Configuration and installation instructions

Configuration and installation instructions for the SKTEditor are available at the SKTEditor's web site (http://sscweb.gsfc.nasa.gov/skteditor/).

Additional, on-line help is available from the application's help menu.

Getting started

This section provides a quick introduction to the SKTEditor.  It gives some background knowledge to understand the purpose of this application. This tutorial then takes you through the creation of a simple ISTP compliant file.

Using the SKTEditor to create a simple ISTP compliant file

The easiest way to understand how the SKTEditor works is to use it.  The SKTEditor enables you to edit or construct new ISTP compliant CDF files using a GUI tool.  As a first example you can create a new file with only an epoch variable add a scalar variable.

This will demonstrate how to:

Creating your CDF file

After successfully launching the application, you will see the following

This first page is for information purposes only. It reports on the software components being used and gives a basic description of the file being opened.  As you can see, starting the editor automatically generates the creation of a new file.
 

1. Click on the tabbed panel to select the ISTP Global Attributes

 

Notice that the menu bar has changed  to File, Edit, Tools and Help.

 The  panel is divided into two sections, the required attributes and the recommended attributes.  To insure compliance, you need to fill in a value for each required fields.  The recommended are discretionary.

The editable pull down menus make it convenient to select values in standard cases.


 

2. Start filling in the global attributes values.

If you want to ensure that the global attributes do meet the minimum ISTP standard, select the Tools menu, then the ISTP Compliance Check menu item and finally click on Global Attributes.

A compliance check is performed and the status available on the status bar and the message window.  Both are located at the bottom of the panel.

The Status bar gives a color coded abbreviated form of the status of the current editor operation.  It varies between blue for Ready, Yellow for Warning and Red to indicate an ISTP compliance error.
In this example, with all of the required attributes having been validated, the Status Area remains blue and displays the following message:

To access thet message window, click on the Show Messages button. The following window will open:

If the global attribute entries or lack of, had not been consistent with the ISTP recommended format, it would have been indicated by the status area changing color and text as such:

and the message window would contain information on the attribute(s) to change/add.


 

The next step consists of defining the 
 

3. Click on the tabbed panel to select the Variables panel


Notice that the menu bar has again changed to include Variables. The variable list to the left comprises only one variable, the Epoch variable.  The rest of the

gives  specific informations on each variable.  It comprises the

Selecting Epoch from the variable list will introduce its default global attributes and specifications


 

The Valid Min and Valid Max fields wich are required where added to the panel.


 

Adding a Variable to your CDF file


Epoch is given to you whenever you create a new file.  Let us assume that you now need to define a density scalar variable.

    1. Select  New under the Variables menu

The New Variable Dialog window will be displayed.

2. You need to enter Density in the Name field, select the Data Type to be CDF_REAL4,  check the Record Variance (Time) box, keep the Dimensions field to 0 and select Create:

The Density variable has been added to your CDF file:


 

3.Check for Compliance
There are two ways to check for compliance per variable.

The Check button

or the Variables Menu via the Check menu item

The following status will be displayed:

and the following message:


 

4. Make your file ISTP compliant by adding the missing fields

 
 

Saving your CDF file

1. Select Save As under the File menu:


 

A Save window listing the CDF file in your directory and prompting you for a file name will be dispalyed:


 

2. Enter a name with a cdf extension and click on Save.
Your new ISTP compliant CDF file is now saved and could be edited using the SKTEditor again.
 

Summary

You have gone through the steps of generating an ISTP compliant CDF file, editing it, and saving the resulting file.  Keep in mind that the main purpose of the SKTEditor application is to verify the ISTP compliance of a given CDF file, and help through diagnosis and easy to use GUI interface,  to enforce this compliance.  This application, however, does not limit you when saving your file, and will save any CDF files.
Some variable attribute entries are automatically generated, if missing or incorrect, but will be ignored if the file is not saved.