SACREP Version 6.0 - The Quick Overview by A.J. Crayon and Dan Ward May 24, 1993 SACREP.EXE is a report generator program that can be used against the SAC60.DBF file. This program is designed as a quick way to generate observing lists from the SAC60 database for those who are not conversant with database programs. It can also be used to extract smaller files for use with database managers, word processing programs, text editors or even spreadsheet programs. Version 6.0 replaces all earlier versions. Nine files are included within SACREP.ZIP. This file, SACREP.TXT, provides some background and simple instructions. The files SAC1REP.FRM, SAC2REP.FRM, SAC3REP.FRM, SAC4REP.FRM and SAC5REP.FRM are report format files. SACBLK.DBF is an empty datafile to provide the correct format for converting SAC60 text files into the DBF format needed by SACREP. The SACPARMS.DBF file is a parameter file telling the program where to find the data files. The main program is SACREP.EXE. SAC 6.0 is distributed with files in a ZIPed status. If you used the INSTALL.BAT program, it unZips the SAC60B through SAC60E into 24 separate ASCII files named SAC60-00.ASC through SAC60-23.ASC, which correspond to hours of right ascension. The Main Menu Execute the program by entering SACREP. This will bring up the main menu, which has nine menu options. The first option produces reports based on Constellations. The second option generates reports based on a range of coordinates. Option three creates a database extract for a Constellation. Option four creates a database extract based on Coordinates. Option five will append previously extracted small data files into a larger file. The sixth option will create or update the constellation index file for the database. Option Seven will display the database entry for a single option. Option Eight updates the program parameters. Option Nine will convert the SAC60.TXT file to the DBF file format needed for all the other options. Option zero is an Exit. If you have never used SACREP before, the first time you use SACREP, the SAC60 data files need to be converted to a DBF file. This is Option 9 9 from the main menu of SACREP. Once you have converted the data, you could delete the SAC60-??.ASC files, but you probably want to maintain your original set of ZIP files in case you need them in the future. The program is shipped with SAC60.DBF as the database default and assumes that the files are in a subdirectory called C:\SAC60. If you have already installed an earlier version of SACREP, double check menu option 8 to see if your path and database filename are correct. Producing Reports 1. To run an observing list based on a Constellation, the user is prompted to enter the standard three letter abbreviation for the desired constellation. (See the SACDOC.TXT FILE for a list of those abbreviations.) The program is not upper/lower case sensitive. Next, enter a range of magnitudes for brightest magnitude, then dimmest magnitude. The programs expect a range from -1 to 99.9 magnitude. (Some objects do not have magnitudes - dark nebulae. These are listed in the database with a value of 79.9. All other objects have a "normal" catalog magnitude rating. A few objects with unknown magnitudes are listed with 99.9 for their magnitude. Next, indicate whether to route the report to a disk file (d) or a printer (p), with the printer as a default. The disk file will be an ASCII file complete with page headings, etc. The next choice is to choose a particular type of object for the observing list, such as GALXY for galaxies, DRKNB for Dark Nebula, etc. See the SAC60 note file for the full list of abbreviations. The default option, ALL__ will provide a complete listing of all object types that meet the other selection criteria. There are 5 report formats to choose from. Report type 1 has an 80 column format, Format 2 is 128 columns; format 3 runs 160 columns, format 4 needs 185 and format 5 runs 245 columns. The first three contain only some of the database fields, while the last three options contain all of the database fields. Except for forms 1 and 5, the reports may fold the longest fields. The program pauses for a printer check. To keep it simple, I did not create a printer table, so you need to make sure that the printer is already set for the desired typefont. If you send the report to a disk file, a filename must be entered. If no file extension is provided, the program will automatically append the extension of '.txt'. The filename should not be one that is currently in use. The last choice is to hit enter to process the report or enter 0 to return to the main menu. 2. Main Menu Option Two provides reports on a range of coordinates, object types and magnitudes. The program expects whole numbers between 0 and 24, for right ascension. It expects whole numbers between -90 and 90 inclusive for declination. The other choices follow the same format as described for the Constellation report option. Be sure to enter your desired ranges, as the default values will give you everything! 3. & 4. Database extracts allow you to extract all of the database information fields, based on the same type of selection criteria used by the two report generator options. If the database is used by someone who never observes objects fainter than 13th magnitude, and never lower than -40 degrees declination, those criteria could be used to create a much smaller version of the SAC60 database. That database would then be much faster than using the full blown version. The Database extracts for Coordinates uses the same selection criteria as the Coordinate report generators - except the output goes to a file whose name you must supply. The text file version has all fields delimited with double quotes and separated by commas. This type of file can be read by most database programs and can be imported into most spreadsheet software. The DBF extract file version, is in a standard dBASE file format. 5. Main Menu Option Five can be used to append files with the same format into the other DBF files. This is an easy way to create a variety of smaller observing databases. For example, the user could create individual constellation extracts, then append each file to have a new combined database such as seasonal databases based on the available constellations. We have two warnings. FIRST, the program will append one file to another. So if you create a database based on coordinates, then append a constellation extract of an constellation within those same coordinates, you would now have duplicates of some objects. SECOND, if you plan to use the extracts to run reports, be sure to run the INDEXING option, described below. 6. Option Six from the main menu will creates index files to provide reports and extracts sorted by Constellations, RA, Object name or the othernames fields. If you decide to use database extracts instead of the main database, you will need to index those new databases with this option. 7. Main Menu Option 7 will provide a listing of the data for a particular object. You can enter the Name or Other Name of an object. For example, NGC 1068 is also known as M 77. Be sure to use the name format as used in the SACDOC.TXT documentation file. This program is looking for an exact match. "BERK58" will not locate "Berk 58." Upper/lower case does not matter, but spacing is critical. The Messier Objects were loaded into the Other name field as five characters. M 101 is an 'M' followed by a blank space, then '101' M 33 is an 'M' followed by two blank spaces, then '33' and M 1 is an 'M' followed by three blank spaces followed by '1'. This maintains the ASCII sort order. You can continue to browse forward in the database from any point by entering an F, move backwards in the database by entering a B, or use Q to return to the main menu. This browse forward and backwards makes it easy to scan through a catalog. For example, you can scan through the entire Messier catalog by searching on "M" or "M 1" and going Forward. 8. From the Main Menu, option 8 will allow you to modify the program parameters. Entering an 8 takes you to a screen showing your current program settings. The first choice displays your current drive:\path. Enter the new drive:\path if needed; or hit enter to leave it alone. The next line shows the current database filename. Enter a new name, if needed, or hit enter to leave it as it is. The last line prompts you for the display options. There are two color and one black and white alternative. As this program only displays text, there are no special graphics considerations. 9. Option 9 is used to convert the distribution database text files to the DBF format. If you are using a hard disk, INSTALL.BAT will have extracted the four text files into 24 data files, SAC60-00 through SAC60-23. Option 9 checks your parameters, converts the ASCII files to SAC60.DBF and then indexes it. How Do I Stop It? If you happen to hit the wrong key and start a report you do not want, you can cancel out an in-progress action by holding down the ALT key and hitting the letter C. Alt-C is the standard cancel processing command for Clipper compiled programs. If you are cancelling a printer report, this would not clear anything you may have already sent into a printer buffer or spooler. Obviously, you can also power down your computer to stop a process, but Alt-C is cleaner. For More Report Options SACREP will NOT meet all conceivable needs. There are many good database programs on the market. Most will be able to use or convert the SAC60-?? files or the SAC60.DBF files to a format they can use. IF You Just HAVE to Know More The SACREP programs were written in dBASE III plus, and compiled using Clipper. SACREP.EXE is hereby placed in the Public Domain and may be freely distributed as is, provided no fees are charged. However, it must be distributed with all files intact. The programmers assume NO responsibility or liability for the program's use or misuse. It is offered solely as a goodwill gesture to help support those whose astronomical skills exceed their computer programming skills! You can leave a message for Dan Ward on the AstroForum in CompuServe (id 72040,3357), where he usually checks in at least once a week. Database Trivia We hereby express my sincere thanks to the entire Saguaro Astronomy Club Database Project team, who gave us advance extracts of SAC60 to help develop this program. Their dedicated efforts have provided astronomers with a fantastic observing database! Our limited efforts to prepare this report generator program and install program are a mere drop in the bucket, when compared with their work! Nearly all of the original SAC Deep Sky database team members belong to the Saguaro Astronomy Club (SAC) in the Metro Phoenix area of Arizona, hence the name of the database. (A Saguaro is the large variety of cactus often seen in Western movies and quite common around Phoenix. Saguaros are massive plants with large upturned arms, and are only found in Arizona and Mexico.) A.J. Crayon wrote SPROGS, a series of dBASE programs for the original release of SAC 4.0. Dan Ward wrote SACREP 4.0. which was also released with SAC 4.0. We combined forces to create SACREP 5.0, which was a blend of the best of both. We fixed a minor upper/lower case problem with SACREP 5.1. SACREP 5.2a fixed a minor glitch by updating a filename in the new version. SACREP 5.2b was used as a test version by Dan Ward to figure out why some of the things that worked so well in dBASE did not translate into his Clipper version. Version 5.2c was a rewrite of version 5.2 and added faster report generation, the addition of a separate parameters screen, more formats for the printout reports, and improved individual object searches. Version 6.0 is an update for the revision of the SAC deepsky database. It also converts the Othernames and Object indexes to upper case so option 7 is no longer case sensitive. Due to changes in some field sizes, the elimination of one field and the addition of a new field, SACREP 6.0 is not compatible with earlier versions of the database. dBASE and dBASE III+ were registered trademarks of ASHTON-TATE. CLIPPER is a registered trademark of Nantucket Corporation. We hereby recognize their ownership to said terms throughout this document, and also respectfully kowtow in their directions for making our lives easier via the introduction of those stated products! A.J. Crayon and Dan Ward - May 24, 1993