To invoke WINGSPAN, you should first edit a copy of the file wing.pro. There are several machine-dependent lines to change at the top of this code, as well as some options. Copy the file wing.pro to your area and edit as needed. You may then enter IDL and type @wing. This compiles the WINGSPAN software and initiates the program. The banner shown in Figure 1 will be displayed during the compilation of the IDL subroutines.
Figure 1:
WINGSPAN Startup Banner
After the compilation, WINGSPAN will respond with its main menu. The selection portion of the main menu is shown in Figure 2. There are also two drawing areas that display the event time history and count spectrum. This portion of the main menu is shown in Figure 3.
Figure 2:
WINGSPAN Main Selection Menu
Figure 3:
WINGSPAN Main Drawing Area
The main menu and some of the subsequent menus have a box labeled STATUS which will sometimes display messages that inform you of the current state of the program.
You must now supply the FITS formatted data. A box will appear that allows you to select FITS files in the directory tree specified by the path you have set in wing.pro (default is the current directory). You may select your data file, or CANCEL to make changes to the FITS file filter, or to turn off Auto Read Lookup (see below). The main menu initially will contain the file filter `*.fits' (or your custom filter added in wing.pro) in the FITS Filename box. This filter should usually be sufficient, but you may enter another filter if desired (wildcard = *), or a complete filename. If you enter the default filter, or enter another, a box will appear enabling you to choose any files matching the filter in the current directory tree. There is a default FITS file that can be used for testing purposes. The initial selection in the file box is the default file wingspan/idl_source/her_herb_143_6.fits, which can be read by selecting the Ok button. The file selection box is shown in Figure 4.
A short tutorial session based upon this file is presented in Section 4. All data files are stored in WINGSPAN as lowercase.
When you enter the name of the FITS file, WINGSPAN will read your file, initialize its plotting functions, and display the Ready prompt in the STATUS box. You are now free to choose any of the menu items in the main menu (see Figure 2). The selections are described below.
Several entries activate other windows. You may click in the appropriate window to select Burst History or Burst Spectrum instead of using the buttons. The QUIT entry terminates WINGSPAN and leaves control at the IDL level. You can then examine the variables within IDL or leave IDL by entering `exit' at the prompt.
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