IDP3 Setup

Here is how you get IDP3 on your computer so you can run it.

Get IDP3
The version of IDP3 that corrisponds to this documentation can be downloaded directly from this page: idp3_sirtf.tar.gz. WARNING:This version WILL be updated!Keep checking back for the latest version. This version has been available since 3/10/03.

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You can get the current (released) version of IDP3 from the NICMOS public server. This can be found at idp3.tar.gz

Get Libraries
Needed IDL Libraries:


In order for IDP3 to function properly, you will need several libraries if they are not already on your machine.
ua_lib.tar.gz. This contains UA_FITS_READ.pro and UA_FITS_WRITE.pro.
The IDL Astronomy Library can be found at http://idlastro.gsfc.nasa.gov/homepage.html, or you can download it directly from here: astro_lib.tar.gz.
I could only find the "pro" directory on the idlastro homepage, so you might want to download what I have (astro_lib.tar.gz), then get the latest version from the webpage.

Putting them on Your Computer
Put idp3.tar.gz where ever you would like the idp3 directory to be. Put the libraries either in an idl directory in you home directory, or if you have root access in /usr/local/rsi/idl_5.5/lib. (The version number might be different.) Once in the appropriate directory, unzip and untar all three files.

gunzip idp3.tar.gz
tar -xf idp3.tar
This will create the directory idp3.

gunzip ua_lib.tar.gz
tar -xf ua_lib.tar
This will create the directory ua_lib.

gunzip astro_lib.tar.gz
tar -xf astro_lib.dir.tar
This will create the directory astro_lib.

Setting Paths

  • Be sure to add the proper paths to your .bashrc, .cshrc, etc. file.
    For these examples, I am assuming that IDL is in the general directory /usr/local/rsi/idl_5.5. If you have root access, you can put ua_lib and astro_lib in /lib which is under that. If you do not have root access, you can put them somewhere in your home directory, as long as the path in your .*rc file reflects where they are.
    For these examples, I have put IDP3 in a directory called IDL in my home directory. In other words, its path is: /home/blaylock/IDL/idp3

    Bash

    For bash shell put these lines in your .bashrc file:


    IDL_DIR=/usr/local/rsi/idl_5.5
    IDL_PATH=+$IDL_DIR/lib:+/home/blaylock/IDL/idp3
    IDL_STARTUP=home/blaylock/.startup.pro
    export IDL_PATH IDL_STARTUP

    You will also need to create the IDL start up file ".startup.pro". Put this in your home directory.
    At the very least, it should have the line:
    device, true_color=24, retain=2, decomposed=0

    C-shell

    And for csh put these lines in your .cshrc file:

    set path = (. /home/blaylock/IDL/idp3 /user/local/rsi/idl_5.5/lib)
    setenv IDL_DIR /usr/local/rsi/idl_5.5/
    setenv IDL_STARTUP /home/blaylock/idl_startup.pro
    source /home/blaylock/idl/idl_setup

    "idl_startup" is the same as .startup.pro for the bash shell. It should go in your home directory and contain at least the line:
    device, true_color=24, retain=2, decomposed=0

    "idl_setup" is a file that has all of the aliases and setenvs that go with idl. Having this might be redundant with some of the things put in the .cshrc file. An example of an "idl_setup" file looks like this:

    And you can copy it HERE. Be sure to change the IDL_PATH to fit your machine.

    Note for SUN users!

    If you are using a SUN machine that has 24 bit color, you will also need to tell IDL to only use 8 bits:
    IDL>device, pseudo=8

    Other operating systems don't have to worry about this, it is done automatically.

    Unwanted "Erasing" of Displayed Images

    If the settings on your computer are not set right, then some images in idp3 will be "erased" when another window is passed in front of it. This can be corrected.

    As the root user, go to the directory
    /etc/X11
    Edit the file XF86Config-4 (or XF86Config if you are running RedHat 8).
    Under Section "Device" add the line:
    Option "backingstore"

    Then reboot your computer.

    Odd Color Problems

    I ran into the problem on my laptop while running idl_5.5 where the colors where acting oddly. Turns out that a file wasn't transfered correctly. So if you've tried all of the "standard" fixes like
    IDL> device, true_color=24,retain=2, decomposed=0
    but nothing works, try replacing the following file in:

    /usr/local/rsi/idl_5.5/bin/bin.linux.x86
    mv libidl.so.5.5 libidl.so.5.5.old
    And replace it with libidl.so.5.5. You will have to be root to do this.

    Surfgui

    If you try Plot/Surface Plots/Surf_Play from the ROI Window, and you get an error that says something like, "Could not find modual SURFGUI", then you will need to download the directory "surfgui" and put it somewhere that is in your IDL Path.
    surfgui.tar.gz

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