Program: unspec
Version: April 22, 2001
Program homepage: http://www.sci.muni.cz/~mikulik/

Author:  Petr Mikulik
E-mail:  mikulik@physics.muni.cz
Web:     http://www.sci.muni.cz/~mikulik/

Freeware: yes, source code included
Copying policy: GNU General Public License
Operating systems supported: any OS equiped with a C++ compiler; 
	precompiled binaries available for Linux, HP-UX, OS/2 and DOS


==============================================================================

Table of contents:
	Description
	Compilation
	Installation
	Usage
	History

==============================================================================


Description: 
============

unspec is a program for extracting scans from data files created by the "spec"
program (by Certified Software) used for driving motors, detectors,... as it 
is used for synchrotron experiments at ESRF, for instance. 
  We used "unspec" to extra data from the spec data files in order to preview 
or print them during experiments ("spec" itself has very primitive and awful 
graphics, look at those stupid tics on x/y axes, for instance) and for 
treating the data after an experiment.
  We used "gnuplot" program for data plotting and printing, since it runs on 
any platform and is free; the mouse support in gnuplot (since 1998) makes it 
far superior (not, let's say alternative, for instance) to even "specplot" 
program developed by ESRF. 

  Unspec is command-line driven with many useful options. See "Usage" below 
for more information.


Compilation:
============

Use the enclosed Makefile; type
	make
to list the predefined platforms + compilers.


Installation:
=============

Move 'unspec' or 'unspec.exe' somewhere along your PATH, or make an alias 
to its non-PATH location.


Usage:
======

You run 'unspec' from a command line by
	  unspec input_spec_file <options>
Typing
	unspec
will describe you all available options as well as some examples.

The following commands can be used to print the documentation:
1. supposing bash-like (bash or OS/2's cmd.exe):
     unspec 2>doc.txt
     unspec -L 2>>doc.txt
     a2ps -nP -nH -nL -2 <doc.txt >doc.ps
2. supposing csh shell on Unix:
     unspec >&! doc.txt; unspec -L >>& doc.txt
     a2ps -nP -nH -nL -2  < doc.txt  >! doc.ps
and then print file doc.ps.


History:
========

- April 2001:
  - Bugfixs for PSD spectra - sometimes output of more channels than read;
    '-Pe' was switched off by '-Pa'.
- February 2001:
  - Bugfix for a double line in some cases.
- December 2000:
  - New options "-H", "-P@A".
- November 2000:
  - Option  -c ""  outputs all comments.
  - Many improvements to the PSD/MCA part.
  - New options "-PR", "-P0", "-P1", "-PI", "-PM".
  - Allow the combination "-Py -w th,del,etc".
- October 2000:
  - Specify selected output scans by "-R 1,10,20:30".
  - Options "-Pn", "-Pr", "-Pa", -"Pe" to deal with the PSD/MCA spectra.
  - Stop reading spec file is the last scan number given by "-s", "-r", "-R", 
    "-t" was reached; use "-S" for files with scan indexing error.
  - Support for "logical" motor called '@' (point number in the scan).
- September 2000:
  - Allow partial match between the motor/detector names (for the option "-w").
  - Support PSD/MCA spectra - those spec lines starting with "@A".
- June 2000: 
  - Print a blank line in between 2 scans for output to a single file.
  - New options -2, -B.
  - Support for "logical" motors called '#' (scan number) and '=' (autofind
    motors changed in the scan).
  - More examples into the documentation.
- March 2000:
  - A bug fix.
- February 2000:
  - Added option "-w": output only selected columns, supporting also mnemonical
    motor and detector names.
- 1995 -- 1999:
  - Successfully and often used. Some options added from time to time, when 
    needed new features.
- 1994:
  - The first version (measurements at the ESRF Optics Beamline).


-----------------------------------------------
  Petr Mikulik
  Laboratory of Thin Films and Nanostructures
  Masaryk University
  Brno, Czech Republic
