Robot -

a scientific graph plotting and data analysis tool

The program "robot" is available by anonymous ftp from ftp.astro.psu.edu.

Main Features of Robot

Graph plotting in various styles - error bars, histogram, symbols, lines, dashed lines etc. Linear or logarithmic axes.
Data manipulation - arithmetic, functions, Fourier transforms, smoothing, folding, sorting.
Fitting to data using built in functions such as Gaussians, polynomials, Lorentzians, and/or a user defined function.
Annotation of graphs with text in various styles, simple drawing tools.
Interaction with Robot is via pull-down menus, buttons etc. and/or a pseudo command line type interface.
Commands are stored in log files for later play back, editing etc.
Command files can also include basic programming constructs: loops, if tests, user defined variables.
Multi-color plots. Multiple plots per page. Multiple pages.
Output in PostScript format.

Requirements

Robot is XView based (version 3). User interface portions of code are written in 'C'. Data manipulation code is written in Fortran. Hence the public domain f2c package (available by ftp from netlib.att.com ) or a Fortran compiler is required. Alternatively, pre-compiled binaries for LINUX, Sun's and DECstations are also available by anonymous ftp. Robot has also been compiled and run on a DEC alpha with OSF/1. The full distribution (source, documentation etc.) takes up about 2.3Mbytes of disc space and the executable consumes approximately 3.5 Mbytes of RAM or greater (depending on the size of the data files being plotted).

Availability

By anonymous ftp from ftp.astro.psu.edu in the directory pub/astrod. The relevant files are:

robotx-.--.tar.gz        - Full source, plotting library, example scripts,
                          documentation etc. 
                          "-.--" is the version number, e.g. the file
                           may be robotx4.90.tar.gz
robot-beta.tar.gz       - most recent but less tested version of the above.
robot.changes		- history of changes 
RobotManual.ps.gz       - just the documentation.
robot.sun4.gz            - binary built on a SPARCstation (SunOS4.1.3).
robot.solaris.gz         -  binary built on a SPARCstation (Solaris)
                         (This is not a static binary).
robot.dec.Z             - binary built on a DECstation (Ultrix).
robot.linux.gz          - binary built on an IBM PC clone (LINUX).
                          (compressed with gzip)
robot.osf.gz		- binary built on a DEC Alpha (OSF/1) machine
			  N.B. This is not a static binary. Get XView from
ftp.cs.cmu.edu:/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mjchan/pub/xview3.2-alpha-dist.tar.gz or
ftp.sdsc.edu:/pub/ccms/xview

Reference

Corbet, R.H.D., Larkin, C. & Nousek, J.A. Proceedings of "Astronomical Data Analysis and Software Systems", Tucson, November, 1991. ASP Conference Series, 1992, 25, 106. (ISBN 0-937707-44-9)

Robin Corbet                                |  corbet@lheamail.gsfc.nasa.gov
Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics     |  
Code 662                                    |  
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center            |
Greenbelt, MD 20771                         |
USA                                         |