As already mentioned at the beginning of this section, the OUTPUT command line can be used only within Projection command files in order to convert the virtual datasets created by previously executed INPUT, SELECT and BIN command lines into permanent disk files. In pipelines its syntax is slightly changed (see sections 4.3.2 and 4.3.3). The general structure of the command is
OUTPUT <reference:> <label_list> TO <filenames_list>
The label list indicates the photon parameters to be considered in an output virtual photon list, and it can consist of any subset of the labels listed in Table 4.3. When the label list is omitted, all the photon parameters are assumed in output. When the virtual dataset in output is not a photon list, the label list is then ignored by the interpreter.
Output of up to 15 separate disk files is allowed simultaneously. Multiple output of different virtual datasets into a single file is possible whenever the input datasets are compatible, i.e. when the input datasets are all photon lists, or when they are spectra or light curves or profiles having the same bin structure (images are excluded from this option).
When the output filename extension (e.g., .tbl) is not given, it will be supplied by the system according to the type of output. Table names are always given the extension .tbl, and image names are always given the extension .bdf.
The following OUTPUT command lines are valid:
OUTPUT to image ! Only allowed OUTPUT TIME,XDET,YDET to table ! in Projection OUTPUT to tablea, tableb, tablec ! command files OUTPUT ABC: to table OUTPUT ABC:TIME to table
The first OUTPUT command is the most typical: a virtual dataset (here evidently produced by a BIN/IMAGE command) is output to an image named image.bdf.
The second command writes to a table named table.tbl the arrival times and the detector positions of the photons from the input list (note that TIME, XDET and YDET is the minimal set of photon parameters which is necessary in order to run the Correction procedures in photon mode -- see section 4.3.4).
The third OUTPUT command takes as input three virtual datasets and writes them into three different disk files (in case the input virtual datasets were not three, an error message would be displayed).
The last two OUTPUT commands assume the existence of a virtual dataset named ABC. Note the usage of the ``colon'' separator (:) which always marks the end of a reference string.
In the next section more extensive examples are given about the OUTPUT command line.