Loading Starlight Live with a fits file via Windows drag and drop

[Robrj]

I posted this on CN so it's a duplicate:

I found a way to easily load a fits file into Starlight Live with Windows using batch files instead of a command line interface.

You create the batch file, add the path to Starlight Live's exe file, add the -load-image extenstion and add %1 at the end. Then you can just drag a fits file onto the batch file. Windows will substitute the filename of the file you dragged and dropped for the %1.

 

To create the batch file, right click the desktop and create a text file and name it something meaningful like "Starlight Live Load Fits".

 

Paste one of the following lines in the file based on your camera.  You can get the path to the Starlight Live exe from your shortcut (right-click->Properties->Target) or using Windows Explorer to find the path.  Note there is a space between the .exe and the -load-image-rggb:

 

Ultrastar-C

C:\<PATH TO THE Starlight Live exe file>\StarlightLive.exe -load-image-rggb %1

 

Lodestar X2C

C:\<PATH TO THE Starlight Live exe file>\StarlightLive.exe -load-image-cygm %1

 

Mono cameras:

C:\<PATH TO THE Starlight Live exe file>\StarlightLive.exe -load-image %1

 

Then Save the file.  It will save as a txt file (text)

Next, right click the file and rename the file so it has a .bat instead of a .txt extension.

 

Now you can just drag a fits file onto the batch file and it will open Starlight Live with the file.  If you have a ultra high def display, you can add the -platform windows:dpiawareness=0 to the command line.  I've tested it on my computer and it works great.

 

e.g. for a fits created with a Lodestar X2C

C:\<PATH TO THE Starlight Live exe file>\StarlightLive.exe -platform windows:dpiawareness=0 -load-image-cygm %1

 

[Paul81]

Spot on guide, certainly makes it easier!

With regards to the high DPI display command line argument, I have a test build that should hopefully mean this is no longer required. Do you have a high res display? If so would be able to try it without the command line argument? The test build is available to download: StarlightLive.win32.BETA-3.4-TEST-BUILD-170131.zip

Cheers

Paul

[Robrj]

I have a Surface 3 tablet and also an Intel Stick PC that uses a TV (both 1920x1080).  With both, the fonts are a little scrunched up but I never had a problem reading it.  I tried the dpiawareness switch and it spaced out the fonts better and made the side bar bigger, but it wasn't required with my setup.  

[RobertI]

Very useful discovery, thanks for sharing! i don't use the command line much but I invariably get it wrong  afew times before i finally get the right string of characters so this will be useful and might encourage me to experiment a bit more.