1 Introduction

1.1   Document Purpose
1.2   Document Organization
1.3   Conventions, Acronyms and Terms 
    1.3.1   Conventions
    1.3.2   Acronyms and Terms

This document is a facility-independent guide to both the UNIX and VAX/VMS implementations of the VICAR system. Basic knowledge of UNIX and VAX/VMS is assumed.

The most important and useful user information has been gleaned from several sources, enhanced and incorporated into this document. The VICAR User's Guide does not replace these sources, but provides the central focus of user documentation.

1.2 Document Organization

1. Introduction, purpose and organization of the document; document conventions
2. User documentation and references
3. VICAR history, applications and acquisition
4. Basic VICAR concepts: entering and exiting VICAR; datasets; labels; procs
5. The VICAR environment: libraries; processing modes; subprocesses; aborting commands
6. Methods for obtaining Help; Tutor and Menu modes; explanation of how to interpret messages
7. Use of the VICAR executive: TAE Command Language; VICAR command structure; Proc Definition Files; media handling; session logging
8. Non-standard and non-VICAR topics: hardware and software assumptions that apply to a subset of the VICAR applications software; VICAR I/O formats
9. Advanced VICAR concepts: dataset and label structure
10. Appendices: VICAR application proc functional descriptions and classification by function; Intrinsic commands; command qualifiers; intrinsic global variables; Menu and Tutor mode user operations; special terminal keys; Proc Definition File examples; VICAR label examples; VICAR message interpretation; New User's Tutorial, VICAR Sample Session
11. Index

1. VICAR> is the VICAR prompt.

2. Double quotes, " ", are used around special characters or technical terms to avoid confusion with everyday meanings (i.e., "*" and "help").

3. Vertical dots indicate that not all of the required data are shown.

   Example: Use of vertical dots.

       Process HELP=help-location
       Parm  name1  Description1
       Parm  name2  Description2
       .
       .
       .
       End-proc
   

4. Since VICAR makes no distinction between upper and lower case for user input, both are used in examples. (Note: On UNIX systems, filenames are still case sensitive, so "out.img" is a different file from "OUT.IMG".)

5. In all examples of user input in this document, VICAR responses are in bold-faced type and user-typed text is not.

6. Brackets, [ ], are used to represent optional entries.

   Example:

       VICAR> program [parameters]
   

7. Commands that can be abbreviated are shown with sqare brackets. The brackets indicate which letters do not need to be included as part of the command (i.e., ALLO[C] can be ALLOC or ALLO).

8. In order to make it possible for both new and experienced users to benefit from this document, the following words in boldfaced type are used to designate material that is for more advanced users.

   When EXPERT appears at the beginning of a paragraph it warns the new user that this is difficult material and should be skipped.

   Material "for wizards only" is flagged by WIZARD and should be avoided by all but the very brave.

9. Warnings to users regarding hazardous use of commands or potentially dangerous situations are italicized and are flagged by BEWARE.

10. USERID is used to represent the user's login id.

ASCII	American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ANSI	American National Standards Institute
BARC	Block Adaptive Rate Compressor
BDV	Bad Data Value
BTC	Block Truncation Coding
CCSI	Cerritos Computer Systems Incorporated
	Printronix plotting routines 
COSMIC	COmputer Software Management and Information Center
DCL	Digital Command Language
DDO	Data Driven Object
DN	Data Number
EBCDIC	Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
EDR	Experimental Data Record
GUI	Graphical User Interface
HIIPS	Home Institution Image Processing Subsystem
IBIS	Image Based Information System  (a subset of VICAR
	used as a geographic information system)  
IPL	Image Processing Laboratory
LFW	Low-Full-Pixels
MDF	Menu Definition File
MIPS	Multimission Image Processing Subsystem
NAG	Numerical Algorithms Group
	Mathematical subroutine package
NIMS	Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer
PDF	Proc Definition File
PDS	Planetary Data System
PIXEL	Picture Element
PROC	Process or procedure
RTS	Real Time System
SCLK	Spacecraft CLocK
SIS	Software Interface Specification
TAE	Transportable Applications Executive
TCL	TAE Command Language
UDR	Unprocessed Data Record
UNIX	(originally UNICS) Uniplex Information and Computer 
	Systems
USH	User SHell
VAX	Virtual Address Extension
VICAR	Video Image Communication and Retrieval
VMS	Virtual Memory System
WPT	Window Programming Tools

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