iraf.net

Hi!
I just installed IRAF 2.14 with x11iraf 3.11 and DS9 6.1 on my ubuntu 10.4 machine. The startup works fine using xgterm, but when I display an image and execute imexam, I don't get the circular blinking cursor, but a blinking arrow with a "no" sign (problem 1). Executing commands like "a" works, I get the text outpu in IRAF's xgterm, but when I use a plot command (like "r"), the plot opens nicely, but any other command then is ignored (no matter where I put the mouse focus) until I hit "q" (problem 2) - then all the buttons I pressed before show up in the IRAF xgterm! I don't know what's wrong, but it's NOT a mouse focus problem, I tried all different ways.
Any ideas what could be wrong?
Thanks!

Me again
I didn't solve the problem, but:
I tried to use xterm instead of xgterm. Now, all the imexam commands execute just fine - but, on the one hand, the plots are just ugly in comparison with xgterm and, on the other hand, I stell don't get the circular cursor but the blinkin "no"-arrow
What could still be wrong, and how can I get my xgterm plots back?

It sounds like there is a problem in DS9 initiating the cursor read mode. This was known to be broken in at least one version of DS9 and then quickly fixed so you might try using a different version. It may also be that there is another DS9 already running on the machine that is interfering. I've never been able to reproduce the problem, the only commands that appear to work are those keystrokes builtin to DS9 itself (and do other things). Without a valid cursor read there's no way for the IMEXAM task to know what plot to create, regardless of whether you're using xgterm or xterm.

I tried several DS9 versions between 3.0 and 6.1 (the latest). Makes no difference, the problem is with all of them. Also, since it is my own machine with only the freshly installed Ubuntu on it, there is no other DS9 session running. So, I guess, it's not a DS9 (only) problem.
Also, as I mentioned before, if I use xterm all imexam keys do work with ds9, so it does not seem to be specific to the ds9 keys. With xterm the only problem is (apart from the not so nice plot display compared with xGterm) that, as with xgterm, too, the cursor does not switch to the blinking circle, but to a blinking arrow, which is quite annoying when I try to focus.
And with xGterm, all keys do work, too - when pressed for the first time since the imexam command call in the iraf session. After that first plot command, the plot window is frozen until 'q' is pressed, but the keys pressed in between seem to be cached in iraf, since they appear in the cl xGterm window after quitting imexam. With xterm that does not happen.

Another idea:
Since imexam does activate a blinking dot alternating with the "no"-arrow in the ds9 window, could it be, that, whatever is responsible for showing the circlular ring, that should alternate with the blinking dot, does not work properly, so instead this what could maybe be an "error"-arrow is shown? What could then be wrong?
That still would not explain, why the xgterm-plots freeze after the first plot command and the xterm-plots don't, but maybe that's what's wrong with the cursor, independently from DS9 and xterm/xgterm.

I was just now able to (sometimes) reproduce this on a 64-bit KUbuntu system using DS9 v6.0. I'm not too concerned with the shape of the cursor, that's a minor thing that can be controlled by resources normally, although I do see the "no"-circle you mention.It may still be a focus issue: When the problem happened simply moving the mouse off the DS9 window and back on again restored focus and commands would work and then when I quit the task the "missing" commands appeared in the xgterm window. I also notice that when this happens the 'window highlight' for the focus is locked on the xgterm window so it's logical that moving the mouse off the window to reset focus would fix it. It also appears to happen more often when typing quickly so it may be a matter of synchronization between the windows as well.I'll investigate further, but I've never seen this on Mac or 32-bit linux systems. Can you confirm you're using a 64-bit machine?

Wow thanks, that re-focussing works also with xgterm - although I really would like to know why that is and how it can be fixed Interestingly, if I change the focussing policy to focus on click, when I execute imexam and want to 'r' several stars I have to click on the DS9 window, type 'r', then click on the new plot window, click back on the DS9 window a second time and only then I can keep typing 'r' on the other stars without clicking again... strange.
OK, that still leaves me with the annoying cursor
Thanks again, and please let me know if you find out something else.

I've had the same problem as I upgraded from karmic koala to lucyd linx...
I fixed it by simply run a new mkiraf from the iraf usernow the pointer is circular and blinking on the ds9 display and everything is ok