On further troubleshooting, if I have a list of 6 files (in test.lis), 
oracdr seems quite happy. If I add a seventh file (or more), I get these 
error messages as the pipeline starts, and the pipeline eventually falls 
over with the error message detailed below:

[buckle@appca pipeline]> oracdr -file test.lis -log xf -nodisplay 
-recsuffix=ADV REDUCE_SCIENCE_NARROWLINE_ADV
Use of uninitialized value $obstype in string eq at 
/star/Perl/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.10.0/Astro/FITS/HdrTrans/ACSIS.pm line 
181, <DATA> line 1368.
Use of uninitialized value in concatenation (.) or string at 
/star/bin/oracdr/lib/perl5/ORAC/Frame/ACSIS.pm line 325, <DATA> line 1368.
Use of uninitialized value in concatenation (.) or string at 
/star/bin/oracdr/lib/perl5/ORAC/Frame/ACSIS.pm line 325, <DATA> line 1368.

So, if test.lis contains 7 or more files, the pipeline falls over, 
although it seems all of these files will reduce quite happily if they 
are listed with only 5 or less other files in the input .lis file. If 
test.lis only contains a list of 6 files, I do not get the error 
messages about uninitialized values.

Cheers,

Jane

Jane Buckle wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I'm trying to reduce a series of 9 files that should all go into a 
> single group using oracdr_acsis. In -batch mode, the groups are 
> pre-defined, and the software decided on the following four groups, 
> for reasons that I am not clear about:
>
> Storing: a20071123_00051_01_0001.sdf
> A new group 20071123#51#1 has been created
> Storing: a20071123_00052_01_0001.sdf
> A new group 20071123#52#1 has been created
> Storing: a20071123_00055_01_0001.sdf
> This observation is part of group 20071123#51#1
> Storing: a20071123_00056_01_0001.sdf
> This observation is part of group 20071123#51#1
> Storing: a20081007_00048_01_0001.sdf
> A new group 20081007#48#1 has been created
> Storing: a20081007_00050_01_0001.sdf
> This observation is part of group 20081007#48#1
> Storing: a20081007_00054_01_0001.sdf
> A new group 20081007#54#1 has been created
> Storing: a20081008_00081_01_0001.sdf
> This observation is part of group 20081007#48#1
> REDUCING: a20071123_00051_01_0001.sdf
>
> I realise that changes to OT software, for example, may force 
> observations from different nights into different groups, but I think 
> that all of the observations from 20071123 should go into the same 
> group - I have checked that they are all the same source/line.
>
> However, there is then a further problem, on the second observation - 
> which is reduced after all of the observations from group 51 are reduced:
>
> REDUCING: a20071123_00052_01_0001.sdf
> Using recipe REDUCE_SCIENCE_NARROWLINE_ADV specified on command-line
> Observing Mode: HARP /  /
>
> Sorting time-series data in time order...
> a20071123_00052_01_0001 to a20071123_00052_01_ts001:
> Sorted time slices in increasing time.
> a20081007_00052_01_0001 to a20081007_00052_01_ts002:
> Sorted time slices in increasing time.
>
> Creating cube.
> #52 Err: Observation type not defined for _GET_MAKECUBE_PARAMS_. Programm
> ing error.#52 Err: Observation type not defined for _GET_MAKECUBE_PARAMS_
> . Programming error. at /star/bin/oracdr/lib/perl5/ORAC/Print.pm line 
> 765.
>
> And oracdr comes to a halt.
>
> If I reduce this file on its own (rather than 2nd in a list of files), 
> it does work:
>
> REDUCING: a20071123_00052_01_0001.sdf
> A new group 20071123#52#1 has been created
> Using recipe REDUCE_SCIENCE_NARROWLINE_ADV specified on command-line
> Observing Mode: HARP / raster / pssw
>
> Sorting time-series data in time order...
> a20071123_00052_01_0001 to a20071123_00052_01_ts001:
> Sorted time slices in increasing time.
> Masked detectors H03,H12,H14.
>
> Creating cube.
> Determining MAKECUBE parameters for RASTER.
> Creating cube from a20071123_00052_01_ts001...done.
> 1 cube formed: a20071123_00052_01_cube001
>
> a20071123_00052_01_ts001 to a20071123_00052_01_em001:
> Trimmed 5% from lower end of frequency range.
> Trimmed 5% from upper end of frequency range.
> Trimmed dimensions on axis 1: [52:973]
>
> etc......
>
> I have carried out this reduction on files that have been processed in 
> order to clean up poor detectors. If I try the same reductions on the 
> raw files, the same things happen.
>
> So,  a) can I force the observations to be part of a single group, so 
> that the iterative reduction processes can be used over the maximum 
> number of files in the group?
> and b) why will a20071123_00052_01_0001.sdf reduce on its own, but not 
> as part of a list of observations?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jane
>
>

-- 

Dr Jane V. Buckle 	
Astrophysics Group, Cavendish Lab, J J Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE
Tel: +44 (0)1223 337298