ID Cards manager
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The ID Cards Manager in Phoranso provides a powerful and flexible interface for managing your Variable Star ID Cards. To access it, select ID Cards manager from the Variable ID Card menu. This section describes the purpose, features and usage of the ID Cards Manager, including how ID Cards are organized in Variable Star Databases (vSDbs) and how users can define a custom vSDb for targeted photometric analysis. Within the ID Cards Manager window, you gain extensive control over the active vSDb. It enables you to view and query the database, add, delete or modify ID Cards, and perform import and export operations.
Concepts Master Variable Star Database (Master vSDb) ID Cards in Phoranso are organized into Variable Star Databases. The default vSDb is the Master database, which includes all ID Cards - both active and inactive - stored in your Documents > ID Cards folder. This Master vSDb is automatically loaded when Phoranso starts for the first time and serves as the default working dataset. đż If you plan to work only with the Master database, you can skip the remainder of this section. If you're interested in defining and using custom vSDbs, read on. Custom vSDbs Users can define smaller, filtered working sets of ID Cards, called custom vSDbs. These can be created based on filters such as:
This modular approach allows for targeted photometric analysis and efficient data organization. In practice, during photometry, Phoranso uses the current vSDb to determine which variable stars are present in the field of view (FOV) of your Target star. It then photometrically processes only the corresponding ID Cards:
Identifying the active vSDb The name of the currently active vSDb is always shown in the upper-left corner of the Phoranso main window. For example: âPhoranso 1.1.0.0 (Phoranso Settings) - Variable Star Database: Master The same label is also displayed at the top of the ID Cards Manager window, as shown in the example screenshot below: âVariable Star Database: Master - Showing 2008 ID Cards
ID Cards Manager layout Each ID Card (Target star) is represented by a dedicated row in the ID Cards Manager, with its contents intelligibly arranged across columns. The first column contains the name of the Target Star represented by the ID Card. Other columns display attributes such as RA/DEC, variability type, magnitude range, and associated Reference, Check and Comparison stars. Clicking on a column title allows you to sort entries accordingly, and a subsequent click inversely sorts the data. Double clicking on a row opens the ID Card of the selected Target star. Navigate through the Variable Star Database using the vertical scroll bar or mouse wheel. In instances where an ID Card encompasses multiple Reference Stars or Comparison Stars, simply access the corresponding drop-down cell in the ID Cards Manager to choose the specific Reference or Comparison Star of interest. Click on a row to select it. Use Shift + Click to select a range of adjacent rows, and use Ctrl + Click to select or deselect non-adjacent rows. You can also use your keyboard Arrow keys to move up/down across rows. Press Enter or double click to open the selected ID Card(s). Press Delete to remove selected ID Cards, subject to confirmation. Standard shortcuts like Ctrl + C (Copy) or Ctrl + V (Paste) are supported where applicable. Click any field in the Comment column to enter or edit your comment text directly. Right-clicking on a cell brings up a context menu that allows you to copy the cell's value to the Windows clipboard for use elsewhere. At the top of the ID Cards Manager, are a series of menus allowing you to query and manipulate the contents of the Variable Star Database. We will explain each of them in the subsequent sections below. File The File menu provides options for managing Variable Star Databases (vSDbs) of ID Cards. It enables you to create, load, save and merge databases, etc. New Creates a new, empty vSDb. This is useful when you want to build a new working set of ID Cards from the ground up, by copying entries from another vSDb. Open... Opens an existing vSDb from disk. Use this option to continue working with a previously saved custom vSDb. Open Master Reloads the Master vSDb from your Documents > ID Cards folder. The Master database includes all ID Cardsâboth active and inactive. This menu option provides a convenient way to return to your full ID Card collection after working with a custom vSDb. Save Saves the currently open vSDb to its existing file. Use this to preserve changes (e.g., added or removed ID Cards, updated entries, status changes) without renaming the file. Save As... Saves the current vSDb to a new file. This is helpful when you want to preserve a snapshot of your current dataset (e.g., YoungStellarObjects_Near_M42). Merge... Combines another vSDb with the currently open one. Use this when you want to unify multiple custom vSDbs. For example, merging a set of Delta Scuti variable stars between RA 6h00m and 8h00m into your current vSDb. Import ID Cards Two options exist to import ID Cards:
Export ID Cards Two options exist to export ID Cards:
Recent databases Displays a list of recently opened vSDbs for quick access. Selecting an item from this list opens it immediately. Exit Closes the ID Cards Manager Edit ID Cards The Edit menu provides options to view, modify and manage the contents of ID Cards in your currently active vSDb. These operations include copying and pasting ID Cards or individual components, displaying detail views, deleting entries, and managing activations status, and AUIDs.
Use the Copy submenu to copy all or part of the selected ID Card(s) to the Phoranso internal clipboard. This is useful when you want to duplicate content between databases or store information temporarily.
Copies the entire selected ID Card(s) to the Phoranso clipboard. You can then paste the ID Cards into a new or existing vSDb.
Copies the Check Star to the clipboard
Copies the comment section of the ID Card, to the clipboard.
Use the Paste submenu to insert data previously copied to the Phoranso internal clipboard into the corresponding components of the selected ID Card(s). The menu structure mirros that of the Copy command:
Pastes one or more complete ID Card(s) from the Phoranso clipboard into the currently selected vSDb. If an ID Card with the same target name already exists, it will not be pasted.
Pastes the Check Star into the currently selected ID Card, replacing any existing Check Star.
Pastes a comment into the Comment field of the currently selected ID Card(s), replacing any existing comment.
The Show menu provides quick access to detailed information for any selected ID Card. It includes the following two options:
Opens the full ID Card of the selected target star in a separate window. This view displays all details associated with the star, including position, variability type, magnitude range, and associated reference, comparison, and check stars.
Displays the image associated with the selected ID Card, if available. This image may be an AAVSO finder chart or a field reference image used during photometric analysis. Viewing the image helps visually verify star identification and reference star positioning.
The Delete menu allows you to remove specific components or entire ID Cards from your Variable Star Database. Use these options carefully, as deletions are irreversible.
Deletes the entire selected ID Card(s) from the database
Removes the image linked to the currently selected ID Card(s) without deleting the ID Card itself.
Deletes the Check Star entry of the selected ID Card.
Deletes the comment attached to the selected ID Card. đż Important: Before deleting, ensure you have selected the correct ID Card or component. Deletion actions cannot be undone.
The Comment menu allows you to add new notes or expand existing ones for selected ID Cards. Comments can be used to record relevant meta data about an ID Card.
Opens a dialog where you can enter a new comment for the selected ID Card(s). If a comment already exists, it will be replaced.
Allows you to add text to the end of an existing comment without removing or overwriting the current content.
The AAVSO AUID (AAVSO Unique IDentifier) is a unique identifier assigned by the AAVSO to individual variable stars. This identifier is used to uniquely and unambiguously identify a particular star in the AAVSO VSX database. When submitting a report with photometric observations to the AAVSO International Database it is important that each variable star in the report has been assigned a unique AAVSO AUID. Phoranso can assist you in obtaining AUIDs for target stars (ID Cards) with a missing AUID.
This operation checks whether an AUID already exists for each selected star by querying the AAVSO VSX database. If an AUID is found, it is added to the star's AUID column in the ID Cards manager. If not, the field remains blank.
To request AUIDs for stars lacking one, first log in to your AAVSO account (refer to the AAVSO website for information on obtaining a login code). After logging in, select the stars in the ID Cards Manager and choose Request AUIDs. Phoranso will then initiate a request to the AAVSO VSX database to allocate an AUID for the stars. These requests are facilitated through your web browser, creating a new browser tab for each requested AUID. Check your browser for completion status. If AUID assignment is successful, the ID Cards Manager will reflect the AUID information for the affected stars.
ID Cards can be active or inactive. Marking an ID Card as inactive means it will remain in the Variable Star Database but will be excluded from photometry calculations. You have the flexibility to reactivate an inactive ID Card at any time. Use the Activate ID Cards operation to set the status of the selected ID Cards to active.
Use the Deactivate operation to set the status of the selected ID Cards to inactive. Filter ID Cards The Filter ID Cards menu provides powerful filters to narrow down the contents of your current Variable Star Database (vSDb) by applying one or more selection criteria. đż These filters are non-destructiveâonly affecting what is displayed in the ID Cards Manager without modifying the underlying data. Filters can be combined and cleared at any time.
Allows to display only those ID Cards that fit within a specified Field of View (FOV). The FOV box is defined by its center position, width, height and roll-angle. ID Cards with coordinates within the defined FOV box will be displayed in the ID Cards Manager, offering a convenient method for inspecting groups of ID Cards within a designated FOV. You can provide the FOV center position by:
Filters the vSDb to show only ID Cards that fit within a specified Field of View (FOV). The FOV box is defined by a named deep sky object (e.g., âM42â or âNGC 7000â), a width, height and roll-angle.
Retains only ID Cards with stars brighter or fainter than a specified magnitude threshold.
Filters the ID Cards based on the amplitude of variability, keeping only those with an amplitude smaller or larger than a specified treshold.
Displays only those ID Cards whose variability type matches a given type (e.g., âEAâ, âRRâ, âDSCTâ). Select the type from the pop-up box.
Filters the list to show only ID Cards that belong to a selected constellation.
Displays only ID Cards that contain specific text in the comment field. Useful for retrieving stars annotated during earlier analysis.
Shows only the ID Cards marked as Active.
Displays only the Inactive ID Cards, allowing you to review or reactivate stars previously excluded from your working dataset.
This option determines whether the Status, Type and Comment columns support interactive filtering through their column headers:
Enables Column Filtering for the supported columns. A small red square appears in the header of each filterable column, indicating that a filter can be applied. Click this red marker to define your filter.
Turns off Column Filtering, removing the red square indicators, without altering the vSDb
Removes all currently active filtersâwhether applied via this menu or via Column Filteringâand restores full visibility of the current vSDb content. Sort ID Cards The Sort ID Cards menu allows to arrange ID Cards in the ID Cards Manager based on their proximity to a designated position. The Sort by distance from option displays the Enter position dialog box, enabling you to input the starting Position for sorting. ID Cards will then be arranged in the ID Cards Manager, with objects closest to the specified location appearing at the top of the window, in decreasing order of proximity. You can provide the Location position by:
Find Target star This feature allows you to quickly locate and focus on a specific Target star within the ID Cards Manager. To use it, type the name of the Target star into the text field following the Find Target star label, then press Enter. The ID Cards Manager will automatically refresh and scroll to position the matching ID Card at the top of the table, making it immediately visible and ready for further inspection. This is particularly useful when working with large vSDbs, where manually browing for a specific star would be inefficient. |
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