starpkg - convert a StarPlot data set to StarPlot file format

starpkg [ --dataset ] data-set [ --dest destination ]

starpkg --recurse input-dir [ --dest destination ]

On the StarPlot web site are available some packages of data that include both an original data file from NASA, and also a specification file. These packages are referred to as "data sets", from which starconvert(1) can produce a data file in StarPlot format. For ease of use, this should be done via the starpkg shell script.

Assuming that data-set is a valid StarPlot data set (either in tar.gz format or a directory resulting from uncompressing the tar.gz file), the `starpkg --dataset' command converts it to a StarPlot-formatted data file. Note that the `--dataset' flag is optional, and the name of the input data set may be specified without it. In order to be a valid StarPlot data set, a directory or tar.gz file must contain at least a valid specification file whose name ends with `.spec' and a flat text data file named `catalog.dat'.

If the `--dest' option is omitted, the default location of the output file is the first of the directories /usr/share/starplot, $PWD, $HOME in which the user has write permissions. If `--dest' is omitted or destination is a directory, the name of the output file will by default be ${specfilename%.spec}.stars. For instance, a data set containing gliese.3.spec will produce a file named gliese.3.stars.

The `starpkg --recurse' form of the command executes the above action for every StarPlot data set contained in input-dir, placing the resulting StarPlot data files to the directory destination. (If the --dest option is omitted, the default destination directory is chosen as above.) This form of the starpkg command is most useful when a new version of StarPlot has been installed and you wish to regenerate all StarPlot data files from data sets using the new starconvert program.

--dataset, -s

Specify a directory or tar.gz file to use as a StarPlot data set.

--dest, -d

Specify the file or directory in which to output StarPlot-format data files.

--recurse, -r

Specify a directory in which to search for StarPlot data sets.

starplot(1), starconvert(1)

Copyright © 2000-2002 under the GNU GPL by Kevin B. McCarty <kmccarty@princeton.edu>. The StarPlot web page is at www.starplot.org.