the dimension variables (VAR%DIM and VAR%NDIM), which cannot be modified.

Full headers can be copied to one another, using the command  

    LET A% = B%

which copies the header of image B into that of image A (dimensions are not modified, however). Thus a full copy of a GILDAS data file can be obtained within SIC as follows:

    DEFINE IMAGE A Oldfile.gdf READ
    READ DEFINE INTEGER N1 N2 N3 N4 
    LET N1 A%DIM[1] 
    LET N2 A%DIM[2] 
    LET N3 A%DIM[3] 
    LET N4 A%DIM[4] 
    DEFINE IMAGE B[N1,N2,N3,N4] Newfile.gdf REAL 
    LET B A      !  Copy A data into B 
    LET B% A%    ! Copy A header into B header
    DELETE /VARIABLE B ! Deletes the SIC variables, but not the file...

A simpler way to declare new images is to use the size casting provided by the /LIKE option:

    DEFINE IMAGE A Oldfile.gdf READ
    DEFINE IMAGE B Newfile.gdf REAL /LIKE A  ! Define B like A...
    LET B A      !  Copy A data into B 
    LET B% A%    !  Copy A header into B header
    DELETE /VARIABLE B ! Deletes the SIC variables, but not the file...