FLAUNCH (April97)             ftools.utils             FLAUNCH (April97)



NAME
    flaunch - FTOOLS launcher, this tool is part of the  new  GUI  tools
    and  allows  the  user to create and control a custom environment in
    which the FTOOLS can be run and all  results  examined  from  within
    the  flaunch  environment.  It is highly customizable and comes with
    detailed on-line help in HTML format. The user  should  execute  the
    command,  "flaunch"  and then chose the "Help" button and select the
    "About Flaunch" option for more detailed information.  The  "Option"
    button  allows  the user to customize the tool's behavior to a great
    extent - for more information about this chose the help provided  on
    the "Menu buttons".
    
    
USAGE
    flaunch  The  user should execute "flaunch" in its standalone manner
    first to read about this  tools  extensive  abilities.   or  flaunch
    taskname  Note  that  supplying  a  "taskname"  causes  a  different 
    default behavior than executing  flaunch  in  its  standalone  mode.
    This  mode  only allows the user to enter the parameters from within
    a parameter window and execute the task.  Flaunch  terminates  after
    the  "Run"  button  is  pushed  when it is run in this mode. This is
    only one tiny part of what  flaunch  is  capable.  The  user  should
    execute  flaunch  within  its  standalone  mode  for a more detailed
    explaination. In general, the standalone mode is the more useful  of
    the  two  modes,  and the "flaunch taskname" special function can be
    disabled from within the tool.  Then  executing  "flaunch  taskname"
    will  put  you  into  standalone  flaunch,  but  will  display  that 
    particular task information. (I tend to prefer this behavior  rather
    than  the  default behavior, but the user can customize the behavior
    and to a certain extent the appearance of this tool from within  the
    "Options" menu.)
    
    
DESCRIPTION
    This  is  a  highly adaptable environment for executing tasks within
    the FTOOL package. It is one of the  new  Graphical  User  Interface
    (GUI)  tools  which allow the user to perform many complex functions
    from within its environment. Detailed on-line help  is  provided  in
    HTML  format  and is accessible from within the tool. This "help" is
    only provided to allow the users to know that "flaunch" exists -  to
    see  a  full  description of its abilities (which are many) and what
    it allows the user to do (too  many  to  go  into  detail  within  a
    limited  text file). The user should execute "flaunch" and chose the
    "Help" button in the upper right-hand corner  of  the  main  flaunch
    window.  Then  the  user  should  select  "About Flaunch". This will
    cause the main Flaunch help window to appear  -  there  is  also  an
    Index  provided  on  the "Help" button and within the "Flaunch" help
    window.
    
    Flaunch can be used to edit multiple task parameter  files  (without
    the  clunky command-line interface which is normally used), and then
    to run these tasks either in the background, or the foreground,  and
    allows  the user to examine the output from any task executing. Note
    that the behavior can be modified from within the "Option" menu,  so
    that the user can customize the behavior to suit his own tastes.
    
    The user can create "custom packages" which contain only those tasks
    which he runs all the time, allowing those to be displayed  separate
    from  other tools. Any task selected has a one-line help description
    displayed, and more detailed help  is  available  by  selecting  the
    "Help"  "About Chosen Task" option. Once the parameter file is being
    displayed the user can get detailed information about each input  by
    simply  selecting the question mark displayed by the task. Note that
    perl-scripts do not have parameter files and those  are  spawned  in
    their  own window, but all output and input to that window is logged
    and all log files can be viewed at any time.
    
    The "task selection" window allows the user to search all  available
    FTOOLS for those that perform a specific function, e.g., *hist* will
    display all TOOLS which have "hist" either  in  their  name,  or  in
    their  one-line  help  file. For more information, please select the
    help page on "Task selection".
    
    The user should spend a few hours getting the  "feel"  of  this  new
    tool.  He  will  find that it increases productivity and the ease of
    use of the FTOOLS. While this is a new tool, its abilities  will  be
    extended in subsequent releases to provide even more functionality.
    
    
PARAMETERS
    
    taskname [string - taskname]
        The   name  of  an  input task to execute - note that by default
        this usage is the most limited of what flaunch can do  and  only
        allows  the user to run ONE tool before Flaunch terminates. This
        behavior is customizable from within the "Options" menu.
    
    
EXAMPLES
    1. flaunch
    2. flaunch taskname
    
    
NOTES:
            The user must execute "flaunch" in its standalone mode first
    to  set various options if the defaults are not acceptable. Also the
    on-line HTML help should be consulted for more detailed  information
    on how to perform various functions.
    
    
    
KNOWN PROBLEMS:
    None.  Although  more  flexibility  will  be  added  in  the future,
    allowing greater error checking of user input so that the tool  will
    attempt to catch user error before attempting to execute a task.
    
    
    Version FLAUNCH 1.0
        
    
    Please report problems via http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/ftoolshelp.
    Provide a detailed  description  of  the problem, and an e-mail address
    at which you can be reached if  further  information  is  required.
    Before reporting a bug please check the extensive on-line help.
    
    
SEE ALSO