Arch/Cmprss details

The latest version of the archive script for the Picker Odyssey computers introduces compatibility with the PRISM workbench through a graphical front end written by Wes Wooten, St. Agnes Medical Center, Fresno CA.

Arch script details

The script itself is quite simple in principle. 4 flags are accepted which determine whether to compress or uncompress, and what is to be compressed. A short help screen is available.

Basically, the script takes a list of directories or files from the command line and compresses the files. Compatibility of the compressed files with the clinical index utilities and the workbench is achieved by using dd(1) to extract the IIB header into a separate file and appending the compressed file to the header. The string 'arch-compressed' is placed between the header and the compressed file to indicate that the file has been compressed. The script looks for this string before attempting to uncompress the file.

If directories are to be compressed or uncompressed, the script will process all files beginning with R (raw data), T (transverse recons), O (oblique recons) and L (lightbox images) found in the directory.

The script also implements compression blocking on certain disks. The user may want to block compression on the hard disk to avoid the possibility of accidentally compressing a patient file during acquisition.

Arch front end

The arch front end, cmprss, was written by Wes Wooten using imager.c (a demo program on Picker's Software Developer's Kit) as a framework.

The front end itself is merely a wrapper program which takes the list of files currently on the workbench and combines them all into a long string which is passed to the arch script via the spawnv() routine. The files are compressed or uncompressed depending on which button is pushed. The apropriate arch flags are appended automatically.

This is what the buttons look like on an Odyssey VP (BL6) system

Pretty spiffy looking aren't they :)
And here are the Titan (BL5) buttons

Ugly, but functional.

Known bugs

If you find any problems, or if you have any suggestions on improving this stuff, please send mail to me or wooten@medisun.UCSFresno.EDU (preferably to both of us).

To do

• Rewrite the arch script to make it more modular and easier to read. Mayb I'll do this when I decide to learn Perl.
• Disk blocking will only be done on 3 disks. Maybe it should be more flexible
• Make the argument handling for arch a little more flexible.
• Merge BL5 and BL6 front ends into a single cmprss.c program

File listing

Here are the files.

• arch - v2.3 of the arch script.
• Baseline 5
  1. cmprss5.c - front end for PRISM Baseline 5 users (v2.2).
  2. Makefile for cmprssBL5.c
  3. cmprss5.mnu - Workbench menu entry
  4. cmprss5.def - X default entries
  5. cmprss5.hlp - Help file
  6. install - install script to put everything in place
• Baseline 6
  1. cmprssBL6.c - front end for PRISM Baseline 6 users (Motif widgets) (v2.2)
  2. Makefile for cmprssBL5.c
  3. cmprss.mnu - Workbench menu entry
  4. Cmprss - X default entries
  5. cmprss.hlp - Help file
  6. install - install script to put everything in place

These files and pre-compiled binaries can be obtained via anonymous FTP from raddi.uah.ualberta.ca or from the list below. You can also grab it from the Picker Nuclear User's Group Info Droid by sending the message help to it and following the instructions it gives you.

• Odyssey Titan 750 Baseline 5
  • cmprssBL5.tar.Z - binaries
  • cmprs5.s.tar.Z - sources
• Odyssey VP Baseline 6
  • cmprssBL6.tar.Z - binaries
  • cmprs6.s.tar.Z - sources

Technical support is available from me or Wes Wooten.

History of cmprss
Eugene Mah's home page
U of A Radiology home page