E.2 Scheduler Actions

The following buttons are available on the main scheduler page.

New Scan

This button duplicates the currently selected scan and inserts it as the next scan in the schedule, and moving all subsequent scans down by one. The duplicated scan will however have its CalCode reset.

Delete

This button deletes the currently selected scan, and moves all subsequent scans up by one.

Search Cal

This button initiates a search through the ATCA calibrator database for calibrators within 20 degrees of the position of the currently selected scan, with a flux density of more than 125 mJy in the frequency band you have specified. The results of this search are displayed to the right of the scan parameters, and are sorted by distance to the selected scan’s position. Each calibrator returned by this search can be viewed in detail by clicking the button next to the calibrator’s name, and it can be inserted at the currently selected position in the schedule by clicking on the button twice in succession.

Pick Source

Click this button to load in a locally-hosted file containing sources that will be used in the schedule. After clicking on this button, a new frame will appear next to this button allowing the selection of a locally-hosted file with the format:

source_name hh:mm:ss.s dd:mm:ss.s epoch [vel velframe velconv]
...

This file may have any number of sources, with one source listed per line, along with its RA (in hh:mm:ss.s format), Dec (in dd:mm:ss.s format), and coordinate Epoch separated by spaces. The Epoch must be one of those supported by the scheduler; currently these are J2000, B1950, AzEl and Galactic. The velocity of each source can optionally be specified in km/s, along with the velocity frame (one of LSR or Bary), and the velocity convention (one of Radio, Optical or Z).

Click the Submit button to load in this file. After the file is loaded, a Source Selection frame will appear to the right of the Scan Parameters, and each source will be listed, with buttons for each source in the file. Clicking on the button labelled with the source name will insert that source into the schedule at the currently selected scan number, and move all subsequent scans down by one. Clicking the AddAll button will add all the scans to the schedule, in order, at the currently selected scan number, and will move all subsequent scans down by the number of sources in the Source Selection frame. The sources that are added will have the same scan parameters and frequencies that the currently selected source has.

Sched

Selecting this tab will show the schedule editing functions.

Listing

Selecting this tab will generate a time-ordered summary of scans from the current schedule. It is most useful for checking the validity and correctness of the schedule.

The scheduler has three drop-down menus, which are described below.

File

The File menu has the following items.

Open

Opens a pre-existing schedule from the server.

Save

Saves the schedule with the name that it already has. If the schedule does not currently have a name, this action will not work. This action saves the schedule to the server, ready for loading in CAOBS.

SaveAs

Allows the schedule to be saved with a different name than it currently has. If the schedule does not currently have a name, this action is the only way to save it to the server.

Close

Closes the current schedule and resets the interface back to an empty schedule with 1 generic scan and no schedule name.

Edit

The Edit menu has the following items.

Cut

Removes the currently selected scans from their position in the schedule, but keeps it in memory so that they can be inserted elsewhere.

Copy

Copies the currently selected scans into memory so that they can be inserted elsewhere.

Paste

Copies the scan information held in memory from a prior Cut or Copy action back into the schedule, as scans after the currently selected scan. This moves all subsequent scans down by the number of scans that are pasted in. It is not possible to Paste a scan into position 1 in the schedule.

Tools

The Tools menu has the following items.

Advanced View

This menu item will only be present if the scheduler is currently in “Simple View”. Selecting it will make the scheduler display more fields than are strictly required to make a simple schedule.

Simple View

This menu item will only be present if the scheduler is currently in “Advanced View”. Selecting it will make the scheduler display on the fields that are strictly required to make a simple schedule. However, all of the advanced fields will retain their settings irrespective of the scheduler view mode.

Global change

Allows a change in one scan to be duplicated in all other scans. The scan/scans to change should be selected first, followed by the Global change menu item. While the global change mode is activated, it is not possible to change the selected scans. Make as many changes to the scan as is necessary, in any of the Scan Parameters, Freq1 and Freq2 tabs, and then select either the Global Apply button to confirm the changes and duplicate them in all the other scans in the schedule, or the Global Cancel button to keep the changes but do not duplicate them.

The button Global Apply Selected is used to effect the changes only to the scans that were selected before entering global change mode.

The button, Global Apply Matching is used to duplicate the changes only to other scans that initially matched the scan being changed. An example of this is for a schedule that has multiple frequencies in a single IF. Consider a schedule that has scans with IF1 frequencies of 5500, 5700 and 8600 MHz. If a scan with an IF1 frequency of 8600 MHz is changed to 8700 MHz, and the Global Apply button is used, then all scans in the schedule will be changed to have an IF1 frequency of 8700 MHz. However, if the Global Apply Matching button is used, then only scans that have an IF1 frequency of 8600 MHz, like the selected scan, will be changed.

It is also important to note that if nothing changes, then using the Global Apply button will not do anything. For example, if a scan is changed individually from Project=C123 to Project=C124, and this change needs to propagate to all scans, then simply deleting the entry in this scan and replacing it with the same thing while in Global change mode will not work, as it will still appear as though the entry has not changed. Instead, move to another scan where the Project code has not changed before entering Global change mode.

Another important caveat is that even though more than one scan can be selected before entering global change mode, only the parameters of the first selected scan will be displayed in the scheduler fields.

Recalc freq/velo

Goes through the schedule and recomputes all frequency and velocity information present. This is useful to execute when you change the Date field, to ensure that all the zoom mode information is correct.

Load local catalog

Use this menu item to load a catalogue of sources from a local machine into the scheduler, which can then be inserted into the schedule with the Pick Source button.

If the Pick Source button is used before a local catalog is loaded, then a frame allowing a catalog is shown. However, after this catalog is loaded, subsequent selections of the Pick Source button will display only the Source Selection frame. To show the catalog loading frame again, so that a different catalog can be loaded, use the Load local catalog menu item.

Load remote catalog

Use this menu item to load a catalogue of sources from the remote database into the scheduler, which can then be inserted into the schedule with the Pick Source button. These remote catalogues include the VLA and AT calibrator catalogues, among others.

Use new cal database

If this menu item is present, then the Search Cal button will be querying the old calibrator database for calibrator positions and fluxes. Selecting this menu item will make the web scheduler query the new calibrator database whenever the Search Cal button is pressed.

Use old cal database

If this menu item is present, then the Search Cal button will be querying the new calibrator database for calibrator positions and fluxes. Selecting this menu item will make the web scheduler query the old calibrator database whenever the Search Cal button is pressed.