Graham,
On Mon, 3 Nov 2014, GitHub wrote:
> Branch: refs/heads/master
> Home: https://github.com/Starlink/starlink
> Commit: 0416140bbc8d1c87e7851acefd0365b7c3d43c66
> https://github.com/Starlink/starlink/commit/0416140bbc8d1c87e7851acefd0365b7c3d43c66
> Author: Graham Bell <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 2014-11-03 (Mon, 03 Nov 2014)
>
> Changed paths:
> M applications/gaia/gaia/library/GaiaSampAgent.tcl
>
> Log Message:
> -----------
> gaia: add support for table.load.fits SAMP mtype
>
> Added a new table.load.fits method to the GaiaSampAgent. This
> method is based on the existing image.load.fits and table.load.votable
> methods. The interface of the display_table_ protected method
> has been altered to allow it to be called by GaiaUrlGet: it now takes
> the table ID as the first argument, a type argument has been
> added and it sets $window in cat_windows_ rather than returning
> it.
I don't know whether you have a specific reason for adding
table.load.fits support to Gaia, but you should be aware of
the note attached to table.load.* MTypes at
http://wiki.ivoa.net/twiki/bin/view/IVOA/SampMTypes#table_load:
*Note* that clients are not encouraged to proliferate these
format-specific MTypes. Where possible, it is recommended to use
VOTable for exchange between VO-aware SAMP clients. For general purpose
clients it is appropriate to send and receive only table.load.votable
and not other table.load.* variants. However, where clients need to
exchange tabular data in a particular format, for instance because
both ends of the communication are known to understand the format in
question, or because the data or metadata are likely to be compromised
by conversion to VOTable, use of a different format-specific MType
may be appropriate, on the understanding that such communication may
not be interoperable with generic table-handling SAMP clients.
The reason is that if some clients support receiving table.load.fits,
then probably some clients will just send table.load.fits, and
those which talk votable instead won't be able to receive those
messages etc - standardising on VOTable as the single format for
table exchange wherever possible (which is not to say that VOTable
is the greatest tabular format ever) should increase global
interoperability.
Mark
--
Mark Taylor Astronomical Programmer Physics, Bristol University, UK
[log in to unmask] +44-117-9288776 http://www.star.bris.ac.uk/~mbt/
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