User manual

The “Edit” menu has a sub-menu that enables you to select all sources, i.e. all the sources

existing in the catalogues planes loaded in the stack. It is also possible to select only the

sources from one or the other plane through the menu “Edit => select all objects in the

selected planes”. On would have to select beforehand the aforementioned planes in the

stack (see 5.1.1).

Selection with the mouse

The selection with the mouse is the mostly used method. It enables you to choose

sources given their locations in the view.

 In order to select a source one has to click on it in the view;

 To select several sources it is mandatory to include them with a selection rectangle.

To do so, one has to click on a no-source region slightly above on the left of the first

source to select, and then by holding the mouse button, expand the selection by

moving the mouse pointer to the bottom right. During this operation, a rectangle

shows in the view the selected zone. Once you release the mouse button, all sources

inside the rectangle will b selected;

 To add sources to a first selection, do as described above but keep SHIFT key hold.

Selection with a research expression

Menu: Edit => Search in loaded catalogues …

Short key: Ctrl+F

Aladin gives you a very effective tool to select sources given the values of their measures.

To do so, on needs to give a research expression in the “Search” box located above on the

right from the measure panel.

Validating the research expression with the “Enter” key or by clicking on the small “Go”

button leads to the selection of all sources which measures correspond to the research

expression. Only sources from activated catalogue planes will be affected (see 5.1.1 –

activating a plane in the stack). If the research expression is preceded by the ‘+’ sign,

sources to select will be added to the current selection. Alternatively, putting the ‘-‘ sign

in front of the research expression leads to deselecting the concerned sources in the

sources previously selected, i.e. they will disappear from the measures table.

The search expression follows a simple and efficient syntax.

This can be:

 A text chain;

 Include eventually joker keys: ‘?’ (Any key), ‘*’ (any combination of keys);

 Eventually it can be preceded by a column name and a test operator (=, !=, <, >, <=,

>=) to restrict the search to a particular column;

Furthermore:

 The column name can include jokers keys (‘ ?’ or ‘*’);

 The column name can be surrounded by two vertical bars ‘|’ to indicate the absolute

value;

 There is no case distinction (capital keys or not), both for the column name and for

its value.

Comment: for convenience sake, searching with a simple text chain without any

particular column indications is always considered as a sub-chain search. For example,

the “gal” research will in fact be “*gal*”.