20010606: Accessing CAMEX-# area files in McIDAS (cont.)

>From: Chris Herbster <address@hidden>
>Organization: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ.
>Keywords: 200102131816.f1DIGsL18220 McIDAS ADDE DSSERVE IMGLIST REDIRECT

Chris,

>Tom (et al.), I have McIDAS 7.7 installed and thought it was working,
>but I'm not sure about the ADDE part.

OK.

>Here is what I get if I try to telnet to the port:
>
>[herbster@thermal ~]$ telnet thermal.db.erau.edu 500
>Trying 155.31.129.19...
>Connected to thermal.db.erau.edu.
>Escape character is '^]'.
>/wxhome/mcidas/bin/mcservsh: setenv: command not found
>/wxhome/mcidas/bin/mcservsh: setenv: command not found
>/wxhome/mcidas/bin/mcservsh: /wxhome/mcidas/.mcenv: line 27: syntax
>error: unexpected end of file

The .mcenv file must be in Bourne/Korn shell syntax.  The message above
indicates that it is in C shell syntax.

>I've attached my mcservsh and .mcenv files if needed.
>As I understand things, "setenv" is a csh command, not sh.
>Any ideas?

You sent the following as the contents of your ~mcidas/.mcenv file:

># C-shell environment variable definitions for the user 'mcidas'
>
># umask
>umask 002
>
># MCHOME and McINST_ROOT
>setenv MCHOME $HOME
>setenv McINST_ROOT $MCHOME
>
># NOTE: conditional definition is only needed for C-shell users
>if ( ! ${?MCPATH} ) then
>  setenv MCDATA $MCHOME/workdata
>  setenv MCPATH ${MCDATA}:$MCHOME/data:$MCHOME/help
>  setenv MCGUI  $MCHOME/bin
>  setenv MCTABLE_READ "${MCDATA}/MCTABLE.TXT;$MCHOME/data/ADDESITE.TXT"
>  setenv MCTABLE_WRITE "$MCHOME/data/ADDESITE.TXT"
>  setenv XCD_disp_file $MCDATA/DECOSTAT.DAT
>  if ( ! ${?PATH} ) then
>    setenv PATH $MCGUI
>  else
>    setenv PATH ${MCGUI}:$PATH
>  endif
>endif
>
># Limit ADDE transfers to compressed ones
>setenv MCCOMPRESS TRUE

This code was designed to be added to the .cshrc file IF the user 'mcidas'
was using the C shell.

The contents of the .mcenv file is described in:

Preparing the mcidas and mcadde accounts
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/mcidas/770/mcx/mcxacct.html

It should look like:

# Bourne/Korn shell '.mcenv' environment variable definitions for the user
# 'mcadde'

# umask
umask 002

# MCHOME
MCHOME=/home/mcidas

# McIDAS environment variables
MCDATA=$MCHOME/workdata
MCPATH=${MCDATA}:$MCHOME/data:$MCHOME/help
MCGUI=$MCHOME/bin
MCTABLE_READ="$MCHOME/mcidas/data/MCTABLE.TXT"
MCTABLE_WRITE="$MCHOME/mcidas/data/MCTABLE.TXT"
PATH=${MCGUI}:...
export MCHOME MCDATA MCPATH MCTABLE_READ MCTABLE_WRITE PATH
cd $MCDATA

The '...' in the PATH line must be fleshed out to match the PATH you
setup for your 'mcidas' user.

>----
>Next problem/issue:
>
>I have the CAMEX images "installed" as described in the message below,
>but I don't know how to actually view/animate them now!  Sorry for the
>Mcidas ignorance here.  I generated a separate entry for IR, VIS and WV
>images, so that we have GEORGES/IR, GEORGES/VIS and GEORGES/WV.
>
>The Group name for the images is "GEORGES", the second in the list
>below.
>
>
>[herbster@thermal ~]$ dataloc.k
>
>Group Name                    Server IP Address
>--------------------         ----------------------------------------
>CIMSS                        <LOCAL-DATA>
>GEORGES                      <LOCAL-DATA>
>GINICOMP                     <LOCAL-DATA>
>GINIEAST                     <LOCAL-DATA>
>GINIWEST                     <LOCAL-DATA>
>MYDATA                       <LOCAL-DATA>
>RTGRIDS                      <LOCAL-DATA>
>RTIMAGES                     SNOW.PLYMOUTH.EDU
>RTNEXRAD                     <LOCAL-DATA>
>RTNIDS                       <LOCAL-DATA>
>RTNOWRAD                     <LOCAL-DATA>
>RTPTSRC                      <LOCAL-DATA>
>RTWXTEXT                     <LOCAL-DATA>
>TOPO                         <LOCAL-DATA>
>WNEXRAD                      <LOCAL-DATA>
>WNOWRAD                      <LOCAL-DATA>
>
><LOCAL-DATA> indicates that data will be accessed from the local data
>directory.
>DATALOC -- done
>
>
>And then I try:
>
>[herbster@thermal ~]$ imglist.k GEORGES/IR.ALL
>Image file directory listing for:GEORGES/IR
> Pos Satellite/         Date       Time      Center   Band(s)
>     sensor                                 Lat  Lon
> --- -------------  ------------  --------  ---- ---- ------------
>   1  G-8 IMG       28 SEP 98271  00:15:00    25   80 4
>   2  G-8 IMG       28 SEP 98271  00:45:00    25   80 4
>   3  G-8 IMG       28 SEP 98271  01:15:00    25   80 4
>   4  G-8 IMG       28 SEP 98271  01:45:00    25   80 4
>   5  G-8 IMG       28 SEP 98271  02:15:00    25   80 4
>
><snip>
>
>  33  G-8 IMG       28 SEP 98271  21:45:00    25   80 4
>  34  G-8 IMG       28 SEP 98271  22:15:00    25   80 4
>  35  G-8 IMG       28 SEP 98271  22:45:00    25   80 4
>  36  G-8 IMG       28 SEP 98271  23:15:00    25   80 4
>  37  G-8 IMG       28 SEP 98271  23:45:00    25   80 4
>imglist.k: done
>[herbster@thermal ~]$ 

OK, this looks good.

>I can view an individual image with IMGDISP, but how do I generate an
>animation?

The online help for any McIDAS command can be listed using the McIDAS
HELP command:

help.k <command name>

for example:

help.k IMGDISP

The only problem you will run into when trying to display a loop of
images from a Unix command line invocation is that the "mini" session
that will be started from the Unix command line will only have one
frame.  It would be better to start your McIDAS session with as many
frames as you will need and look at the loop in it.  I would also
recommend starting the session with larger frames.  The default 480x640
frames really don't do most images justice.

The quickest way to change the number and size of frames that a session
will start with is by editing the ~user/.mcidasrc file.  In this
instance, you appear to be running as the user 'mcidas', so the file
would be ~mcidas/.mcidasrc.  The flag in the file that you want to
modify is the -f flag.  The default sent out in Unidata McIDAS will
be:

-f 17

You will probably want to change this to something like:

-f 17@600x800

The 17 in the above is the number of frames and, hence, the length
of the longest loop you can display); the 600x800 is the size
(lines by elements) of the 17 frames.

>Also, is it possible for these images to show up in the
>McGUI?  (I assume that I could build a function key menu to view them,
>but I'd be quickly getting out of my league with Mcidas!)
>If I can get them that way then we can manipulate them more easily.

The 7.7x version of MCGUI is hardwired to display/manipulate images
received in the Unidata-Wisconsin datastream.  The display is also not
done by ADDE applications.  This is changing in 7.8 where non-ADDE
display of data is basically eliminated.

Unfortunately, the 7.7 version of MCGUI can not be tailored to easily
display your images.  You can, however, run the MCGUI and display the
images from the GUI command mode:

o start a MCGUI session:

  mcidas config

o once the MCGUI session is running, open the GUI console by clicking
  the left mouse button on the keyboard icon at the top of the MCGUI
  window

o load a loop of images using IMGDISP:

  IMGDISP GEORGES/IR ALL=1 10 SF=YES EU=IMAGE REFRESH='EG (GRA);MAP H GRA=(GRA)'

  This will load a loop of 10 images in frames 1 - 10 using the IMAGE
  enhancement.  The graphics in each frame will be erased and then
  a high resolution map will be drawn on top of the image.

o to setup the looping, use the LB and DR commands:

  LB 1 10
  DR 9*3 15

  or whatever you like

Notes:

o the loop can be as long as the number of frames your session was
  started with

o you can control how the images are loaded using the LATLON= or STA=
  keywords.  For instance, if the images are over Florida, and you want
  to load the images centered over Miami, then change the IMGDISP
  invocation above to be:

  IMGDISP GEORGES/IR ALL=1 10 SF=YES EU=IMAGE STA=KMIA REFRESH='EG (GRA);MAP H 
GRA=(GRA)'

o you can blow-up or blow-down the image using the MAG= keyword.  If
  you want to blow-down (zoom out) by a factor of two over Miami, change
  the IMGDISP invocation to:

  IMGDISP GEORGES/IR ALL=1 10 SF=YES EU=IMAGE STA=KMIA MAG=-2 REFRESH='EG 
(GRA);MAP H GRA=(GRA)'

  Blowing up by a factor of two would be done by changing MAG=-2 to
  MAG=2, etc.

>If you need access to the machine (thermal.db.erau.edu), please let me
>know.

I don't need to access the machine, but I have a follow-up question.  The
.mcenv question that started off this discussion is needed if you want to
access the machine remotely.  Your DATALOC output shows that you are
running locally.  Is it your intention to have this machine setup so
that McIDAS sessions running on other machines can access the CAMEX and
other datasets?

>Thanks!!

>PS  After writing the above, I looked at some online docs and was able
>to load 17 frames of images using:
>imgdisp georges/ir.1 1
>imgdisp georges/ir.2 2
>imgdisp georges/ir.3 3
>...
>imgdisp georges/ir.17 17
>
>then I could loop with LS 1-17 ... I even added a map to the loop (I'm
>getting dangerous now!) ....

Excellent.

>I tried to save the loop with defloop, but when I went to reload the
>loop it was full of blank images.
>
>Can I put commands into a file to execute (so my co-horts can run the
>script)?

Yes.  You can put any sequence of McIDAS commands into a McIDAS BATCH
or McBASI file.  These files can then be run easily by users in a couple
of different ways.

>What is the syntax for doing so?

Let's look at an example of creating a McIDAS BATCH file.  You do this
from the Unix shell in one of the directories in the MCPATH of
the user you are logged in as.  Again, in the example above, you are doing
this as the user 'mcidas'.  If other users will be using the BATCH file
you will create (i.e., McIDAS sessions from different accounts), create
the BATCH file in the ~mcidas/data directory.  If all users will be logged
in as 'mcidas' on this machine, crate the file in the ~mcidas/workdata
directory.

Here is a little BATCH file example that can load your VIS, IR, or
WV images.  Create it using your favorite editor from a Unix shell
in one of the directories listed above:

---- snip ------------
REM
REM Name:    CAMEX.BAT
REM
REM Purpose: Very simple BATCH file to load CAMEX VIS, IR, or WV images
REM
REM Notes:   ADDE datasets containing images are assumed to be:
REM
REM          GEORGES/VIS - VIS images
REM          GEORGES/IR  - IR images
REM          GEORGES/WV  - WV images
REM
REM          Default image type to load is VISible
REM
REM History: 20010607 - Written as a simple BATCH file example for ERAU
REM

REM Check for image type to load

SET DESC=%1
IF "%1"=="" SET DESC=VIS
SET EU=IMAGE
IF "#DESC"=="WV" SET EU=H2O

REM Load the image using the appropriate dataset descriptor and enhancement
REM

IMGDISP GEORGES/#DESC ALL=1 10 EU=#EU SF=YES REFRESH='EG (GRA);MAP H GRA=(GRA)'

REM Set the image loop bounds and dwell and turn on looping

LB 1 10
DR 9*3 15
TERM L ON

REM Done
---- snip ------------

Again, this is a _very_ simple BATCH file example.  It could be much more
functional with not much work.  If more involved logical flow control is
needed, the same concepts could be recast as a McBASI script.

Using CAMEX.BAT, the user can run the following from the McIDAS command
line:

BATCH "CAMEX.BAT    <- will load a loop of VIS images
BATCH IR "CAMEX.BAT <- will load a loop of IR images
BATCH WV "CAMEX.BAT <- will load a loop of WV images

Also, the running of a BATCH file can be tied to a function key stroke.
This is done by defining McIDAS string of a special form: KEYFn, KEYAFn,
KEYSFn, and KEYCFn.  For instance, if you want the user to be able to
run the BATCH file to load the VIS image loop by simply pressing function
key F1, you would enter the following on the McIDAS command line:

TE KEYF1 "BATCH VIS {CAMEX.BAT}

Setting function keys F1-F3 to load all three loops could be done by:

TE KEYF1 "BATCH VIS {CAMEX.BAT}
TE KEYF2 "BATCH IR  {CAMEX.BAT}
TE KEYF3 "BATCH WV  {CAMEX.BAT}

Now, all one has to do is press function key F1 to load the VIS loop, F2
to load the IR loop, or F3 to load the WV loop.  McIDAS has to be running
to do this, of course.

>I'd still prefer to have the images viewable via the GUI.

Me too!  One of the goals in the 7.8 version of MCGUI is to allow one
to easily setup ADDE dataset access to whatever datasets one has.  This
should make the job of viewing your CAMEX images a lot easier than the
above.

As a last comment, I want to reiterate that the setting up of ADDE
datasets of images in AREA file format but not using AREA file naming
conventions can be done as:

o create a directory into which the images will be put; for sake of
  argument, let's call this directory /data/CAMEX3

o put the files in the directory just created

o make sure that the files are at least readable by the user 'mcidas'

In McIDAS-X 7.7:

o create an ADDE dataset composed of the images:

  <login as 'mcidas'>
  cd workdata
  dsserve.k ADD CAMEX3/IMAGES AREA DIRFILE=/data/CAMEX3/cmx\*.ara \"CAMEX3 
images from NASA
  imglist.k CAMEX3/IMAGES.ALL

Please let me know if you run into any snags.

Tom