[APBeta] Observations Feature Questions

[Paul Rodman]

On Aug 19, 2008, at 12:28 , Greg Paine wrote:

> I have some questions regarding the entry of observations and the  
> best method for accomplishing this task. Typically I record my  
> observations after the actual observation session, not during. I’m  
> not sure if there is a better, more efficient method then what I’ve  
> been doing. This is going to be a long, detailed message but that  
> will help Paul understand the steps I took and hopefully others will  
> learn from my experience.
>
> I began by creating a 3 object plan then I selected the Obs tab (I  
> have not saved the plan yet). I selected the 1st object I observed  
> then clicked the + in the lower left corner, entered the date & time  
> then OK. Site, telescope, EP, visual aid and filter were auto  
> populated.

FYI: You can also select the object on the Objects tab and click  
"Observation" (just below the list).

> Was the site, telescope and EP auto populated because they are  
> selected as the default in resources?

They are populated based on the Site and Telescope settings at the top  
of the window. The Eyepiece, Visual Aid and filter are indeed  
populated based on default resource settings as you surmise, where  
applicable.

> How do I prevent visual aid and filter from automatically populating  
> my Barlow and UIC filter? Neither are selected as the default in  
> resources.

Really? That's probably a bug. OK, I just checked. What's happening is  
that if there isn't a default, then the first active resource is  
chosen. I'm not sure why I do that (possibly the code is used  
elsewhere), and I will consider it a bug. I also need to make it  
easier to spot the default resources in the list/s when you go to the  
resources window.

> I selected the 2nd object I observed then clicked the + in the lower  
> left corner, entered the date & time then OK. The “add observation  
> to session” window appeared with 3 options: 1) add to current  
> session: untitled (which was grayed out) 2) add to recent session:  
> site: TBird, Start: yesterday at 9:00 pm and 3) start new session  
> (which was selected as the default option).

The rules (currently) are:
a. If the observation date/time lies in the begin/end time bounds of  
the current session, the observation is associated with that session.
b. If the observation is within 1 hour of the beginning/end of the  
current session, the observation is associated with the current session.
c. If the observation is NOT within 2 hours of the beginning/end of  
ANY existing session, a new session is automatically started.
d. If none of the above (i.e. between 1 and 2 hours of any existing  
session), then you're given the choice of adding it to the current  
session (if applicable), creating a new session, or adding it to one  
of the close sessions.

> Shouldn’t it have been option 1 or 2 by default?

Yeh. That's a bug. The current session should show the one that was  
started when you created the first observation. A session should  
remain active until you click the End checkbox (see below).

> I selected option 2; add to recent session. Site, telescope, EP,  
> visual aid and filter were auto populated. I selected the 3rd object  
> I observed then clicked the + in the lower left corner, entered the  
> date & time then OK. The “add observation to session” window  
> appeared exactly like the prior time; I again selected option 2; add  
> to recent session. Site, telescope, EP, visual aid and filter were  
> auto populated.

Same deal.

> I chose 15 minutes between each observation so the start and end  
> time in the obs session data shows 9:00 – 9:30 (#1 at 9:00, #2 at  
> 9:15 & #3 at 9:30).
>
> How do I enter the fact that I observed #3 for 15 minutes and the  
> session ended at 9:45?

You can't, although I can arrange that when you end the session, you  
can specify the time. However, I will need to think about this, since  
that could cause some ambiguity.

> What is the “end” checkbox for and how is it used?

You click that when you are finished with the session. It does however  
assume you do this in the field. You can ignore the setting, in which  
case the end of session is assumed to be 10 minutes after the last  
observation time.

> I’d like to see the general / resources area made larger. Currently  
> I only see 2.5 lines without scrolling.

So you're telling me you use more than one or two lines? I can arrange  
that. Perhaps a splitter bar.

> I’d like to see military time as an option in the obs settings window.

OK. I though I had that, but I use a 24-hour clock as my OS default.

> Do you have plans for allowing access to the obs settings as a tab  
> from the preferences menu item? Seems like a logical place to find  
> them.

You mean make Edit->Preferences... into a hierarchical menu (i.e. Edit- 
 >Preferences->Observation, etc.)? I have been breaking out the  
preferences into separate windows positioned "closer" to their  
emphasis (i.e. FOV prefs next to the FOV, etc.). However, I will  
consider this. Preferences are something you shouldn't need to change  
much. If there are certain preferences you are fiddling a lot, perhaps  
they need to be elsewhere.

> Opening the obs database displays, my obs session displays with a  
> duration of (:30).

30 mins. That's 3 obs spaced 15 mins apart. However, I see your point  
and I can arrange to pad the sessions at the end.

> Each obs entry shows the plan as Untitled-1.

That's because you hadn't saved the plan before you made the  
observations. I suppose I can enforce this (i.e. not allow  
observations from untitled plans.

>  Should I have saved the plan before starting to enter my obs? Can  
> that be corrected now? The edit global obs window doesn’t display  
> the plan name.

No. I will need to fix it.

> Is there a way to name sessions?

No. They are based on Date/Time/Site, i.e. "named" automatically. If  
you really, really feel the need to "name" sessions, I can add a name  
field.

> Or would you just use the notes field?

Yup. You can do that.

> Would it be beneficial to include the other obs session fields  
> (seeing, trans, observer & notes) in the obs sessions window?

Well, I recently added the first three. Use the splitter to reveal  
them if necessary. The notes are displayed below the list when an  
entry is selected.

> Does anyone see a need for a duplicate session button? My last two  
> sessions were showing friends the same objects so that would have  
> helped me but I don’t know how often that would really be a benefit.

That sounds like a script exercise to me.

> Thanks in advance for your patience.


Thank _you_ for your comments.

Paul R.