5.5.1 All at once: the reduce method

Reading and processing a file can be done in one single step, using the reduce method. This method takes the name of an MB-Fits file as argument, e.g.:

  reduce('APEX-600')

The extension (.fits or .fits.gz) may be omitted. This method first reads the file, then opens a graphic device if no device has previously been openned. Then, according to the type of observation found in the file, it calls the relevant methods to process the data.

If a file has already been partially read, this method will only read the subscans not already present in the data object and then process the full set of data. This can be useful e.g. for an iterative real time display of raster maps, where the map is displayed after completion of each subscan.