Snapplot configuration

Many of the snapplot options can be set by snapplot configuration files. This includes the colours on the key, the observation display options, the error options, the station offsets, and the list of hidden and highlighted stations. Snapplot configuration files can be loaded in the following ways:

when the program starts using the snapplot command line

when the program starts from the snap command file

while the program is running from the File | Load configuration menu item

while the program is running from the configuration menu. Installing configurations on the menu is described below.

The easiest way to create a configuration file is to use the key and menus to configure snapplot as required, then use the File | Save configuration menu item to save the configuration for future use. After saving the file it may be edited in a text editor to select the configuration components required.

Automatically loaded configurations

When snapplot starts it always looks for and automatically installs the following configuration files

snapplot.spc - in the snapplot program directory

snapplot.spc - in the command file directory

jobname.spc - in the command file directory, where jobname is the name of the snap command file

Settings specific to the adjustment, such as hidden and offset stations, should not be placed in the snapplot.spc file in the program directory, as these will apply to every adjustment.

The configuration menu

Configurations can be added to the configuration menu so that they can be quickly selected. This is done by adding "config_menu" commands to one of the startup configuration files.

The config_menu command has the format:

config_menu cfg_file_name menu_text

where cfg_file_name is the name of the configuration file and menu_text is the text that will appear in the configuration menu. snapplot will look for the configuration file in the snapplot program directory, and in the command file directory.

Example configuration file

The following example shows a configuration file generated by using the File | Save configuration menu item. Typically the file will be edited to create the specific configuration required, for example removing everything except the key definition commands.

! SNAPPLOT configuration file

error_type aposteriori standard_error
error_scale horizontal 1.00 times_default
error_scale vertical 1.00 times_default
obs_listing_fields from to data_type status std_residual redundancy obs_type age PLAN
obs_listing_order from
observation_options show_obs_directions merge_similar_obs
observation_spacing 1.00 times_default
highlight_observations unused

! Station offsets
ignore_station_offsets no
offset_station BB03  201.03 63.54



! Key defined as follows:

observation_colours by_type

key "Free stations" on GREY
key "Fixed stations" on RED
key "Hor fixed stns" on RED
key "Vrt fixed stns" on RED
key "Rejected stns" on WHITE
key "Text" BLACK
key "Symbol" on
key "Name" off
key "Code" off
key "Highlight" GREEN

key "Error ellipses" on SEA_GREEN
key "Relative ellipse" off SEA_GREEN
key "Hor adjustment" off RED
key "Height error" off SEA_GREEN
key "Relative hgt err" off SEA_GREEN
key "Vrt adjustment" off PURPLE


key "ellipsoidal distance" on BLUE
key "horizontal angle" on BLUE
key "projection bearing" on BLUE

key "Used obs" on
key "Rejected obs" on
key "Unused obs" on


key "Map background" WHITE