==========
GAVO DaCHS
==========

:Author: Markus Demleitner
:Email: gavo@ari.uni-heidelberg.de

The GAVO Data Center Helper Suite (DaCHS) is a publishing infrastructure
for the Virtual Observatory, including a flexible component for
ingesting and mapping data, integrated metadata handling with a
publishing registry, and support for many VO protocols and standards.


Documentation
=============

All of this is very much work in progress.  Users asking for elaboration
are certainly good indicators of where need is greatest.

What to read when?
------------------

Obviously, you should start with the installation instructions.  You
should then probably read and work through the tutorial to get a feel
for how DaCHS works.  Once you have data and want to go live, you'll
have to read the operator's guide.  That's about all there is to read
sequentially.

When you get error messages you don't understand, check the "Hints on
common problems".  When you have some funky litte requirement the
solution for which is not immediately obvious, try the "How do I"
document.  If what you want is not covered, ask the authors.

The reference is, well, the reference, and I'm afraid you'll have to
look up things in there fairly regularly.

You can ignore the topic guides (booster grammars, preprocessing,
anything else that might yet come) until you notice you need to read
them.


For Data Center Operators
-------------------------

* Installation and configuration (`install.html <./install.html>`_, 
  `install.pdf <./install.pdf>`_, `install.rstx <./install.rstx>`_)
* Operator's guide (`opguide.html <./opguide.html>`_, 
  `opguide.pdf <./opguide.pdf>`_, `opguide.rstx <./opguide.rstx>`_)
* Tutorial on importing data (`tutorial.html <./tutorial.html>`_, 
  `tutorial.pdf <./tutorial.pdf>`_, `tutorial.rstx <./tutorial.rstx>`_)
* Reference (`ref.html <./ref.html>`_, 
  `ref.pdf <./ref.pdf>`_, `ref.rstx <./ref.rstx>`_)
* How do I? (`howDoI.html <./howDoI.html>`_, 
  `howDoI.pdf <./howDoI.pdf>`_, `howDoI.rstx <./howDoI.rstx>`_)
* Hints on common problems (`commonproblems.html <./commonproblems.html>`_,
  `commonproblems.pdf <./commonproblems.pdf>`_, 
  `commonproblems.rstx <./commonproblems.rstx>`_)
* Guide to write booster grammars (`booster.html <./booster.html>`_,
  `booster.pdf <./booster.pdf>`_, `booster.rstx <./booster.rstx>`_)
* Guide to preprocessing input files (`processors.html <./processors.html>`_,
  `processors.pdf <./processors.pdf>`_, 
  `processors.rstx <./processors.rstx>`_)

For VO Data Providers
---------------------

* Checklist for data providers (`data_checklist.html <./data_checklist.html>`_, 
  `data_checklist.pdf <./data_checklist.pdf>`_, 
  `data_checklist.rstx <./data_checklist.rstx>`_)

Library Documentation
---------------------

* STC library documentation (`stc.html <./stc.html>`_,
  `stc.pdf <./stc.pdf>`_, `stc.rstx <./stc.rstx>`_)
* ADQL library documentation (`adql.html <./adql.html>`_,
  `adql.pdf <./adql.pdf>`_, `adql.rstx <./adql.rstx>`_)
* VOTable library documentation (`votable.html <./votable.html>`_,
  `votable.pdf <./votable.pdf>`_, `votable.rstx <./votable.rstx>`_)
* VOTable library tapquery documentation (`tapquery.html <./tapquery.html>`_,
  `tapquery.pdf <./tapquery.pdf>`_, `tapquery.rstx <./tapquery.rstx>`_)


DaCHS developer Documentation
-----------------------------

* Epydoc-generated `API documentation <./apidoc>`_.  Note, however,
  that none of this is, as yet, guaranteed stable API.  Very little
  will be.  The main purpose of this is to help understanding the code
  as it is; but of course you should tell us "I need this
  function in a stable API" when you do, and we promise to regard
  such requests with favor.
* Development notes (`develNotes.html <./develNotes.html>`_,
  `develNotes.pdf <./develNotes.pdf>`_, `develNotes.rstx <./develNotes.rstx>`_)

Software
========

To obtain the software (or parts of it), see
http://vo.ari.uni-heidelberg.de/soft.