Here are a couple of screenshots illustrating possible interactions between TOPCAT and Aladin thanks to PLASTIC, as shown during the DSRP meeting at Sorrento, in March 2006.

Clicking on a thumbnail will open a larger image.

Registering with the hub

At startup, both TOPCAT and Aladin try to automatically register with the hub:

Sending a table from Aladin to TOPCAT

By right-clicking on a given catalogue plane, Aladin allows to broadcast it to TOPCAT (or any other PLASTIC-compatible application):

Conversely, we could also send any TOPCAT table to Aladin (or any other PLASTIC-compatible application) by clicking on the 'Interop' menu.

Sending a density map image from TOPCAT to Aladin

After having created a density map in TOPCAT, the result can be sent to Aladin as a FITS image:

Once in Aladin, this image can be manipulated as a regular image plane:

If the density map was plotted on the sky (which is the case in our example), TOPCAT sends WCS information in the FITS header.

Selecting a given source highlights it in the other application

From TOPCAT activation preferences, we can choose to 'transmit' the row when selected:

Thus, selecting a given source in TOPCAT will highlight it in Aladin:

Conversely, passing over a source in Aladin will show it in TOPCAT:

This feature allows linked views between applications, and facilitates exploration of a dataset in both physical and paremeter space.

Broadcasting a subset of sources

After having created a subset of sources from any TOPCAT view, we can broadcast this subset in order to see where they lie in Aladin:

Conversely, the selection of a subset of sources in Aladin will create a new subset in TOPCAT:

Sending the position of a source

From TOPCAT activation preferences, we choose to send the position of a source when selecting it:

Thus, selecting a given source in TOPCAT will send a message asking Aladin to show its position on the sky (pointed out by the pink reticle):

-- ThomasBoch - 12 Sep 2006