fv: FITS Viewer and Editor (version 5.4)

fv  is  a  FITS  file  viewer  and editor developed at the High Energy
Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) at NASA/ GSFC

Project Scientist:
   Dr. William D. Pence (William.Pence@nasa.gov)

Project Engineer:
   Pan Chai (Pan.S.Chai@nasa.gov)

To learn of new releases and bug fixes, visit the fv web page at:
http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/ftools/fv

Please  send  your comments, questions or feedback via the ftools help
desk web page at:

http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/ftoolshelp

=========================================================================

Version 5.4 August 2015

New features/Bug fixes since V5.3 include:

 * Bug fixed: Displaying vector columns with ds9 generated a large
   temporary data file.
 * Bug fixed: Error after exiting Hera.
 * Bug fixed: Text dump of vector column was changing NULLs to
   non-zero values.
 * Bug fixed: Retain fv graph preference size.
 * Bug fixed: Adding arithmetic function in expression when plotting
   resulted in seg fault.
 * Bug fixed: fv summary information of primary extension name changed
   after closing header view.
 * Bug fixed: Print preview panel did not resize correctly.
 * Bug fixed: HDU export from fv was not working.
 * Bug fixed: Problems in graph options editing.
 * Bug fixed: Error messages about "missing rootx and rooty" and
   regarding Editing Objects initialization.
 * Bug fixed: WCS projection for vector image column.
 * Bug fixed: Errors when displaying or exporting slices of a data
   cube.
 * Bug fixed: For logical columns of a binary table, display 'U'
   (undefined) for illegal values (anything other than 'T', 'F', or 0)
   rather than interpreting the values as 'F'.
 * Bug fixed: Memory faults when trying to open a FITS file that has a
   binary table with non-zero variable length array columns but has no
   rows.
 * Bug fixed: Extra columns and incorrect row selections in ASCII
   output when saving from a binary table.
 * Bug fixed: Exported text file from vector columns in a binary table
   (was only showing the first element).
 * Bug fixed: Table "Edit Cell" function on x86_64.
 * Bug fixed: Plotting in ds9 was not correctly handling lower case
   column names.
 * Bug fixed: Scripting error in which the existence of a $HOME/.fv
   directory was assumed.
 * Bug fixed: Allow directory paths that contain parentheses.
 * Enhancement: Allow user to specify and store image size.
 * Enhancement: Allow user to increase/decrease font size.
 * Enhancement: New preferences menu for using or ignoring WCS
   keywords when displaying an image.
 * Enhancement: Increased precision in output ASCII file values and
   displayed table cells.

=========================================================================

Version 5.3 July 2009

New features/Bug fixes since V5.2.1 include:

 * Bug fixed: Fix large FITS file crashing and displaying
   summary/header issue.
 * Bug fixed: Fix opening FITS files in read-only mode issue.
 * Bug fixed: Fix scale error on colorbar.
 * Bug fixed: Fix axial label and scale issue for image constructed
   from image table cells.
 * Bug fixed: Fix no plot in pow scope area when displaying/flipping
   contour map (on separate graph.)
 * Bug fixed: Fix grid displaying issue when flipping a plot.
 * Bug fixed: Fix crashing issue when Zoom and then Reset zoom of
   images constructed from an image table.
 * Bug fixed: Fix information missing when displaying movie from a 3-D
   image table.
 * Enhancement: Adding wcsfix routine to handle non-standard WCS
   keywords values in FITS header.

=========================================================================

Version 5.2.1 July 2008

New features/Bug fixes since V5.2 include:

 * Bug fixed: correct FITS Header string to WCSLib overflow 80
   characters limit per card.
 * Enhancement: denote -SIP projection to its counter-part (i.e.
   -TAN-SIP to -TAN projection.)

=========================================================================

Version 5.2 June 2008

New features/Bug fixes since V5.1 include:
 * Bug fixed: file selection panel not been displayed during exiting
   fv/pow application when the FITS file is modified during the
   session.
 * Bug fixed: when editing plot/image information, new title string is
   not been updated in the graph bug.
 * Bug fixed: zoom/unzoom of plot/image cause labels and units of the
   graph disappeared.
 * Bug fixed: fv/pow crashes during rendering of graph/image if the
   FITS file consists of inconsistence coordinates or unsupported
   coordinates system.
 * Bug fixed: un-necessary X and Y labels displayed in POW window (no
   image/plot created yet) when xspec is invoked.
 * Enhancement: allow the selection of columns panel to remain visible
   during plotting.
 * Enhancement: allow renaming capability of created region files when
   running special analysis tools in Hera.

=========================================================================

Version 5.1 December 2007

New features/Bug fixes since V5.0 include:

 * Passing Fits Header string and cnt to client to display wcs info
   correctly for Hera and POWplot operation.
 * Fix zoom in and out bugs on POW image.
 * Support displaying images that straddle the 24h = 00h boundary on
   the sky with WCSLIB.
 * Horizontal scrolling bug of 0 rows table.
 * Release memory when deleting/closing an image in POW (on-going).
 * Fix editing graph parameter values bug.
 * Fix "Duplicate Graph" casuing seg-fault bug.
 * Fix two identical file names from two directories overwrite each
   other in POW bug.
 * Fix image flipping bug with FITS keyword CDn_n.
 * Fix displaying linear WCS projection and coordinates image.
 * Add 2 new icons: Hera and Student Hera during installation for
   Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X.

=========================================================================

Version 5.0 September 2007

New features/Bug fixes since V4.4 include:

 * Overhauling POW world coordination calculation logics. Now fV/POW
   use standard WCSLIB library to generate world coordinates/pixel
   positions.
 * Allow generating of plots that retains its world coordinate
   projection information.
 * Allow limited editing capability on the property of graph objects
   (projection, rotation, etc) of a graph/image on the fly.
 * Allow switching between multiply world coordination system (i.e.
   WCSa, WCSx, etc.) on the fly.
 * Allow the flipping of image/plot of direction on X or Y or Both
   axes.
 * Allow display of 64 bits integers in fv data table and in POW
   imagery.
 * Fix white-wash grey-out POW imagery on Scientific Linux platform
   bug.
 * Fix saving 64 bits integer data to a text file bug.
 * "Run Ftools..." option is no long available. Users are encouraged
   to use the new "fgui" task that is distributed with ftools.
 * "Skyview..." catalog selection is now only available via
   "Catalog..." option.

=========================================================================

Version 4.4 July 2006

New features/Bug fixes since V4.3.1 include:
 * Adding capability to re-order the display of FITS columns.
 * Expand   capability   to   sorting/modification  of  FITS  columns
   parameters.
 * Tracking  parent window view via vector columns in "Expand"ed view.
 * Allow user to specify path for DS9 and XPA in Windows.
 * Fix Windows platform of printing countor map on image problem.
 * Modified  how the rotation angle in region files is interpreted to
   be consistent with DS9 (angle is w.r.t. the North direction in the
   image).

=========================================================================

Version 4.3.1 May 2006

New features/Bug fixes since V4.3 include:
 * Expand capability to run fv with more than 9 parameters.

=========================================================================

Version 4.3 April 2006

New features/Bug fixes since V4.2 include:
 * Add capability to invoke future HERA modules.
 * Add capablity to calculate Flux on region.
 * Add capability to handle "Physical" attribute in region file.
 * Add  capability to center (and resize) of ROI (region of interest)
   when the image is zoomed.
 * Add  capability  to  allow  parameters  editor  to stay until user
   decided to cancel.
 * Fix running FTOOLS tools not copying physical par file problem.
 * Fix sorting Fits table but displaying wrong slice image problem.
 * Fix  rotation of coordinates results in wrong region specification
   problem.
 * Fix plotting of selected rows from FITS table problem.
 * Fix  ploygon  region  handle  placement  and  dragging  mechanisms
   problem.

=========================================================================

Version 4.2 April 2005

New features/Bug fixes since V4.1.4 include:
 * Add X axis range selection utility in POW.
 * Add capablity to display 4D table and image (movie).
 * Add capablity to create/display region on image.
 * Add  XPA  entry  points  for  X  axis  range  selection and region
   display.
 * Fix one dimension plot/image label problem.
 * Update logic for display CAR projection.
 * Rework background backup directory cleanup logics.
 * Fix ploygon creation problem, allow right mouse button to drag the
   existing  vertex,  left  mouse  button  for  creation and move the
   region.
 * Add color changes capability in Edit Region Panel.
 * Change vizier/skyview/catalog file naming scheme.

=========================================================================

Version 4.1.4 September 2004

New features/Bug fixes since V4.1.3 include:
 * Correct background backup directory cleanup process.
 * Add capability to plot to existing graph in DS9.

=========================================================================

Version 4.1.3 July 2004

New features/Bug fixes since V4.1.2 include:
 * Update calculator, calculator expression help files.
 * Add licence.
 * Fix interface to VizieR.
 * Add A4 paper size.
 * Rework print interfac.
 * Fix preview orientation.
 * Fix preview page layout.
 * Add XPA entry points to print/save image on POW.
 * Update profile help files

=========================================================================

Version 4.1.2 May 2004

New features since V4.1.1 include:
 * Adding support for Cartesian projection.
 * Adding record capability for profile of FITS image.
 * Enhanced  capabilities for printing and saving FITS image or plot,
   including the ability to preview the image before printing.
 * A row selection function was added to fv. User can select/deselect
   row(s)  by clicking on the row index in the table with the mouse's
   left  button  (or clicking left button then right button to select
   row  range). Row(s) also can be selected using selection condition
   and expression.
 * fv's  plot,  calculator,  histogram  and  statistics tools now can
   perform on the selected rows.
 * Export  command  can  export  the selected rows and columns from a
   table to fits file or text file.
 * Delete command will now delete the selected rows and cols.

=========================================================================

Version 4.1.1 January 2004

New features since V3.2 include:
 * Enhanced support for ds9 image display
    User can choose to display images or plots using either 
    DS9 or POW as the primary display tool.  
 * Added  more XPA points for controlling fv from external processes,
   including
    create: create an image or table file or extension.
    export: export hdu(s) to a Fits file or a text file.
    opentool: open skyview, catalog, vizier, or ftools dialog panel.
    preference: set up FV preferences.
 * Allow  user  to  reverse  the  functionality of the left and right
   mouse  buttons  within  the  POW  display via pow's [6]preferences
   setting

 default: Left mouse button  - control zoom
          right mouse button - control brightness/contrast

=========================================================================

Version 3.2 October 2002

New features since V3.1 include:
 * New function buttons have been added to the File Summary window to
   provide short cuts to common operations:
    - 'Hist' - displays a histogram image of 1 or 2 columns in a table
    - 'Plot' - plots table columns
    - 'Table All' and 'Table Select'
      - The first button displays all the columns in a table, whereas the
        second button allows the user to select which columns to display.
 * Vectors  or images contained within a single binary table cell may
   be plotted.
 * When  displaying Hierarchical grouping tables, a new 'OPEN' button
   is  available  at  the  beginning of each row which can be used to
   open the corresponding group member file.
 * Can  display and edit images that are compressed with the new FITS
   'Tile Compression' algorithm.

=========================================================================

Version 3.1 July 2002

New features since v3.0 include:
 * Hundreds  of tables available in VizieR can be queried to retrieve
   objects near a given position
 * Column histogram tool can be limited to a specified row range
 * New tool for editing the name, units and display format of columns
 * 'Export  as  text'  options  can  print  row  numbers, and print a
   user-specified character string between each columns value
 * Double  Right-clicking  inside  a pow graph redraws the graph with
   the default 1:1 zoom factor
 * If  an  HDU contains a 1-D image, the 'PLOT' button on the summary
   window  plots  the  pixel  value  vs.  pixel coordinate instead of
   displaying a long, thin image
 * The  Zoom/in  Zoom/out and replot buttons have been moved from the
   POW canvas and up into the menu bar
 * Integer  columns  with the TSCAL and TZERO keywords are treated as
   doubles to prevent data truncation
 * Rows  of  a  vector table, either fixed or variable length, can be
   plotted

=========================================================================

Version 3.0 - November 9, 2000

New features since v2.6 include:

 * Search  online SkyView database for images or objects located in a
   given region of the sky
 * Execute an Ftool from within fv (Unix only)
 * Plot vector columns and subsets of rows
 * Smooth image extensions with a boxcar filter
 * Symlinks to files supported
 * Copy/Paste works in all table views
 * More scripting commands
 * New  image  analysis tools: Ruler (measure distances in an image),
   Profile  (plot a cross-section of an image), Probe (calculate flux
   and centroid data of image region)
 * New DS9 region files supported

=========================================================================

Version 2.6.1 - February 11, 2000

 * Bug fixed in plotting code

=========================================================================

Version 2.6 - February 7, 2000

New features since v2.5 include:

 * Ported to MacOS
 * Improved window management and improved design of some windows
 * Replaced  Options  menu  with  a  Preferences  window which brings
   together and categorizes all of fv's user-controlled options
 * New Auto-Plot preference
 * Can turn off the Desktop Manager
 * Expanded scripting capabilities via XPA mechanism
 * File Selection window shows file sizes and modification dates
 * POW's  information/scope  windows can be positioned on any side of
   the window or turned off altogether
 * New Histogram Equalization color table for images
 * New Text Label handling on graphs
 * Full font control over graph labels
