[AstroPy] Design document for the AstroAsciiData library is online

[W.T. Bridgman]

I've been hacking custom readers for most of the ASCII data files I 
process with Python so this has appeal.  IDL did not have the best 
functionality for reading these types of files, especially when the 
number of lines was unknown.

A format that I've used often are the ASCII data tables formerly kept 
at http://adc.gsfc.nasa.gov but which can now be retrieved via 
http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cats/Cats.htx.
A reader for these files would readily fit into the AsciiData model.

These data files also have a fairly standard README with info on the 
file format.  I wonder if the table browser actually parses the README 
to build the web interface on-the-fly.  This might also be a useful 
method in AsciiData for building the column metadata, or perhaps as a 
subclass of AsciiData.

Tom

On Feb 25, 2005, at 10:17 AM, Martin Kuemmel wrote:

>
> In collaboration with Jonas Haase the work on the
> AstroAsciiData  library has started. We put a design document
> on the astrolib wiki. The content of this documents descibes
> which kind of ASCII tables could/should be handled,
> describes a possible object structure and gives some
> examples of user applications.
> Any feedback, comments or suggestions are welcome.
>
> http://www.scipy.org/wikis/topical_software/AstroAsciiData
>
> Martin Kuemmel
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> AstroPy at scipy.net
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>
>
--
Dr. William T."Tom" Bridgman               Scientific Visualization 
Studio
Global Science & Technology, Inc.          NASA/Goddard Space Flight 
Center
Email: William.T.Bridgman.1 at gsfc.nasa.gov  Code 610.3
Phone: 301-286-1346                        Greenbelt, MD 20771
FAX:   301-286-1634                        http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/