Projects/Edu/KStars/QA List 2.6.0

 

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List of expected behaviors for KStars 2.6.0

Please test these behaviors, and indicate whether it works correctly or not. Once a behavior has been tested, attach one of the following codes to the beginning of the line to indicate its status.

• No symbol or Black: behavior not yet tested
• * or Red: behavior causes KStars to crash
• X or Orange: behavior is broken
• B or Yellow: behavior sort-of works, or is buggy
• U or Cyan: Usability issue
• C or Green: behavior works correctly

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Mouse Navigation

• Moving the mouse shows the current sky coordinates of the mouse in the statusbar.
• Clicking the mouse identifies the nearest object in the statusbar; the object's "long name" is shown
• Hovering the mouse attaches a temporary label to the nearest object.
• Hover labels fade out when the mouse moves
• Hover labels only appear when the map is not in motion
• Double-clicking attaches a label to the nearest object, centers it in the display, and engages tracking.
• The double-click label is removed when the object is no longer centered
• Click-and-drag moves the map such that the cursor remains roughly in the same place in the sky.
• Dragging the sky disengages tracking
• Dragging the sky to one of the poles does not cause odd behavior
• Click-and-drag with Ctrl pressed draws a rectangle in the map that defines a new area to be displayed when the mouse button is released [1]
• Click-and-drag with the middle mouse button zooms in and out according to the vertical motion of the mouse
• Scrolling the mouse wheel zooms in and out.
• Scrolling the mouse wheel while holding down Shift / Ctrl decreases the amount of zooming in / out.
• Right-click opens a context-sensitive popup menu for the object nearest the mouse cursor.

Keyboard commands

• Arrow keys: scroll the display. Holding Shift increases the speed
• [0-9] center on a major solar system body (0 is the sun, 3 is the moon; the rest are planets in order from Mercury to Pluto) [2]
• [<,>] Advance clock forward/backward by one time step (clock will be paused if it isn't already) [3]

Object Actions:

• C: Track object
• D: Open the Details window
• L: Attach/Remove the label
• O: Add object to Observing List
• T: Attach/remove trail (solar system only)
• Pressing Shift targets action on the focused object, rather than the clicked object

Menu functions and keyboard shortcuts

If a menu action opens a window, the window's behavior is listed elsewhere. Just check to see if it opens here.

File Menu

• Open a FITS image in the FITS Viewer tool [Ctrl+O]
• Save Sky image [Ctrl+I] [4]
• Run script [Ctrl+R] [5]
• Printing Wizard
• Print [Ctrl+P] (print dialog opens)
• Quit [Ctrl+Q]

Time Menu

• Set time to now [Ctrl+E]
• Set time [Ctrl+S]
• Advance one step backward in time
• Start/Stop clock
• Advance one step forward in time

Pointing Menu

• Zenith [Z]
• North [N]
• East [E]
• South [S]
• West [W]
• Set focus manually [Ctrl+M]
• Find object [Ctrl+F]
• Engage/Stop tracking [Ctrl+T]

View Menu

• Zoom in [Ctrl++]
• Zoom out [Ctrl+-]
• Default zoom [Ctrl+Z]
• Zoom to angular size [Ctrl+Shift+Z]
• Full-screen mode [Ctrl+Shift+F]
• Horizontal/Equatorial Coordinates [Space]
• Projections sub-menu (test switching only here)

Devices Menu

[NOTE: These features require that KStars be compiled with INDI support]

Telescope wizard

• Help button displays KStars hand book. [6]
• Next/Back buttons work.
• Listed telescopes reflect system + user added telescopes.
• Setting Time and Location open the appropriate dialog boxes and perform the correct time or location updates.
• Setting port name initiate a scan for that specific port, whereas leaving the port empty initiates a complete auto port scan. Both actions can be canceled at any time.
• Automatic port scan.

Device manager

• Device manager allows the user to start/shutdown device drivers and connect to remote INDI servers. [7]
• Device manager has a list of devices, containing device name, status and mode.
• Device manager has a Server Log box that contains information for every running device.
• Starting in Local mode creates an INDI server and connects to it.
• Starting in Server mode only creates a server, KStars does not connect to it.
• Starting one driver in Local mode works.
• Starting multiple drivers in Local mode works.
• Stopping one driver does not stop server.
• Stopping multiple drivers does not stop server.
• The Run Service button enables the user to run selected device.
• The Stop Service button enables the user to stop selected device.
• The Close button enables the user to close Device Manager windows.
• In the Client tab, the user can Add/Modify/Remove a host.
• In the Client tab, the user can establish/stop a connection by pressing the Connect/Disconnect buttons.

INDI Control panel

• INDI Control Panel allows users to control all the features supported by a device.

Tools Menu (test opening tools only here)

• Calculator [Ctrl+C]
• Devices
• Sky Calendar
• Altitude vs. Time [Ctrl+A]
• What's Up Tonight [Ctrl+U]
• What's Interesting [Ctrl+W]
• Script Builder [Ctrl+B]
• Solar System [Ctrl+Y]
• Ekos [Ctrl+K]
• Jupiter's Moons [Ctrl+J]
• Flags

Observation Menu

• Observation Planner [Ctrl+L]
• Execute the session Plan [Ctrl+2]

Observation Planner [Ctrl+L]

• The user can open an observation session list. [8]
• The user can open the Observing List Wizard.
• The observation session can be saved using Save/Save as buttons. [4]
• The user can easily set up the current Location and Date.
• More objects can be added to the list by using the Find Object or What's up Tonight tool.
• An image can be added to an object by pressing the Find Image button on the right .
• Within the Find Image window, the user can open an image from his hard drive.
• The Download all Images button downloads the SDSS/DSS images of all the objects in the current list.
• The Delete all Images button deletes the stored DSS/SDSS images.
• The Delete button deletes the current set image.
• The Make window small button shrinks the size of the Observation Planner window.

Execute the session Plan [Ctrl+2]

• The user is able to see some information about the selected object and also to add observing notes.
• The user is able to add new objects to the list using Add new object to list button.
• The user is able to remove the selected object from the list by pressing Remove object from list button.
• The user is able to enter and set session detailsː Location, Begin time of the session, Weather, Equipment, Comments and Language.
• By pressing the Next Page button the user will access the second page of Session Plan, that contains information about equipment.
• Pressing the Next Target button will cause the Execute Session to open the first window again for the next object.
• By pressing the End Session button, the user will save and end the current session. [4]
• By pressing the Close button, the Execute Session window will be closed.

Settings Menu

• Infoboxes Display toggles
• Toolbar display toggles
• Toolbar customization
• Statusbar display toggles
• Color scheme toggles
• Field-of-view (FOV) Symbol selector
• FOV Editor
• Artificial Horizon
• Configure Observation Logging
• Geographic Location [Ctrl+G]
• Configure Shortcuts
• Configure Toolbars
• Configure KStars
• Startup Wizard

Configure Observation Logging

• List your Equipment [Ctrl+0]
• Manage Observer [Ctrl+1]

Help Menu

• KStars Handbook [F1]
• Tip of the Day
• What's this? [Shift+F1]
• Report Bug
• About KStars
• About KDE

Toolbars

Main toolbar

• Zoom in/out
• Find object...
• Geographic
• Set Time
• Advance one step backward in time
• Stop/Start clock
• Advance one step forward in time
• Set Timestep widget

View toolbar

• Show stars
• Show deep-sky objects
• Show Solar system objects
• Show supernovae [9]
• Show satellites [9]
• Show constellation lines
• Show constellation names
• Show constellation art (BETA) [10]
• Show constellation boundaries
• Show Milky Way
• Show equatorial coordinate grid
• Show horizontal coordinate grid
• Show opaque ground

INDI toolbar

• Show Ekos
• Show INDI Control Panel
• Show FITS Viewer

Centering and tracking

• Center+Track on object (double-click, popup menu, click then press "C")
• Center+Track on empty sky (double-click, popup menu)
• If requested position moves display below horizon, confirm dialog is shown
• If startup position is below horizon, recenter dialog is shown
• Information in "Focus" InfoBox updates correctly when recentering

Info boxes

• Displayed with semi-transparent backgound
• Highlight color on click
• "Shade" on double-click
• Move on drag
• Collision avoidance works
• "Stick" to screen edges
• Remember position and shade-state on restart

Color schemes

• Show all available schemes, incl. predefined and custom
• All color settings change upon selecting a new scheme
• Color settings persistent on reload
• Custom scheme appears in menu after creating in in the Configure dialog
• Custom scheme is removed from menu if it is removed in the Configure dialog

Dialogs

Download new data

• Dialog displays all available download items (Steinicke NGC/IC catalog, Abell Planetary Nebulae Catalog, Sharpless HII region Catalog, Hickson Compact Groups, Tycho-2 Star Catalog, USNO NOMAD Catalog, Inline thumbnail images, Thumbnails for details window)
• Each item gets downloaded and installed correctly
• For each item, the details window is opened by pressing the Details button.
• By clicking on the author's name, the default email client will be opened enabling the user to easily send an email to the author.
• Each item gets uninstalled correctly
• The add-ons list can be ordered byː Newest, Rating, Most downloads or Installed
• The search method works correctly

FITS viewer

• File open dialog displays only FITS files.
• FITS image is opened and displayed properly.
• Image coordinates, pixel value, image dimensions, and zoom value are displayed in status bar.
• Undo/Redo work
• Zoom in/out, Default zoom
• Rotate Right
• Rotate Left
• Flip Horizontal
• Flip Vertical
• Mark/Unmark Stars works
• Statistics
• Auto stretch
• FITS header
• Closing without save issues a warning dialog [9]
• Save and Save As work [4]
• All shortcuts work (i.e. Ctrl+H for opening the FITS Header window) [10]

Histogram tool

• Range of pixel values can be updated with edit boxes or by dragging the blue/red symbols: red symbol not draggable in initial position

Save sky image

• Saves image to file [4]
• Image matches screen display (without FOV or infobox overlays)

Run script

• Executes the selected script. [5]
• Statusbar messages indicate script is running/finished.

Print

• Prints image of current skymap (without infoboxes or FOV symbols)
• Ask to reset color scheme if background is not white
• Color scheme is properly reset for printing, and reverted afterward

Set time

• Simulation clock is set to selected time
• Selected date displayed properly in calendar widget
• It is not possible to select an invalid date

Set focus manually

• Setting RA/Dec coordinates works
• Setting Az/Alt coordinates works

Find object

• Filter by name works
• Filter by type works
• Highlighted object is centered in map when user hits return or presses Ok [11]
• Dialog message when a match fails; window does not close
• Up/Down arrow keys navigate the list of objects
• The Object Details window is opened by clicking on Details button

Zoom to angular size

• Zoom is set to display the angle entered
• Min/max values make sense

FOV symbol editor

• Selected symbol is shown in preview pane
• Creating a new symbol works
• Editing an existing symbol works
• Removing a symbol works

Artificial Horizon Manager

• User can draw a region by defining a list of points that encompasses the blocked area.
• User can add points manually, or by selecting them from the Sky Map.
• Add Region button works.
• Remove Region button works.
• Save Regions button works.
• A region's name can be changed by double clicking on its name.
• The default regions names are likeː Region 1, Region 2 and so on.
• Add Point button works.
• Remove Point button works.
• Clear all points button works.
• Select points from the sky map button works.

Geographic location

• Set the location by highlighting a city from the list.
• The red crosshair's position on the map will be updated by highlighting a city from the list. [12]
• Use the City Filter to make searches easier.
• Use the Province Filter to make searches easier.
• Use the Country Filter to make searches easier.
• Define a completely new location by pressing the Clear Fields button, and entering the data for the new location.
• Use the Add City to List button to record a new custom version of some location.
• Use the Remove City from List button to remove the selected location from the list.
• Latitude, longitude and UT offset values for a given location must be correct.

Startup Wizard

• Set Geographic location works
• Download Extra Data works

Object Details (from popup menu)

• The window is divided into a number of tabs depending on the selected object: General, Position, Links, Advanced and Log.
• General tab contains names and catalog designations, object type, and magnitude (brightness).
• Using the General tab, the current object can be added to Observing List.
• Using the General tab, the current object can be centered in Map.
• Using the General tab, the current object can be centered in Telescope.
• Position tab contains object's Equatorial and Horizontal coordinates, as well as its rise, set and transit times.
• In the Links tab, the internet links associated with this object can be managed.
• Add custom links to the object using the Add Link button.
• Modify or remove any link using the Edit Link and Remove Link buttons.
• Query professional astronomical databases on the internet using The Advanced Tab.
• Using the Log Tab, type in some text that will remain associated with this object's Details window.
• User's notes are saved correctly such that they can be used next time in KStars.

Image viewer (from popup menu)

• Selected image is shown; window is sized to fit image
• Authorship and copyright in statusbar
• Save button works [4]

Popup menu

• The right click popup menu is context-sensitive, meaning its content varies depending on what kind of object you click on.
• The name(s) of the object, and its type.
• Rise, Transit, and Set times for the object.
• Center & Track: Center the display on this location, and engage tracking. Equivalent to double-clicking.
• Add flag.
• Angular Distance To: compute the angular distance between two selected objects.
• Details: Open the Object Details window for this object. (not available for all objects)
• Attach/Remove Label.
• Add/Remove from Observing List. (not available for all objects)
• Add/Remove Trail. (not available for all objects)
• Simulate eyepiece view,
• Give image resources. (not available for all objects)
• Give information resources. (not available for all objects)
• Show SDSS Image. (not available for all objects)
• Show DSS Image. (not available for all objects)

Tools

Calculator

Note: changes in the modules are not reflected until the widget loses input focus. This may not be ideal, but doing immediate updates doesn't work. Consider the JD module. Let's say I want to clear the current number and enter a new one. As soon as I delete the text, it would try to process the blank line as a date. Then if I typed a "2", it would try to use that. Basically, there needs to be a way to indicate that you are done editing.

• Julian Day calculator works correctly, both ways.
• Sidereal Time Calculator works correctly, both ways.
• Information displayed in the Almanac seems correct.
• Equinoxes and Solstices displayed are correct
• Equatorial to Galactic Coords conversion works
• Conversion from Equatorial to Horizontal coordinates is accurate
• Horizontal Coordinates UI
• Ecliptic Coordinates tool UI
• Data shown in the ecliptic coordinates tool seems accurate
• Angular distance tool UI works as expected
• Angular distances reported seem accurate
• Geodetic coordinates UI works as expected
• Data displayed by Geodetic coordinates tool seems correct
• LSR Velocity tool UI works as expected
• LSR Velocity tool seems to produce correct results
• Planet Coordinates tool UI behaves as expected
• Planet coordinates shown seem accurate
• Conjunctions tool UI behaves as expected
• Conjunctions tool reports all conjunctions correctly

Altitude vs. time

• Find Object works
• Using the Plot button, an object's altitude curve is drawn smoothly and correctly.
• Clear Fields button clears the Name, RA, Dec and Equinox text boxes.
• Clear List button clears the entire plot.
• The format for RA coordinate isː hh mm ss.s
• The format for Dec coordinate isː dd mm ss.s
• Zoom in works correctly.
• Zoom out works correctly.
• The plot can be smoothly panned using the mouse movement, keeping the limitations on the plot sides.
• There should exist a zoom out limitation for the most dominant curve. The plot cannot be zoomed out pass today's curve.
• Compute button will calculate the correct altitude for an object using a certain Local Time.
• The Local Time can be set using the spin box or by entering manually the value.
• The Local Time value must be correct. In example, you can't use an hour bigger than 23ː59.
• The Rise/Set/Transit markers are drawn at the correct position on the curve.
• The colors used for Rise/Set/Transit markers must match the colors marked on the buttonsː red for Rise, blue for Set and green for Transit time.
• The opaque green ground must start at 0 degrees altitude.
• The dashed line must indicate the correct time and must be drawn at the right position on the plot.
• The curve of the current highlighted object from the list must be drawn with a thicker, white line, while the others curves must be drawn with a thinner, red line.
• The Rise/Set/Transit markers must be drawn above the altitude curves.
• The date and location can be updated using the Date & Location tab.
• By hovering the mouse above a curve, a black tool tip will appear, displaying the name of the object, the local sidereal time, the local time and the altitude value for that position.
• Print button works.

What's up tonight

• The date and location are correct
• Almanac data are correct
• Displays objects that are visible on the given date, from the given location
• Changing the Date works, and updates the list of objects and almanac
• Changing the Location works, and updates the list of objects and almanac
• Selecting Evening/Morning/All Night works, and updates the list of objects
• Selecting the minimum magnitude works, and updates the list of object
• Selected object is displayed in right panel correctly
• The Rise/Set/Transit data are correct
• Center Object button works
• Details button works
• Add to List button adds the selected object to the Observing list

What's Interesting

• User can rate how light-polluted is the night-sky.
• A rating can have values in range 1 to 9.
• Clicking on the Wikipedia link will open the Bortle dark-sky scale in the default web browser.
• The Defaults button will reset the rating value to 4, which is the default value.
• User can set the equipment settingsː equipment type and parameters.
• The Telescope and Binoculars check boxes work.
• User can add a new telescope by pressing the Add new telescope button, which will open the Configure Equipment window.
• In the Configure Equipment window, user can save or remove an equipment from the list.
• In the Configure Equipment window are four tabs (Telescope, Eyepiece, Lens and Filter) and each tab contains specific parameters for current equipment type.
• The Defaults button works.

Script builder

• Short documentation for the function highlighted in the Function Browser is correct.
• When a function is highlighted in the Current Script box, the Function Arguments panel will contain items for specifying values for any arguments that the highlighted function requires.
• New Script button creates a new empty script.
• Open Script button enables the user to use a script that already exists in the system.
• Save Script/Save Script As buttons are correctly saving the current script, letting the user to choose the desired location of the saving.
• Pressing Test Script will correctly run the current script in the main KStars window. [5]
• Add Function button adds the currently-highlighted function in the Function Browser to the Current Script box (you can also add a function by double-clicking on it).
• Remove Function button removes the currently-highlighted function from the Current Script box.
• Copy Function button duplicates the currently-highlighted function from the Current Script box.
• Move Up/Move Down buttons enable the user to set the desired running order of the functions.
• A warning dialog will pop-up if the New Script button is pressed and the current script has unsaved changes.

Solar system

• Solar System Viewer displays a model of our solar system as seen from above.
• The display can be zoomed in and out with the + and - keys or by using the mouse scroll.
• The display can be centered with the arrow keys, or by double-clicking anywhere in the window with the mouse. [13]
• The display can be also centered on a planet with the 0–9 keys (0 is the Sun; 9 is Pluto). [14]
• The timestep can be adjusted.
• The Today button reset the display to its default state.
• The Stop/Run button enables the user to stop/continue the simulation.

Jupiter's moons

• This tool displays the positions of Jupiter's four largest moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) relative to Jupiter, as a function of time.
• Each track is assigned a different color to distinguish it from the others; the name labels at the top of the window indicate the color used by each moon.
• The time axis can be expanded or compressed using the + and - keys.
• The graph can be moved up or down by pressing the [ and ] keys.
• The Close button closes the window.

Flags

• Flags manager allows the user to mark flags on the map by giving the RA/Dec coordinates.
• Add button works.
• Save changes button works.
• The user can set a custom label, a label color and an icon for a flag.
• The Flag manager window contains documentation for how to add custom icons in KStars.
• Delete button will remove the highlighted flag from the list and from KStars Sky-Map.
• Centre in Map button works.
• Centre in Telescope button works.
• If KStars did not find any active telescopes, then a warning dialog will pop up.

Details window

• Displays object information
• Add to Observing List works.
• Centre in Map button works.
• Centre in Telescope button works.
• If KStars did not find any active telescopes, then a warning dialog will pop up.
• Testing Resource links works
• Editing Resource links works
• Removing resource links works
• Interacting with online databases works
• User can record any observation logs.
• The observation logs are saved, such that they can be used next time when KStars is opened.

Thumbnail Picker

• Displays list of images found via Google image search
• Selecting an image from the list displays it in the viewer
• Editing the image works
• Closing the window places the selected image in the Details window
• Loading an image from the computer works
• Unset Image button works
• KIO jobs are terminated in the console after quitting KStars [15]

Ekos

• By default, Ekos uses Simulators profile.
• The Simulators profile can not be removed from the Profile list.
• The user can add a new device profile using the Add profile button and then Save button.
• The user can remove a profile using the Remove profile button.
• The new profiles that has been added are kept when a new KStars instance is opened.
• The profiles that has been removed from the lists will not come back when a new KStars instance is opened.
• The Edit profile button opens the Profile Editor, enabling the user to modify the current profile.
• INDI starts by pressing Start INDI button.
• The device can be connected using Connect button.
• The device can be disconnected using Disconnect button.
• Once a device is connected, a number of tabs will come up: Mount, CCD, Focus, Align and Guide.
• Test the Scheduler, Mount, CCD, Focus, Align and Guide tabs.

Sky Projections

• Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area
• Azimuthal Equidistant
• Orthographic
• Equirectangular
• Streographic
• Gnomonic

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Discovered issues:

Use this section to add issues discovered while testing the program that are not listed above.

• KStars doesn't know my city's coordinates, while Marble does. Could not they share the a common datasheet with cities' positions?

A: Will bring in Marble Widget eventually

• kstars.exe remains opened in console.

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Footnotes

Add footnotes describing issues noted in the main list here.

[1]: KStars can behave incorrectly if the rectangle extends sufficiently into the "blank" region outside the map.

[2]: "9" key does nothing, instead of centering the Sky Map on Pluto - same in Linux.

[3]: "<" and ">" keys do nothing - same in Linux.

[4]: Saving does not work at all in KStars. The path to the saved file seems to be wrong (Windows uses backslash (\) but KStars is trying to save using the Linux slash (/) symbol; see http://raphaelcojocaru.xyz/save_image.PNG ).

[5]: KStars doesn't run the script. It seems to be stuck with the "Running script" message.

[6]: Telescope wizard is missing.

[7]: The devices list from the Local/Server is disabled. You can not select any device from the list.

[8]ː KStars can't open an observation session list. It seems that the path to the file is wrong (Windows uses backslash (\) but KStars is trying to open a file using the Linux slash (/) symbol).

[9]: No warning dialog is displayed if the window is closed without save - same in Linux.

[10]: "Ctrl+H" shortcut for opening the FITS Header window does not work because it is ambiguous.

[11]: Pressing the Return key does nothing.

[12]ː The map from Set Geographic Location window is missing (see http://raphaelcojocaru.xyz/missing_map.PNG ).

[13]: Double click will make KStars to crash - same in Linux.

[14]: Pressing 9 does nothing and pressing 8 will make KStars to crash - Same on Linux

[15]ː KIO jobs are not terminated in the console after quitting KStars.