PerlObs 0.02

PerlObs is a data entry tool written in Perl for Linux, UNIX, and Mac OS X systems. It uses a simple command-line interface to get information about your observation and then outputs the data to a text file in the official AAVSO format.

For more information visit the readme.txt file.

AAVSO Software User Agreement

PerlObs Readme

 PerlObs 0.02 (9/19/2002)
 ------------
  - Added JD code from Gordon E. Sarty (gordon.sarty (at) usask.ca) - SGE
    This means you don't need the Astro:Time module anymore.


 PerlObs 0.01 (4/20/2001)
 ------------ 

 PerlObs is a data entry tool for observers of variable stars who wish
to submit their observations to the American Association of Variable
Star Observers (AAVSO). It prompts you for info on your observations
and then writes it to a text file in the official AAVSO format.
 It is a very simple program written in Perl and is provided as-is. 
THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES NOR GUARANTEES. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

 The author of this program is not a programmer and only knows
a semblance of Perl. The coding techniques may drive pros insane. 
If you would like to improve on this program please feel free to 
do so. Our only request is that you send us diffs of the changes 
you made so we can apply them to our copies. Due credit will 
always be given in the headers, not to mention the warm and fuzzy 
feeling you will get. 

 Contact us at aaronp@aavso.org and/or visit our web site at
http://www.aavso.org . Updated versions of PerlObs will be posted
to http://www.aavso.org/cdata/software.stm .

 This is an informal software release of the AAVSO. We do not promise
to keep it maintained. Originally this script was written for the author
only. He found it useful enough that he decided to clean it a bit and 
distribute it. However, we will do our best to keep it updated.


 Requirements
 ------------
 - Perl 
 - Astro::Time module if you want automatic JD conversion (optional)


 Files
 -----
 - perlobs.pl : main program/script
 - starcensus : AAVSO validation file queried by perlobs.pl
 - readme.txt : this file
 - officialformat.txt : info on the official AAVSO format for submitting observations


 Installation
 ------------
 - Make the script executable (chmod 755 perlobs.pl)
 - Edit perlobs.pl
   + replace "TST" with your observer initials
   + replace /usr/bin/perl with the path to perl on your system if different ("where/whereis/which perl")

 That's it! 
 If you want JD conversion then you need the Astro::Time module. I highly recommend this.
         - Astro::Time module:
          + Download Astro module from http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&query=Astro%3A%3ATime
          + tar xvfz Astro-0.5.tar.gz
          + cd Astro 0-5
          + perl Makefile.pl
          + make test
          + make
          + make install (as root)
          + Be nice and send a word of thanks to the module author phillips@jive.nl :)



 Executing
 ---------
 - ./perlobs.pl
 - Send data to the AAVSO:
   + Email: Send the output file to observations@aavso.org with the text file in the
            BODY of the e-mail. The observations will be checked by an automated system and a response
            e-mailed back to you within minutes.
   + Web Browser Upload:  http://www.aavso.org/cdata/upload.shtml  
 - Every so often get a new version of starcensus at http://www.aavso.org/validation.stm


 Configuration
 -------------
 This is Perl so is pretty straightforward. The $outputfile is the text file you will want to 
e-mail to the AAVSO. It is appended to after each observation that you run. Go to town on the 
code if you are comfortable with Perl.
 Some use of color is used by the program. In the &colors subroutine you will find all the 
choices you can use. You can remove all color by simply deleting the variable.
 If you choose not to use the Astro::Time module then you will need to uncomment(#) this line:
 use Astro::Time;
 ...and be sure to always put the JD in when asked.


 Notes
 -----
 Only a tiny bit of error checking is done here. This is not meant to be a full featured 
program like our others. If you want to add more error checking please feel free to do so
and please share the code with others.
 Information on the official AAVSO format was included in this package as "officialformat.txt" 
and is also available at: http://www.aavso.org/cdata/official.stm 

 Other AAVSO data entry programs available at http://www.aavso.org/cdata/software.stm :
 - KSOLO: MS-DOS data entry
 - PC Obs: Windows data entry program in Visual Basic. Also converts to and from VS-NET format.
 - WebObs: Online data entry using your web browser
 - Obsrep: AAVSO & BAAVS data entry spreadsheets for Lotus & Excel.

 We are working on plans for a Macintosh GUI client that works under OS 9.1 and older. If you
know of any Macintosh programmers please let us know. We are a nonprofit and so cannot pay but 
will offer a small grant for a fully featured program.
 Linux & UNIX users may know of Xephem, a truly excellent astronomy tool. The AAVSO provides
built-in light curve support in Xephem. More info is available at http://www.aavso.org/xephem/

 To Do/Help Wanted
 -----------------
 - Internal JD code so we dont need to require install of Astro::Time
 - Ability to load last JD as default text in the  of the date section
 - GTK or some other GUI interface
 - "strict"ify the code

 Tested Platforms
 ----------------

  - RedHat Linux 6.2 w/Perl 5.005_03 
  - RedHat Linux 7.0 w/Perl 5.6.0
  - SunOS 5.8 w/Perl 5.005_03
  - MacOS X 10.0.1 w/Perl 5.6.0 (developer's kit must be installed to use Astro::Time)
  
 Please e-mail us if you are using a different version of Perl and it works.


 One last time just to be safe: NO WARRANTIES, NO GUARANTEES. :)






PerlObs 0.01 Readme  aaronp@aavso.org  Apr 18, 2001