pyFitsServer

pyFitsServer is a lightweight server to facilitate the rendering and previewing of FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) files. It is designed to work in conjunction with the pyFitsVSC Visual Studio Code extension, providing backend services to support the frontend visualization capabilities.

Description

The pyFitsServer acts as the backend server for serving FITS file previews. It processes the FITS files and provides the necessary data and/or images to the pyFitsVSC extension.

Prerequisites

To run the pyFitsServer, you need to have Python installed on your system. It is recommended to use a virtual environment to manage dependencies.

Installation

To install and run pyFitsServer, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/GillySpace27/pyFitsServer.git

2. Navigate to the directory:

   cd pyFitsServer

3. Create a virtual environment (optional but recommended):

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows use `venv\Scripts\activate`

4. Install the dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

5. Run the server:

   python server.py

6. Confirm the server is running properly by running tests (from the project root):

   pytest

If everything is set up correctly, the server should be running and you should see output indicating that it is ready to accept requests.

Usage

Once the pyFitsServer is running, it will be ready to interface with the pyFitsVSC extension for Visual Studio Code. The server will handle backend operations, such as rendering and processing the FITS files, and send the necessary data back to the pyFitsVSC extension for display.

Integration with pyFitsVSC

pyFitsVSC is a VS Code extension designed to provide previews of FITS files seamlessly within the editor. Here’s how to use it in conjunction with pyFitsServer:

1. Ensure the server is running by following the installation steps.
2. Install the pyFitsVSC extension by following these steps in the pyfitsvsc repository:
   1. Clone the repository:

      git clone https://github.com/GillySpace27/pyfitsvsc.git

   2. Navigate to the directory:

      cd pyfitsvsc

   3. Locate the precompiled .vsix file in the repository or compile from source (if needed):
      • To install from the precompiled .vsix file:
        • Open VS Code.
        • Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X).
        • Click the three-dot menu (...).
        • Select Install from VSIX....
        • Browse to and select the precompiled .vsix file.
      • To compile and package from source:
        1. Install VSCE if not already installed:

           npm install -g vsce

        2. Compile the TypeScript code:

           npm run compile

        3. Package the extension:

           vsce package

        4. Install the VSIX file:
           • Open VS Code.
           • Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X).
           • Click the three-dot menu (...).
           • Select Install from VSIX....
           • Browse to and select the .vsix file created in the previous step.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvements, please feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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With these updates, users should have a comprehensive guide to installing, running, and using both pyFitsServer and the pyFitsVSC extension. If you find these changes satisfactory or if there are any additional details you'd like to include, please let me know.