This section describes the messages which TOPCAT can transmit to other
tools which understand the SAMP protocol, and how to cause them
to be sent.
In most cases you can choose two ways to transmit a message
from TOPCAT:
Below is a list of places you can cause TOPCAT to transmit messages.
The SAMP MTypes message IDs
are listed along with the descriptions;
unless you are a tool developer you can probably ignore these.
- Transmit Table
- The Control Window's
Interop menu provides
Broadcast Table and Send Table
options which cause the currently selected table to be transmitted
to other listening applications.
They are invited to load the table in its current
("apparent") form.
The Broadcast action is also available in the toolbar.
The Send VOTable
activation action also sends this message (SAMP only).
SAMP MTypes:
table.load.votable
or
table.load.fits
- Transmit Subset
- The Subset Window's
Interop menu
contains Broadcast Subset and Send Subset
options.
These cause the selected subset to be sent to other listening applications
(these actions are only available when one of the subsets is currently
selected).
Applications are invited to highlight the rows corresponding to that subset.
Note this will only have an effect if the other application(s) are
displaying the table that this subset relates to. This will be
the case in one of two situations:
(1) the table has been loaded from the same URL/filename by the
other tool(s) or
(2) the other tool(s) have acquired the table because it has
already been broadcast using SAMP.
Also, whenever a new subset is created, for instance by entering an
algebraic expression or tracing out a region on a plot
(see Section 3.1.1),
you have the option of transmitting the subset directly to one or all
listening applications as an alternative to adding the new subset to
the table's subset list.
SAMP MType: table.select.rowList
- Transmit Row
- The Send Row Index
activation action will send the row index of the activated
row to other applications (SAMP only).
As for Transmit Subset above, this will only have an
effect if the other application(s) are displaying the same table.
SAMP MType: table.highlight.row
- Transmit Coordinates
- The Send Sky Coordinates
activation action will send the sky position of the activated row
to other applications (SAMP only).
These other applications are invited to point out that sky position,
for instance by placing a marker or centering the current window on it.
SAMP MType: coord.pointAt.sky
- Transmit Image
- The Send FITS Image
activation action can send the contents of a nominated URL column
to a suitable image analysis application for loading or display.
The (old-style, somewhat deprecated)
Density Plot window also
produces a 2-d histogram which is actually an image,
and this can be sent to image applications from its Interop menu.
SAMP MType: image.load.fits
- Transmit Spectrum
- The Send Spectrum
activation action can send the contents of a nominated URL column
to a suitable spectrum analysis application for loading or display.
SAMP MType: spectrum.load.ssa-generic
- Transmit Resource List
- The Registry Query Panel
present in most of the Virtual Observatory windows allows
you to send lists of VO registry resource identifiers to other
applications which can make use of them.
SAMP MTypes: voresource.loadlist.cone
,
voresource.loadlist.siap
,
voresource.loadlist.ssap