PSRCHIVE user documentation: psrconv

1.0 Purpose

This program is used to convert a data file from its current format to any of the other formats supported by the PSRCHIVE scheme. At the present time, supported file formats include Timer, Baseband, EPN, PSRFITS and ASCII.

2.0 Usage

psrconv is invoked on the command line with a list of files that the user wishes to convert, along with the -o switch and a keyword that identifies the output file format. For a full list of options, use: 
psrconv -h
The help text includes a list of supported file formats and their associated keywords. Multiple filenames can be specified on the command line either individually or using wildcard characters.

3.0 Algorithms

psrconv simply calls the load method associated with the original file format to construct a Pulsar::Archive in memory, then unloads it using the methods associated with the destination class. In most cases this will produce acceptable results but the user should be aware that different file formats can store different types (and amounts) of information and one format may not translate well into another.

4.0 Testing and examples

To convert a Timer archive into a PSRFITS file:

psrconv -o PSRFITS filename.ar

The program creates a new file called filename.rf. The default extension associated with the destination filename is used automatically.

5.0 Known bugs and features that require implementation

  • The user should be able to specify a new file extension.