SACREP.ARC Version 5.0 - The Quick Overview by A.J. Crayon and Dan Ward May 1989 SACREP.EXE is a report generator program that can be used against the SAC50.DBF file. This program is designed as a quick and dirty way to generate observing lists from the SAC50 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. SIX files are included within SACREP.ARC. This file, SACREP.TXT, provides some background and simple instructions. The files SAC1REP.FRM, SAC2REP.FRM and SAC3REP.FRM are report format files. SAC50BLK.DBF is an empty datafile to provide the correct format for converting SAC50 text files into the DBF format needed by SACREP. The main program is SACREP.EXE. SAC 5.0 is distributed with files in an archived status. If you used the INSTALL.BAT program, it unarcs the four data files. For hard disk users, it appended the four data files into a single file - SAC50.TXT. If you do not have a hard disk, you can work with the four individual data files, SAC50B.TXT through SAC50E.TXT. 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. The eighth option will convert the SAC50.TXT file(s) to the DBF file format needed for all the other options. Option zero is an Exit. The first time you use SACREP, the SAC50.TXT file(s) need to be converted to a DBF file format. This is Option 8 from the main menu of SACREP. Once you have converted the data, you could delete the SAC50.TXT files, but you probably want to maintain your original set of ARC files in case you need them in the future. The program uses SAC50 as the database default and would assume that the file is in the same subdirectory as the program. Many users will prefer to customize their database and work with an extract of the full database. (Why include objects that are below your horizon for routine reports?) If you create extracted databases with option 3 or 4, you will need to enter that new filename on the main menu, so SACREP will know where to find the database. The file MUST be in a DBF format to work with the program! If you are using SACREP with floppy disks, include the drive letter when you indicate the filename. 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 note file that came with SAC 5.0 for a list of those abbreviations.) The program is not upper/lower case sensitive. Next, you 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 as dark clouds do not have a magnitude. All other objects have a "normal" catalog magnitude rating. A few objects with unknown magnitudes are listed with 99.9 for their magnitude. You 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 SAC50 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 3 report formats to choose from. Report type 1 has an 80 column format, Format 2 is 128 columns; and Format 3 runs 235 columns. All 3 provide a left margin for putting the reports in a binder. 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. 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 SAC50 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. The distribution copy of SAC 5.0 is sorted by RA and Dec. SACREP takes advantage of this sort for the Coordinate based reports and extracts. Option Six from the main menu will create an index file to provide reports and extracts sorted by Constellations. 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 formats as described in the SAC 5.0 documentation files. 8. Option 8 is used to convert the distribution database text files to the DBF format. If you are using a hard disk, INSTALL.BAT will have converted the four text files into one large file called SAC50.TXT. This option will convert that file to SAC50.DBF. If you using floppy disks, each of the four data text files could be individually converted to a dbf file. SAC50B.TXT to SAC50B.DBF, etc. Be sure to index the converted file(s) with Option 6 prior to use. For More Report Options SACREP will not meet all conceivable needs. If it does not provide what you want, get a good database manager program and use it! We have used dBASE software through several generations of evolution, and are comfortable with it. There are plenty of other good database programs on the market. Most will be able to convert either the SAC50.TXT files or the SAC50.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. As the programmers, we 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! If the user finds a burning need to send someone money for this product, please do NOT send any money to us. This project was a labor of love. Instead, please consider contributing time or money to your local amateur astronomy club. Tell 'em AJ and Danny sent you! We welcome suggestions for improvements, as there are lots of dBASE users with better skills than mine! Should you want to get a copy of the original source code, contact: Dan Ward A.J. Crayon 11817 North 55 Street 13819 North 37th Avenue Scottsdale, AZ 85254 Phoenix, AZ 85023 You can also leave a message for Dan Ward on the AstroForum in CompuServe (id 76117,1725), where he is the Library Manager. Please DO NOT telephone us and get us in trouble with the WIVES and KIDS!!!!!! They think our time at home is supposed to be spent with them - not answering technical questions on the phone! And besides, you might ask questions that we don't know how to answer and thereby make us feel foolish in front of the family! Database Trivia We hereby express my sincere thanks to the entire Saguaro Astronomy Club Database Project team, who gave us advance extracts of SAC50 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 SAC 5.0 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 is hopefully a blend of the best of both. dBASE and dBASE III are 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 15, 1989