Example imexam workspace

The above image is an example desktop interfacing with DS9.

imexam is an affiliated package of AstroPy. It was designed to be a lightweight library that enables users to explore data using common methods which are consistant across viewers. The power of this python tool is that it is essentially a library of plotting and analysis routines that can be directed towards any viewer. It attempts to standardize the analysis interface so that no matter what viewer is in use the calls and results are the same. It can also be used without connecting to any viewer since the calls take only data and location information. This means that given a data array and a list of x,y positions you can create plots and return information without having to interact with the viewers, just by calling the functions directly either from a a command line shell or from a private script.

imexam can be used:

  • from a command line interface
  • through a Jupyter notebook or through a Jupyter console
  • with multiple viewers, such as DS9 or Ginga (submit a github issue or PR to add others)
  • without a viewer as a simple library to make plots and grab quick photometry information.

imexam may be used as a replacement for the IRAF imexamine task. You should be able to perform all of the most used functions that imexamine provided in IRAF, but you also gain the flexibility of python and the ability to add your own analysis functions. The standalone library has also been used as a replacement for psfmeasure.

Example imexam workspace

The above image is an example desktop using the Jupyter notebook and the Ginga HTML5 viewer.

Reporting Issues

If you have found a bug in imexam please report it by creating a new issue on the imexam GitHub issue tracker.

Please include an example that demonstrates the issue sufficiently so that the developers can reproduce and fix the problem. You may also be asked to provide information about your operating system and a full Python stack trace. The developers will walk you through obtaining a stack trace if it is necessary.

imexam uses a package of utilities called astropy-helpers during building and installation. If you have any build or installation issue mentioning the astropy_helpers or ah_bootstrap modules please send a report to the astropy-helpers issue tracker. If you are unsure, then it’s fine to report to the main imexam issue tracker.

Contributing

Like the Astropy project, imexam is made both by and for its users. We accept contributions at all levels, spanning the gamut from fixing a typo in the documentation to developing a major new feature. We welcome contributors who will abide by the Python Software Foundation Code of Conduct.

imexam follows the same workflow and coding guidelines as Astropy. The following pages will help you get started with contributing fixes, code, or documentation (no git or GitHub experience necessary):

For the complete list of contributors please see the imexam contributors page on Github.