modsTools Release Notes

2013 Apr 11 - Version 1.3p1 - minor bug patch release

  mms2obs - v1.0.2 [2013-04-11] - "bug" patch

  This version of mms2obs permits the technically disallowed case
  where guide star and target declinations omit the + sign for
  northern declinations.  The previous version would incorrectly
  extract the dec if the + sign was omitted and not detect that it had
  converted it into a nonsense sexagesmial format.

  Note that this would also affect modsView (and luciView), so new
  versions of those programs are also being rolled out.


2013 Jan 20 - Verison 1.3 - update release

  mkMODSAcq - v1.0.1 [2013-01-10] - modsView compatibility

  This version slightly modifies how it behaves when you do not
  specify a guide star.  The output .acq file now has the
  placeholders for GUINAME and GUICOORDS as comments, and the
  script asks you to select a guide star using modsView --find.

  This makes .acq scripts without guide stars that will not cause
  modsView to abort with syntax errors if using modsView to select
  the guide star with --find.


2012 Sept 25 - Version 1.2 - update release

  mms2obs     v1.0.1 [2012-09-25]

  Version of mms2obs that includes creation of a .cal script to acquire
  flats and comparison lamp spectra for a mask.  This .cal script is a
  merged version of the flats/comps scripts from year 1 of science ops.

  All other scripts are unchanged.  

  The script manual has been updated and posted to the MODS webpage to
  include information about the .cal script created.


2011 Dec 10 - Version 1.1 - update release

  modsProject v0.1.3 [2011-08-01]
  mkMODSAcq   v0.3.1 [2011-12-09]
  mkMODSObs   v0.6.1 [2011-10-14]
  mms2obs     v0.6.1 [2011-12-09]
  mkMODSImg   v0.2.1 [2011-12-09]

  Updates and additions based on the first round of science observing 
  with MODS at the start of Semester 2011B.

  Added option to change the AGw guide filter for mkMODSAcq and
  mms2obs, with Clear as the default if unspecified.

  The command "POSANGLE x" is now an alias for "ROTATOR x POSITION".
  This was derived from a request from LUCI users, and recognizes
  that "ROTATOR x PARALLACTIC" is never used in an observing context
  since we cannot guide at a fixed (relative to the telescope body)
  rotator position - the rotator must always be tracking at a celestial
  rate ("POSITION" mode) for normal observing.  The full ROTATOR 
  syntax is available for specialized setup scripts.

  New tool, mkMODSImg, to create imaging scripts, a hybrid of an
  acq and obs script since no target alignment step is required, so
  it points the telescope and then, after wait for WFS convergence,
  executes science imaging.  Based on prototype scripts created and
  tested by Rebecca Stoll [OSU] during the Sept 2011 science run.


2011 Aug 4 - Version 1.0 - first public release

  modsProject v0.1.3 [2011-08-01]
  mkMODSAcq v0.2.4 [2011-08-03]
  mkMODSObs v0.5.0 [2011-05-29]
  mms2obs v0.4.2 [2011-05-23]

  Scripts tested during MODS1 Commissioning and used to
  generate all of the observing scripts for the May science
  verification program.  All of those scripts the weather let
  us run worked without problems.  Notes taken during the
  May SV run were used to create the first public release.

  Documentation was written, including full instructions
  and example scripts as part of the general MODS Observing
  Scripts document.

  Tested on Mac OS/X (Snow Leopard), Linux FC3,
  CentOS 5.3, and RHE 9.x.  All run the same, and
  produce the same output.

  Build the modsTools website.