Quick guide to ArcVIEW Fits Headers

All the FITS headers on ArcVIEW-generated images must be described on a header file template. This template specifies the order, names, comments and where to get the values (or the actual values if they are fixed ones). If using  multiple extensions fits file images, then it can be described a diferent set of keywords for each extension (if desired).

ArcVIEW reads the template file, and at the moment of generating the image it will add the specified keywords, taking the current values of the variables from the specified source.

symbols used on this document
< >: denotes a requiered field
[   ]: denotes an optional field
 

Header file template

The header template is just a list of ascii lines, where each entry corresponds to a keyword:

KEYNAME1='<expresion>' /[comment]

expresion    : corresponds to the source where to get the value, or the value itself. Possible values are:
                              database             : Get the value from the internal ArcVIEW database. This is the most usual source
                              datatype <value>: Will take "value" and will add it according to the datatype specified. If not datatype specified, it will assume "STRING". Datatypes
                                                            can be: U32 (ULONG), U16 (UINT), U8 (BYTE), I32 (LONG), I16 (INT), I8 (SHORT), FLOAT, DOUBLE, STR (STRING),
                                                            where U: unsigned, I: signed. FLOAT is 32 bits, DOUBLE is 64 bits.
                              file <path>          : Get the specified file and append it to the headers.See the explanation below
comment
 

     : the comment that will appear on the correspondent keyword

An example of header file template is:

OBJECT       ='database          ' /object title
SOFTVER    ='database          ' /software version
HDR_REV   ='database          ' /header revision
OBSERVER='database          ' /observer
UTSHUT      ='database          ' /UT shutter open
EXPTIME    ='database          ' /exposure time (secs)
NAMPSYX   ='database          ' /number of amplifiers in y x
CCDSUM     ='database          ' /binning in x y
GEOMETRY='database          ' /FPA geometry
TCSINFO     ='database          ' /info from the TCS
FILTINFO   ='database          ' /filter position/ID
COMMENT ='database          ' /any comment
CCDTEMP   = 'FLOAT 112.5 ' /celcious degrees
ANYKEY      = 'any comment'    / if  no datatype  specified, it will be added as string.
FILEINFO   ='file <expresion>'    /appended file header                /*see explanation on this field below*/
 

The Keyword names that appear on the header template must be valid ones (listed at the end of the document) in order to be recognized by the database. In other words, if you want the time in which the shutter was opened you MUST add a "UTSHUT" entry; however, if you want it to appear with a diferent  name on the headers, you can specify a diferent name in this way:

OBSTIME@UTSHUT = 'database    ' /any comment you want

This format is saying: "write OBSTIME instead of  UTSHUT for the time when the shutter was opened".
Any value available on the database can be written to the headers; a complete list of the currently  available database variables is given in the "DBS Keywords document"; note, however, that the list may be expanded, as requiered, at any time.
 

Special Keywords

FILEINFO
sintax: FILEINFO = 'file <expesion>'    /[comment]
Specifies a file or a set of files with extra information to be added to the headers. The value of <expresion> can correspond to an specific file or to multiples ones using wildcats. The filepath  must be absolute . Examples are:

a) FILEINFO = 'file /home/ArcVIEW/ConfigFiles/weather.hdr'
     FILEINFO = 'file /home/ArcVIEW/ConfigFiles/temperatures.hdr'

In this case the content of both files will be added to the headers. The specified files must follow the   rules mentioned above for file templates (even when this files are expected to normally have only fixed values updated by an external application)

b) FILEINFO = 'file /home/ArcVIEW/ConfigFiles/*.hdr'

In this all the files with an "hdr" extensions will be read an added to the headers
 

TCSINFO
The Keyword noted as "TCSINFO" it is only saying "add the info coming from the TCS, whatever that info may be".
All the information coming from the TCS can be  added to the headers; however, this info is usually customized by editing an Info template file for the specific TCS in use. See the TCS info header file template document.
Some  usual TCS keywords are DATE, TIME,  RA, DEC, FOCUS, AIRMASS, etc
 

GEOMETRY
The Keyword "GEOMETRY" it is  saying "add the keywords which describes the geometry of the array". Currently the only set of keywords provided is an iraf-like one.  In the future there will be more modules for making specific or customized descriptions. A complete description of these keywords exists on the "NOAO-Mosaic Geometry keywords" document
 

UTSHUT
The UTSHUT keyword is provided by ArcVIEW, and it is computed at the moment in which the controller opened started the exposure. Since the TCS normally returns its own observation time, the headers usually have two  time keywords (or three if the fits file creation time is added). The  diference between these two times will  depend on the communication delay between the camera software and the TCS.
UTSHUT has the following format: YYYY-mm-ddTHH:MM:SS.msmsms
where
YYYY      : four digits year
mm           : two digits 01-12 month
dd             : two digits 01-31 day
T               : standard date-time separator
HH           : two digits 00-23 hour
MM         : two digit 00-59 minutes
SS            : two digits 00-59 seconds
msmsms  : three digits 000-999  milliseconds

The value should have a precision of about 2 ms relative to the local host time  (which is synchronized, through an NTP daemon, with the GPS clock).
 

Multiextension Images
If a multiextension fits format is used, then it is possible to specify a diferent set of keyword for each extension, using the following convention:

[<expresion1>]
Keywords
....
[<expresion2>]
Keywords2
.....

where expresion can be:

number                  : extension number                                                    /*add to extension number all the keywords specified untill the next [ ] expresion*/
number1-number2: from extension number1 to extension number2       /*add the next keywords to all extension between number1 and number2*/
number1-*            : from extension number1 to the end                        /*add the next keywords to all the extensions from number1 (inclusive) to the end*/
*                            : all the extensions

If no <expresion> (neither brackets) is given,  the specified  set of keywords  will be added to all the extensions of the image.